West Indies opener Daren Ganga (second right) celebrates with Dwayne Smith (left), Ramnaresh Sarwan, Chris Gayle, Brian Lara, Fidel Edwards and Ian Bradshaw (right) after dismissing New Zealand's Nathan Astle with a direct hit on day three of the first Ttest against New Zealand in Auckland. - REUTERS
WELLINGTON, NEW ZEALAND, CMC -
WITH THE WOUNDS from the 27-run loss in the first Test still very raw, the West Indies are hoping the pain and disappointment of that squandered opportunity at Eden Park will be an extra motivator heading into the second match of the three-Test series against New Zealand, beginning this evening Caribbean time at the Basin Reserve ground.
Their task has not been helped by the loss of Ramnaresh Sarwan for the rest of the tour with a leg injury, although the news from Jackie Hendriks assessing the performance of the coaching staff would have at least removed one cloud from over their heads.
GIVE KING MORE TIME
The committee, appointed by the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB), has recommended that head coach Bennett King and his technical staff be given more time to improve the regional side's performances.
That long-awaited turnaround in West Indian fortunes would have been aided considerably by a series-opening win, and the inability to build on an excellent platform of 148 without loss in pursuit of a target of 291 left the squad deflated on Monday morning.
"I can tell you, it really hurt," said senior opening batsman Chris Gayle before the team's practice session on Wednesday afternoon.
"We've been losing games for a few years now, but every time it happens, it really affects us. I'm generally expressionless, but it really hurt this time. It was devastating to us but we still have a lot of cricket to play and I believe we can still get the job done."
Dismissing the notion that the regular defeats suffered by the West Indies over the past six years have dulled their impact on them, Gayle said it was up to the players to step up for the challenge in the second Test and show how much representing the people of the region means to them.
"The dressing room was so quiet after the match that you could hear a pin drop," he recalled. "It was a shock to us. We couldn't believe what had happened. It was devastating."
In contrast, the hosts were more than pleasantly surprised to see their opponents snatching defeat from the jaws of victory and are banking on a typical Basin Reserve pitch to give them an opportunity to reassert their dominance over Shivnarine Chanderpaul's men.
Unlike the "drop-in" pitch at Eden Park, the surface here is prepared as part of the traditional turf square in the middle. Apart from what are expected to be seamer-friendly conditions, the ground presents a very difficult challenge for fast bowlers running into a strong, persistent wind from one end.
In light of his long, disciplined spells on his Test debut in Auckland, it will not be surprising if Chanderpaul entrusts Ian Bradshaw with the responsibility of plugging away from that end while Fidel Edwards and Darren Powell share the duties in trying to make significant inroads into the Black Caps' batting with the help of the wind at their backs.
REPLACEMENTS FOR INJURED PLAYERS
Powell is the automatic replacement for injured fellow-Jamaican pacer Jerome Taylor, while Runako Morton should slot into Sarwan's spot at number three in the batting order. Both will not take particular pleasure in the fact that they may be replacing the teammates on the basis of injuries, not form, but these are opportunities they will be expected to take with both hands, for their sakes, and the team's.
Gayle's innings of 82 and his opening partnership of 148 with Daren Ganga underlined what both players are capable of and should give them confidence for the rest of the series, even if it will be asking a lot for them to replicate the extent of that feat in the remaining matches.
What no West Indian wants to see, however, is another nervy collapse that was exacerbated by the first-ball demise of Brian Lara.
Amid all the other failures of the middle and lower order, fast bowler Shane Bond's second swift dismissal of the champion batsman in the match has remained the main talking point, although the New Zealanders remain wary of the 36-year-old responding in spectacular fashion, as he did with a double-century against Australia in Adelaide last November.
Denesh Ramdin must also redeem himself after a surprisingly poor match with both the bat and wicket-keeping gloves in Auckland, but it has been encouraging to see the support given the 21-year-old by his teammates.
In naming an unchanged squad of 13, New Zealand's selectors are giving the top three in the batting order - Hamish Marshall, Jamie How and Peter Fulton - a second chance after they were swiftly disposed of in both innings of the first Test.
The panel, which includes Sir Richard Hadlee and Glenn Turner, has been criticised for omitting Lou Vincent, but it was generally expected that they would retain the trio because to do otherwise would be seen as a panic-stricken response to media pressure.
There are still likely to be changes to their final 11 however, as Kyle Mills is tipped to get in at the expense of either James Franklin or Chris Martin.
A long-term forecast for generally dry, but cool weather in the New Zealand capital will encourage expectations of a result in this match with Stephen Fleming keen to clinch the series while at the same time trying to expose the West Indies performance in the first Test as a flash in the pan.
For the West Indies, the challenge is mental as well as technical, to stay focused when the going gets tough and believe that they have what it takes to end the depressingly long sequence of defeats sooner rather than later.
TEAMS:
NEW ZEALAND (probable) - Stephen Fleming (captain), Hamish Marshall, Jamie How, Peter Fulton, Nathan Astle, Scott Styris, Brendon McCullum, James Franklin, Daniel Vettori, Shane Bond, Kyle Mills.
WEST INDIES (probable) - Shivnarine Chanderpaul (captain), Chris Gayle, Daren Ganga, Runako Morton, Brian Lara, Dwayne Bravo, Dwayne Smith, Denesh Ramdin, Ian Bradshaw, Darren Powell, Fidel Edwards.
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