West Indies Looks Avoid Clean Sweep

Leeds: Vice-captain Dwayne Bravo says the West Indies' sole objective will be avoiding a clean sweep after the Caribbean side conceded the three-match one day international series with a second straight defeat on Tuesday.

The West Indies produced a limp display to go down by eight wickets at the Oval and it came on the heels of their crushing 114-run loss in the opening ODI at Southampton last Saturday.

With the final game set for Friday at Headingley, Bravo said it was important the Windies came away with a win.

Bravo top-scored with 77 as the West Indies, sent in by England, reached 238/9 from their 50 overs.

He shared an even hundred for the fifth wicket with Kieron Pollard (41) for the fifth wicket after the Windies slipped to 79/4 in the 21st over.

Opener Chris Gayle had earlier smashed a shot-filled 53 from 51 balls, counting three fours and five sixes, to give the innings a rollicking start.

Once the left-hander was out in controversial circumstances, the West Indies lost four quick wickets for 16 runs and Bravo said Gayle's dismissal was a turning point.

Getting his chance again as Graeme Swann is rested, Samit Patel has to prove that he is worthy of a place in English conditions. He performed admirably in India and against Pakistan in the UAE but a second spinner in England is regarded as surplus to requirements. This is Patel's chance to show is he more of an option than backup to Swann, particularly with James Tredwell also in the squad.

Another player with something very much to prove is Lendl Simmons. He had a terrible time at The Oval and his highest score since joining the tour is 23. Johnson Charles was preferred to him for the Australia series and the selectors may be looking back to Charles is Simmons doesn't produce something of note at Headingley.

The West Indies lost the preceding three-Test series 0-2.

Teams from:

England: Alastair Cook (captain), Jonathan Trott, Ian Bell, Jonathan Bairstow, James Anderson, Steven Finn, Ravi Bopara, Jade Dernbach, Craig Kieswetter (wk), Eoin Morgan, Samit Patel, Chris Woakes, Stuart Meaker, James Tredwell

West Indies: Darren Sammy (captain), Fidel Edwards, Denesh Ramdin (wk), Ravi Rampaul, Marlon Samuels, Tino Best, Sunil Narine, Dwayne Bravo, Johnson Charles, Chris Gayle, Kieron Pollard, Andre Russell, Lendl Simmons, Dwayne Smith

Pitch and conditions
Only showers are forecast for Friday, but it could be one of Yorkshire's more forbidding, stop-start contests with the bowlers in the game throughout and more than a little dissatisfaction in the air.

Stats and trivia

• The last time West Indies were in Leeds, in 2009, the match was abandoned without a ball being bowled after torrential overnight rain. Blame was attached on Headingley's new outfield, supposedly fast-draining, but laid too close to the match to be effective.
• West Indies have made the lowest ODI score at Headingley in recent years, making only 159 eight years ago. The match saw Andrew Flintoff play as a specialist batsman because of a foot injury and England knocked off the runs at more than seven an over.

Match facts
Friday June 22, 2012
Start time 1045 local (0945 GMT)