West Indies look for fourth win on the trot

Match facts

Big Picture

The tour had begun on a disastrous note for West Indies and new coach Ottis Gibson, but they bounced back to win three consecutive games and take an unassailable 3-1 lead in the ODI series. Still, despite the relief of winning their first ODI series in nine attempts, and barring the 141-run win in the third ODI, West Indies' performance has been far from convincing.

While West Indies' bowling has improved considerably, led by Kemar Roach and helped by the return of Darren Sammy and Dwayne Bravo, the batting remains a worry. Gayle had been blunt in his criticism of the middle order following a two-run defeat in the first game and only Narsingh Deonarine has redeemed himself. Andre Fletcher and Dwayne Smith were axed, while Denesh Ramdin and Kieron Pollard continued to disappoint. The fifth ODI gives the pair another opportunity to correct things, as Gayle looks to take the series 4-1.

Zimbabwe, with a support staff including two former captains, Heath Streak and Dave Houghton, had high hopes coming into this series. They aim to return to Test cricket from self-imposed exile at the end of the year, and two successive wins against West Indies at the start of the tour would have been highly encouraging. But their batting, since then, has let them down, with scores of 104 and 141 in the last two ODIs. However, they will take heart from the way they've challenged West Indies and will seek one final push, and a more respectable 3-2 scoreline, to better reflect their spirited fight on the tour.

Form guide (last five completed matches)

West Indies: WWWLL
Zimbabwe: LLLWL

Watch out for...

West Indies dealt strongly with the middle-order failure in the first ODI, dropping vice-captain Denesh Ramdin. The wicketkeeper has underperformed with the bat in his 75-match ODI career, and his last five scores read 15, 3, 8, 19 and 12. Had it not been Andre Fletcher's own incompetence with the bat, Ramdin would have struggled to retain his place. He was promoted to No. 4 in the previous two ODIs, and needs to do much more to live up to the responsibilities given to him.

Ray Price is among the few current spinners who sledge, and backs it up with some accurate bowling. One of Zimbabwe's most economical bowlers on this tour, Price compensates for his lack of spin with frequent alterations in length and flight. Watching him exchange stares, and some words, with the West Indies batsmen in their struggles against him on this tour has been a sight, and he'll want to give some more before the tour concludes.

Team news

Gayle is determined to finish the series off 4-1, and West Indies are likely to retain a winning combination to get the job done.

West Indies: 1 Adrian Barath, 2 Chris Gayle (capt), 3 Shivnarine Chanderpaul, 4 Denesh Ramdin (wk), 5 Narsingh Deonarine, 6 Dwayne Bravo, 7 Kieron Pollard, 8 Darren Sammy, 9 Nikita Miller, 10 Ravi Rampaul, 11 Kemar Roach.

Stuart Matsikenyeri has had a terrible run in this series with scores of 16*, 2, 0 and 1. Zimbabwe have a former record-holder in their midst, Charles Coventry, and he should get a look-in in the tour's final game. The track in the previous game favoured fast bowlers, and Zimbabwe, who went in with five spinners, may be prompted to leave one out.

Zimbabwe: 1. Hamilton Masakadza, 2 Vusi Sibanda, 3 Tatenda Taibu (wk), 4 Charles Coventry, 5 Brendan Taylor, 6 Greg Lamb, 7 Elton Chigumbura, 8 Graeme Cremer, 9 Prosper Utseya (capt), 10 Ray Price, 11 Shingirai Masakadza/ Chris Mpofu.

Pitch and conditions

The track at the Arnos Vale Ground had plenty of moisture and assisted the fast bowlers, especially Ravi Rampaul, significantly early on. The spinners, too, found some grip and turn later in the innings, and a score of above 200 should prove challenging.

Quotes

"There are still some things for us to work on, but we will try to improve our cricket as much as possible in future matches."
Chris Gayle admits West Indies have more ground to cover.