PORT ELIZABETH, South Africa, CMC – With only pride left to play for, West Indies will go in search of their first win of the five-match One-Day International series when they face South Africa in the fourth game here today.
The Caribbean side have been soundly whipped in the series, with drubbings in Durban, Johannesburg and East London sealing their fate, with two matches remaining.
Newly installed captain Jason Holder, who has had a baptism of fire at the helm, said yesterday it was now just critical the Windies broke their losing slump.
“It’s just to get [a win] on the board. We’ve obviously lost the series so it’s just about getting some momentum going forward into the World Cup,” he told reporters.
“We have lost the series 3-0 and we didn’t perform very well in the second and third ODI so it’s just about salvaging some pride and just putting some more into this performance and taking some momentum forward.”
West Indies’ chances of grabbing an elusive win have been significantly improved with the news South Africa’s selectors have rested strike bowler Dale Steyn for the last two games, and will allow prolific opener Hashim Amla to sit out Sunday’s contest at St George’s Park.
The tourists, meanwhile, can afford no such luxuries, though Holder has hinted at some experiment with the line-up, with the World Cup next month in mind.
“We need to get combinations right. We obviously haven’t gotten it right in the first three games,” he pointed out.
“We haven’t discussed the team as yet but I won’t say they will be too many changes if any at all. Going into this game we just need to win it.”
West Indies will need some runs from their senior players, all of whom have failed to fire in the one-day series. After a pair of scintillating displays in the Twenty20 series, opener Chris Gayle has struggled but Holder said the veteran left-hander just needed to get stuck in.
“I think he is committed. It’s just about getting in and setting it up for us,” Holder stressed.
“Everybody knows his power, everybody knows what he can bring so it’s just about Chris getting in and giving himself a chance and just carrying on.”
West Indies went down by 61 runs under the Duckworth/Lewis method in the first ODI, lost by 148 runs in the second in Johannesburg before collapsing to a nine-wicket defeat in East London last Wednesday.
SQUAD – Jason Holder (captain), Dwayne Smith, Chris Gayle, Narsingh Deonarine, Marlon Samuels, Denesh Ramdin, Jonathan Carter, Andre Russell, Carlos Brathwaite, Jerome Taylor, Sulieman Benn, Darren Sammy, Leon Johnson, Sheldon Cottrell, Lendl Simmons.
