Twenty20 World Cup / Ed Hawkins / 11 June 2009 /

West Indies meet India in the Super Eights at Lord's and the holders could be vulnerable if Chris Gayle's side come hard, says Ed Hawkins

Team news

All eyes will be on Chris Gayle when he arrives at HQ on Friday. Is that a limp or just his usual swagger? It will be impossible to tell but the West Indies management are confident Gayle has recovered from the knee injury which kept him out of the defeat to Sri Lanka on Wednesday.
Xavier Marshall is the one who is likely to make way for Gayle, whose niggle is only external after taking a whack during West Indies' excellent win over Australia.

For India, Zaheer Khan's four wickets against Ireland cements his berth meaning no room for RP Singh, the top bowler in the IPL. Virender Sehwag is out of the tournament with a shoulder injury. Dinesh Karthik is his replacement.

Conditions

There is no evidence to suggest that it is tricky to bat second in a day-nighter at Lord's because the floodlights have only been in operation this season. West Indies will hope the ball does swing however, which could make India vulnerable. Historically they struggle when shape is on the ball. The pitch could be a little slower given it is the second match to be played on it on the day. That helps India more than West Indies because of their army of spinners.

Match odds

West Indies are the value in this match. There, I've said it. At [2.60] they are worth risking against an India side who have not had to get out of first gear since the tournament began. Relying on West Indies to crank it up themselves is a risk in itself but surely they will be capable of recognising that if they come at India hard, the holders might take a crucial few overs to respond?

Easy victories against Bangladesh and Ireland mean India come into the Super Eight stage untested. Undercooked might be pushing it but neither of those sides posed questions about their tactics or temperament.

West Indies' gun players of Gayle, Dwayne Bravo, Jerome Taylor and Fidel Edwards - although he must be more accurate than he was against Sri Lanka - are capable of doing exactly that. It could be enough for victory, at the least the price should allow a trade.

Top batsman

Gayle is likely to go off at around [4.00] for Windies top bat and after his blitz against Australia there will be plenty of takers. Bravo might be worth a sniff, though after his 38-ball 51 against Sri Lanka. Rohit Sharma top scored for India against Ireland.

Featured market

Running between the wickets is not the strong point of either side. Keep an eye on the price for more than 1.5 run outs.

Ed Hawkins says: back West Indies at [2.60]

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