da bet nacional： The youngest, least experienced team ever to represent theWest Indies in a major international match carry their hopesinto the day-night final of the LG Abans triangular seriesof One-Day Internationals against Sri Lanka at the PremadasaStadium
Tony Cozier19-Dec-2001The youngest, least experienced team ever to represent theWest Indies in a major international match carry their hopesinto the day-night final of the LG Abans triangular seriesof One-Day Internationals against Sri Lanka at the PremadasaStadium here today.A spate of withdrawals through a host of different reasonsleft them with seven players 23 and under and an eighth whois 24.Two have never played under lights before and another fourhad the experience for the first time in the qualifyinground match against Sri Lanka a week ago that the WestIndies won.The only two in the XI older than 30 and with more than 80One-Day Internationals are captain Carl Hooper (35 with 201)and vice-captain Ridley Jacobs (33 and 88).It would be a miracle if they defeat opponents, on hometurf, whose captain, Sanath Jayasuriya, plays his 247th One-Day International with more than 7 000 runs to his name.Four others in the home team have well over 100 each.But, as the West Indies know from the bitter experience oftwo World Cup losses to India in the 1983 final and Kenya inthe 1996 first round the shorter form of the game is theideal stage for the upset.One sizeable partnership or one incisive bowling spell canbe enough to decide a match in which there can be no secondinnings comeback.Realistically, the most threatening factor for Sri Lanka iscomplacency.It is especially so as the only man they feared could make adifference will be airborne by the time the first ball isbowled, his left elbow in a cast and now out of action forat least six weeks.The on-field collision with Sri Lankan fielder MarvanAtapattu that left Brian Lara with a dislocation and ahairline fracture has robbed the final of one of its starattractions.His absence is likely to reduce the expected crowd of 30 000in the sprawling stadium and the West Indies chances by asmuch as a third.The left-handed batting maestro was already hugely popularin Sri Lanka where West Indies cricket is still held in highesteem in spite of their recent dismal record that includesa now familiar 3-0 loss in the preceding home series.The three Ws, Sobers, Richards, Lloyd, Marshall and othergreats of the past, who played here before the islandnation, once known as Ceylon, was granted Test status in1992, evoke cherished memories.Lara’s phenomenal 688 runs in the Test series this time, thesublime manner in which they were made and his triumph overthe unconquerable Murali, so caught the public’s imaginationthat there were over 3 000 get-well calls to a Kandy radiostation phone-in show the day after Lara’s tour was ended.His absence has placed a heavy responsibility on Hooper andthe remaining batsmen to show their true worth as onlyRamnaresh Sarwan and, belatedly, Daren Ganga and Chris Gaylehave done.Towards the end of a tour more personally horrid for Gaylethan even the team itself, the tall left-handed openerexploded into the kind of action in Sunday’s decisive matchagainst Zimbabwe that could be the catalyst for a real WestIndies challenge tonight.A hasty hundred from him or, for that matter anyone else,and some reasonable support is needed for the total requiredof a team short of bowling depth against opponents strong onbatting on a true pitch.Something in the region of 290 would do which is exactlywhat did do for the West Indies’ triumph over India in theirprevious triangular final in Harare in July.Teams:West Indies team (with One-Day Internationals played andages in brackets):Carl Hooper, captain (35 and 201); Daren Ganga (22 and 22);Chris Gayle (38 and 22); Ramnaresh Sarwan (8 and 21); MarlonSamuels (28 and 20); Ricardo Powell (52 and 23); Ryan Hinds(1 and 20); Ridley Jacobs (88 and 33); Darryl Brown (1 and28); Corey Collymore (16 and 23); Pedro Collins (6 and 25).Sri Lanka (from): Sanath Jayasuriya (captain),Avishka Gunawardene, Marvan Atapattu, Mahela Jayawardene,Russel Arnold, Kumar Sangakkara, Kumar Dharmasena, ChamindaVaas, Nuwan Zoysa, Muttiah Muralitheran, Suresh Perera, UpulChandana.