World Cup 2011

England have had a rollercoaster tournament so far and their final group game against the West Indies will determine whether the ride continues or comes to a screeching halt. West Indies, on the other hand have gone about their task unnoticed, cruising to comfortable victories over the Dutch and Ireland while the bowlers demolished Bangladesh.

Chris Gayle is expected to return for this match after sitting out against Ireland while Devon Smith’s form with the bat will be crucial for the Windies to post a big total. Darren Bravo has been unnoticeable in the past couple of games while Sarwan and Chanderpaul have got useful cameos. Kieron Pollard can change the course of a game with a swing of the bat like he did against Ireland and he will be the man to watch out for during the Powerplays. Darren Sammy is yet to get going with the bat but his ability to pick up quick wickets will be handy. Suleiman Benn has opened the bowling with great success while Kemar Roach has shown what raw pace can do to a batting order. West Indies may opt to for Nikita Miller ahead of Rampaul at Chennai, a track that is known to aid the spinners.

England have been haunted by ill fate and injuries throughout the tournament. After missing Eoin Morgan at the start of the tournament, Kevin Pietersen and Stuart Broad had to be sent home halfway through. Although Morgan returned, the loss of Pietersen is a huge blow as he is an inspiring figure on the field. Strauss and Swann missed practice due to sickness but they are expected to recover in time for their biggest test so far in the tournament. England will take heart from the way they defended a small total of 170 on this very ground against the South Africans before throwing it away in Chittagong. Swann made life miserable for the South African batsmen and it will be interesting to see if Strauss decides to give James Tredwell his first taste of the World Cup. Shehzad was impressive in the loss against Bangladesh and that should be enough for him to be picked ahead of the temperamental Tremlett while Bopara will continue to keep Collingwood on the bench.

England have managed to entertain and captivate audiences throughout the length of their five matches and when the bandwagon moves to Chennai, don’t expect anything less!

Probable Teams:

England: Andrew Strauss (Captain), Matthew Prior (Wicketkeeper), Jonathan Trott, Ian Bell, Ravi Bopara, Eoin Morgan, Michael Yardy, Graeme Swann, Tim Bresnan, James Anderson, Ajmal Shehzad.

West Indies: Chris Gayle, Devon Smith, Darren Bravo, Ramnaresh Sarwan, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Kieron Pollard, Darren Sammy (Captain), Devon Thomas (Wicketkeeper), Suleiman Benn, Nikita Miller, Kemar Roach.

Tags: Cricket, Cricket World Cup, ENG, England, ICC Cricket World Cup 2011, West Indies, WI, World Cup 2011