/ Editor / 30 March 2007 /

West Indies v Sri Lanka, Sunday, Guyana

After defeats for both Sri Lanka and the West Indies (twice) earlier this week, Sunday's match between the two at the Providence Stadium in Guyana is shaping up as a must-win clash for both, although certainly more so for the suddenly stumbling hosts.

Things have changed a lot for Brian Lara's side over the last week, as they looked to be on a high in the wake of a 100% record in Group D, taking two points into the second phase and in a decent position to make it at least to the semi-finals.

But heavy defeats by Australia and New Zealand over the last seven days mean, although it is not quite an elimination clash, defeat against Sri Lanka would leave them needing plenty of help from other teams to make it any further and avoid disappointing their fervent home support.

Sri Lanka were also three-for-three in their group campaign but they too lost their first game in the Super Eight phase, although their defeat came in agonising fashion as the heroics of quirky swing bowler Lasith Malinga - four wickets in four balls - left them just short in a one-wicket defeat to South Africa.

Pundits have questioned plenty of areas trying to find the weaknesses of the West Indies side, but it may just be that their performances in the first phase came in the weakest of the four groups and that they are a team on the decline. Therefore it is no real surprise to see them installed as a 2.74 outsider for this match, with Sri Lanka at 1.54.

They have also drifted all the way out to 38 in the win market, having been matched at a low of 7.4 to small stakes, and 5 to make it past this stage, the longest price of the teams left in the tournament who had been expected to make it this far - Ireland and Bangladesh are much longer at 20 and 9 respectively.

The hosts have not really hit top form since the opening game of the tournament when they beat a Pakistan team that sadly under-achieved, and although they beat the Irish with plenty in hand, chasing down 205 to beat Zimbabwe proved something of a struggle. Since they have started facing the top teams in the Super Eight phase, their limitations have been widely exposed.

They are lacking something all over the field, and a lot of that could come down to the captain, as Lara's record when in charge of the side is not that good - since the end of the whitewash win over Zimbabwe last spring, he has won 16 of 30 one-day internationals and seen his side's world ranking drop to eighth - rock bottom of the teams making up the so-called first division of world cricket.

Lara though has been one of the bright spots of their individual performance so far, averaging 65, but he is the only player in the side averaging over 40 and the likes of Chris Gayle, Shivnarine Chanderpaul (49 in four innings outside his ton against Ireland) and Ramnaresh Sarwan have failed to give their innings' the impetus needed.

Gayle, in particular, has been a real disappointment so far having been seen as one of the major contenders to lead the run-scoring chart when the tournament started. However, he did top score with 44 against New Zealand and remains one of the major threats in the top scorer markets, along of course with Lara.

But other than Gayle and Lara, their batsmen failed to adapt to conditions in Antigua against the Black Caps, and the decision to play an extra batsman back-fired completely. They were bowled out for a paltry 177 and had to guarantee 10 overs from the off-spinning opener when they were in the field. That New Zealand won with over 10 overs to spare was no surprise at all.

And now they have to try and rebuild their campaign in Guyana, where Sri Lanka have the added advantage of having experienced conditions in that nail-biting defeat by South Africa.

Mahela Jayawardene's side showed signs of weakness for the first time as their batsmen struggled to adapt to swinging conditions that proved ideal for Charl Langeveldt to exploit - he did so expertly with 5-39 as they stumbled to 209 all out.

Sri Lanka looked poised for a heavy defeat until Malinga's late heroics, but they now know just how much damage their attack can do with the swinging ball late in an innings. If they get the chance it would be no real shock to see them try and bowl second to force the brittle West Indies batting to chase a target. Malinga is the current 6.4 favourite in the tournament top bowler market thanks to his 11 wickets so far.

Chaminda Vaas also swung the ball prodigiously towards the end of the South Africa innings, and was unlucky not to pick up a couple of wickets. As ever the reliable Muttiah Muralitharan put in 10 solid overs in the middle of the innings to claim three wickets - he could be the important player in the bowling markets if conditions play differently, as he will turn the ball on any pitch. 'Murali' also follows Malinga in the leading wicket-taker market at 6.8 with his nine wickets so far.

So it is likely to come down to their batting line-up to provide a challenging target, and that is something they had done with aplomb until finding the Proteas attack a little too exacting. However, the West Indies do not possess the options that the likes of Langeveldt, Makhaya Ntini and Shaun Pollock give South Africa.

Most of their top order have scored runs in a couple of their innings to date, although only Sanath Jayasuriya has gone on to reach three figures so far. However, it is the impressive depth of their line-up that could prove too strong for the West Indies attack unless the likes of Jerome Taylor and Ian Bradshaw make early inroads.

They have seven players who have scored half-centuries during the World Cup so far, and are one of few sides to be settled - only Dilhara Fernando replacing Farveez Maharoof against India has moved away from their regular one-day line-up.

The fact that keeper Kumar Sangakkara provides steady runs at the top of the order and that they have two top-line batsmen that provide solid bowling options as well make them a dangerous side. Wanting to bounce back from the South Africa defeat could just turn things Sri Lanka's way, but it does make it tough for punters in the top Sri Lanka batsman market with so many options to consider.

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