Windies Look For a Big Win Against Mighty Aussies

Gros Islet: With their campaign back on track after the win over India, an inspired West Indies face an uphill task of upsetting Australia by a big margin in the final Super Eight match to seal their semifinal berth in the Twenty20 World Cup here on Tuesday.

West Indies had a disastrous start to their Super Eight campaign when they were thrashed by 57 runs by Sri Lanka but the hosts bounced back in style beating India by 14 runs on Sunday to bag two points.

Luckily for the West Indies, Gayle has struck form at the right time when he decimated India with a 66-ball 98 on Sunday and Shivnarine Chanderpaul also looked in good touch.

But the rest of the batting lineup would be a worry for West Indies as none of the players could make a mark during their last two matches.

Keiron Pollard, the costliest buy in IPL 3, has failed to live up to his expectations and all-rounders Darren Sammy and Dwayne Bravo have been mediocre too.

Besides batting, West Indies bowling has also been a inconsistent as they were ripped apart by England in the league matches before being butchered by Sri Lanka in their first Super Eight Group F match.

Kemar Roach has been the most successful bowler for them and Bravo has also been among the wickets but their all-rounders have been duds so far and over all West Indies bowling has been expensive and error-prone.

Australia, on the other hand, have been arguably the best team in the tournament, boasting of good balance in batting and bowling.

Shane Watson and David Warner have been destructive in the opening slot and have given Australia good starts. The middle-order batsmen like the Hussey brothers -- Michael and David -- and Cameron White have done well.

The only disappointment has been the form of skipper Michael Clarke, who managed scores of 2, 14, 16 whenever he came to bat for Australia.

Among the bowlers, Dirk Nannes has led the charge, claiming 12 wickets to emerge as the highest wicket-taker in the tournament so far.

Nannes has been ably supported by Shaun Tait and Mitchell Johnson, who have captured eight and six wickets so far.

Spinner Steven Smith has also bagged six wickets to contribute to his team's success.

Team news

West Indies have altered their batting order at times during this tournament but Wavell Hinds seems now to be the preferred option ahead of Narsingh Deonarine and Andre Fletcher.

Squad from Chris Gayle (C), Sulieman Benn, Dwayne Bravo, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Narsingh Deonarine, Andre Fletcher (WK), Wavell Hinds, Nikita Miller, Kieron Pollard, Denesh Ramdin (VC & WK), Ravi Rampaul, Kemar Roach, Darren Sammy, Ramnaresh Sarwan, Jerome Taylor

Australia There were murmurs from Michael Clarke that Nathan Hauritz might enter calculations in St Lucia, but barring unforseen injuries it's very unlikely Australia will change their winning team. The pace attack has been a success, Smith is keeping Hauritz out.

Squad from Michael Clarke (C), David Warner, Brad Haddin (WK), Nathan Hauritz, David Hussey, Michael Hussey, Mitchell Johnson, Dirk Nannes, Tim Paine (WK), Steven Smith, Shaun Tait, Daniel Christian, Shane Watson, Cameron White, Ryan Harris

Pitch and conditions
The quicker pitch in Barbados now gets a rest until the final, and the teams must readjust to the slower surface in Gros Islet.

Stats and trivia

• West Indies have lost only one game this tournament but most of their batsmen are yet to play a big role. After Gayle's 98, the next best score by any of their players was Darren Sammy's 30 against Ireland.
• By contrast, Australia's batsmen have made five half-centuries during their four games.
• Dirk Nannes is leading the tournament wicket tally with 12 at 8.58 and an economy rate of 6.86; his new-ball partner Shaun Tait is equal fifth with eight victims.
• The teams have met four times in Twenty20 internationals for two wins each.

Match facts
Tuesday May 11, 2010 (day/night)
Start time 17:00 local (21:00 GMT)