Tony Becca, Contributing Editor

West Indies' captain Brian Lara arrives for a World Cup cricket practice session in Georgetown yesterday. - Reuters

GEORGETOWN:

ACTION IN the Super Eight section of the Cricket World Cup continues today at the new Providence Stadium here in Guyana with match number six of 24, it is the West Indies, the once mighty Windies, versus Sri Lanka, an things have not yet become desperate for the ambitious home team, they are pretty close to getting there.

After a lovely and promising start during which they defeated Pakistan by 54 runs in the curtainraiser, defeated Zimbabwe by six wickets with 2.1 overs to spare and then put the high-riding Ireland in their place by defeating them with eight wickets in hand and with 11.1 overs to spare, the West Indies, one of the starting favourites to win the Cup and winners of their group in the first round, are in trouble - and serious trouble at that.

Still on two points

From the Super Eights, the top four move into the semi-finals, without getting there, there is no hope of winning the Cup, and despite carrying two points from the first round into the second round, after losing to Australia and then to New Zealand, the West Indies are still on two points with two matches gone and four to come.

Victory today, therefore, is crucial if not yet vital.

Except for those who believe that the ball is round, or that the one-day version of the game is such that any number can play, not many give the West Indies a chance of defeating Sri Lanka - even though they lost their opening match in the round.

More than just a loss

One reason for that is not so much that the West Indies have lost to Australia and New Zealand - arguably the two best teams in the tournament. It is more than that - much more than that.

With Australiahopping to 322 for six and then nailing the West Indies for 219 to win by a whopping 103 runs, with New Zealand routing them for 177 with 5.2 overs still to be bowled and winning with seven wickets in hand and with 10.4 overs to spare, that reason is that they were beaten so easily, on two good pitches, that one could almost say they did not even put up a fight.

A few other reasons why there is hardly a man willing to bet even a cent on the West Indies to defeat Sri Lanka is that apart from the fact that Sri Lanka are ranked at number five and the West Indies at number eight, unlike the West Indies who tend to fold easily, Sri Lanka are fighters, from start to finish, and as demonstrated against South Africa a few days ag they lost in a breathtaking finish.

At 206 for five chasing a target of 210 with over five overs to go, South Africa, needing only four runs to win with five wickets in hand, appeared home and dry before, with four wickets in four deliveries, pace bowler Lasith Malinga sent them reeling to 207 for nine.

A balanced line-up

On top of all that, while the West Indies, who, not surprisingly but probably foolishly, went into the last match with six specialist batsmen, two batting all-rounders, a wicketkeeper/batsman and only two specialist bowlers, hardly ever these days parade a balanced line-up, Sri Lanka boast a nicely balanced side with a few outstanding batsmen and a few deadly bowlers.

In Upul Tharanga and Sanath Jayasuriya they possess two exciting opening batsmen, in captain Mahela Jayawardene, Kumar Sangakkara they boast top quality batsmen at number three and number four respectively, in Chamara Silva, Tillakaratne Dilshan and Russel Arnold, they have a strong middle-order and, apart from Malinga who swings the ball appreciably, they possess one great pacer in Chaminda Vaas and one good one in Farveez Maharoof.

Trickiest spin bowler

Like him or not, in offspinner Muttiah Muralitheran they also boast one of the trickiest, one of the most successful spin bowlers of all time.

While their bowlers, be it two or three of them, do not compare with Sri Lanka's big four, the West Indies batsmen, on their day, are just as good and can be just as exciting.

Although, but for captain Brian Lara, the West Indies batsmen - Chris Gayle and Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Ramnaresh Sarwan, Marlon Samuels, and Dwayne Bravo, plus Dwayne Smith and Lendl Simmons - seem to be in hit-or-miss mode these days, when they are good they are good and sometimes brilliant, and every West Indian will be keeping their fingers crossed while hoping that they come good.

If they do, the West Indies, despite their bowling, have a chance. If, however, they do not, if the West Indies lose as it appears they will, they will be up against it and fighting for survival in the three matches to come after this one.