Aus vs WI - Windies Face Defending Champions Australia

Johannesburg: Smarting from their first match defeat against Pakistan, West Indies face an uphill task of shocking the mighty Australians if they have to keep their hopes alive in the ICC Champions Trophy tomorrow (Sep 26).

Without their senior players, West Indies have so far been a second string team and if their first match result is anything to go by, they will have to play of their skin against defending champions Australia.

Batting has been the major cause of worry for West Indies, who were bundled out for a paltry 133 against Pakistan and if they have to pose any challenge to the Australians, they will have to regroup their resources well.

However, the Caribbean team will take pride from the fact that they shot out half of the Pakistan side while defending the meagre total and the onus will be on pacer Gavin Tonge, who bagged four wickets in the first match, to give them the early breakthroughs.

Australia, on the other hand, are on a high after their 6-1 win in the just-concluded ODI series against England and they don't have much to bother about.

Apart from the last match, Australia dominated the whole series. Their batting mainstay Michael Clarke, Mike Hussey and skipper Ricky Ponting himself have been in peak form and they would hope to carry the momentum in the tournament.

Team news

Australia have lost their highest-ranked one-day international bowler, Bracken, who has been sent home due to an ongoing knee problem. It means a reshuffling of the attack, which will be led by Brett Lee and Mitchell Johnson. The Australians were also keen for Michael Clarke to get a decent training run on Friday after he missed Thursday's practice due to back pain.

Squad (likely): Shane Watson, Tim Paine (wk), Ricky Ponting (capt), Michael Clarke, Michael Hussey, Callum Ferguson, Cameron White, Mitchell Johnson, Brett Lee, Nathan Hauritz, Peter Siddle.

West Indies: Neither the fast bowler Kemar Roach nor the batsman Kieran Powell played in the loss to Pakistan and they could strengthen the West Indies line-up. The real team news, of course, has been well documented before the tournament began.

Squad (likely): Dale Richards, Andre Fletcher, Devon Smith, Travis Dowlin, Floyd Reifer (capt), David Bernard, Darren Sammy, Chadwick Walton (wk), Nikita Miller, Tino Best, Gavin Tonge.

Pitch and conditions
The Wanderers was the venue of the low-scoring Pakistan-West Indies match, and the early-morning start will add to the assistance for the fast bowlers. The forecast for Saturday is sunny and 28 degrees.

Stats and trivia

• The 15 men in the West Indies squad between them have played 130 one-day internationals; Australia's 14 remaining players have a combined 1094 ODI caps
• Australia's recent form at the Wanderers is good. They beat South Africa there in a one-day international in April, having also triumphed in the Test match there earlier in the tour
• Australia and West Indies met in the final of the previous Champions Trophy in Mumbai three years ago. It is likely only five players from that match will take part in this game: Ricky Ponting, Lee, Michael Clarke, Michael Hussey and Shane Watson

Match facts
Saturday, September 26, 2009
Start time 9:30 local, 07:30 GMT

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