West Indies v New Zealand – 2nd Test – Match Preview
With a 1-0 lead in the ongoing 2-match series, the http://www.senore.com/Cricket/New-Zealand-c754 in their last match, scheduled to be played from August 2 to 6 at Sabina Park in Kingston, Jamaica.
The Windies’ last Test series win against a top team was their 1-0 (5) defeat of http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Sri-Lanka-c758 in 2003. A victory or draw against the Kiwis in the final Test of the series will enable the home team to end the drought.
New Zealand, meanwhile, have no hope of ending their losing streak in Tests, which has persisted since 2006 (barring any series played against http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Zimbabwe-c3045), although a draw could enable them to end their tour of the Caribbean on a redeeming note.
The Windies have maintained a dominant stance throughout the tour so far, and claimed a comprehensive 9-wicket win in the first Test of the series, with http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Sunil-Philip-Narine-c91869 playing prominent roles. The return of the Jamaican batsman has proven to be a major boost for his side (he had played his last Test for the national team in 2010, after which a spat with the WICB saw him sidelined by selectors), while Narine has worked wonders for his side in home conditions.
The host team again presents a formidable line-up, with Gayle and youngster Kieran Powell opening for their side. The previous Test saw both of them scoring massive tons to provide their team a substantial upper-hand – Gayle proved that he could slip comfortably back into the extended-overs format of the game after a prolonged break, while Powell, bolstered by the presence of the senior batsman, scored his maiden Test century.
West Indies’ most reliable Test batsman – Shivnarine Chanderpaul – found himself surprisingly out for duck during the previous Test, and will be eager to reverse his fortunes. Meanwhile, batsmen such as Narsingh Deonarine and Marlon Samuels are also likely to provide stability in the middle order.
The bowling attack poses a similarly formidable picture, with off-spinner Narine and pacer http://www.senore.com/Cricket/KAJ-Roach-c1758 forming a deadly duo – the former claimed a total of 8 wickets during the first Test, while Roach’s 5 for 60 not only won his side the match, but also increased his total tally to 77 wickets from 20 Test matches, at an average of 28.14.
http://www.senore.com/Cricket/R-Rampaul-c2233 is out of the final match with a groin strain, and while Fidel Edwards (who has claimed 25 scalps at 22.28 at Sabina Park) has been drafted into the squad as a replacement, the Windies also have the option to bring Tino Best into the mix.
To counter the Windies’ intimidating line-up, the Black Caps will need to make major improvements. Opener Martin Guptill has claimed that his team are improving at picking Narine, but so far that remains to be seen. The first Test saw them unable to apply themselves at the crease, and with the exception of Guptill (97, 67) and Brendon McCullum (84), the remaining batsmen registered paltry individual scores.
Opener http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Dean-Brownlie-c1349.
While the batting order will be looking for a way around Narine, the bowling attack needs to find an effective method for tackling Gayle. The Kiwis will be going into the game without veteran spinner http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Tarun-Nethula-c2647 his Test debut.
The remainder of the bowling attack consists of veteran pacer http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Neil-Wagner-c79182, who debuted for the national side in the previous Test.
The pitch at Sabina Park is likely to provide more pace and bounce than the surface at Antigua did, and is expected to be highly batsman-friendly. Scattered thunderstorms have been predicted for the next few days in Kingston, where the weather is fairly hot and humid, with temperatures ranging from 26 - 31° C.
West Indies playing XI (probable):
1 Chris Gayle, 2 http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Fidel-Henderson-Edwards-c57010, 11 Kemar Roach
New Zealand playing XI (probable):
1 http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Doug-Bracewell-c1394, 9 Neil Wagner, 10 Tarun Nethula, 11 Chris Martin
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