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The stage is set. After Australia’s Duckworth-Lewis win last night against the West Indies; in a thriller that was unfortunately struck by the weight of the monsoon season, Group B’s much anticipated final game will see the winner carrying on to the Super Eights of the ICC World Twenty20 2012.

The wicket at the Premadasa Stadium has been a fantastic one for Twenty20 cricket. Whilst it offers less assistance for spinners, there has been an increase in the amount of pace, bounce and carry on the wicket. It has been considered a batsman’s paradise, with frequent high totals being made since the start of the World Cup. Furthermore, a quick outfield increases the amount of boundaries being scored – adding more flair to an already exciting contest.

The West Indian side boasts a powerful team with plenty of experience in the shortest format of the game. Nine of the fifteen players in the West Indian squad have played for IPL teams at some point in time, with players such as Chris Gayle and Kieron Pollard playing for several leagues every year. The game against Australia presented The West Indies’ batting unit, and their overwhelming current form, with Chris Gayle smashing a half century off just 26 deliveries. Their batting runs deep, both the top and middle order consists of the ability to carry a game- Ireland’s bowlers will have to maintain a high standard throughout the course of the match, whilst using plenty of variations if they are going to keep the West Indian batsmen at bay; anything slightly loose may go sailing over cow corner. Furthermore the West Indian fielders have always been exceptional at the shortest form of the game, regardless of Dwayne Smith’s drop of Shane Watson on Saturday evening under lights; some of the most spectacular catches in Twenty20 cricket have been taken by the West Indian outfit. This doesn’t mean, however, that this T20 specialized squad does not have its flaws. The West Indian bowling on Saturday left much to be desired, all bowlers including the likes of mystery spinner Sunil Narine were targeted by the Australian top order.

Ireland’s game against Australia doesn’t tell us much about their current form; overall it was simply just a bad day for the boys in green. Ireland managed to reach 123 against the Australians with four of their six main batsmen being dismissed early in the innings; if Ireland’s top order fires the possibility of a score over 160 becomes very realistic. There will be plenty of dependence on Ireland’s openers Paul Stirling and William Porterfield; they will need to get Ireland off to a flying start on a wicket that has seemed to favor batsmen so far in the tournament. Ireland will also be looking towards Kevin O’Brien for a strong finish that could make all the difference in the final result of the game. Bowling wise Ireland will look towards young spinner George Dockrell to choke the West Indian batting lineup, the West Indians have shown their difficulties when it comes to facing left arm spin, and Dockrell will relish in the opportunity of adding more big names to his bag of international wickets – that already includes the likes of Sachin Tendulkar and David Warner. Regardless, Ireland will need to put up a special performance with the bat and on the field in order to compete with Sammy’s West Indian powerhouse.

Speaking to Ireland’s Assistant coach Peter Johnston two days before the game, he was confident of a much better showing by his side. “Yeah we’re definitely backing ourselves to bounce back. There were certainly positives to be taken from the game against the Australians, that partnership between the O’ Brien brothers showed plenty of determination and resilience under pressure which was exactly what we needed. With that in mind, I’m certain we can push the West Indies.” When asked about Ireland’s difficulties regarding playing spin in the past, and the threat of Sunil Narine – he had this to say. “Narine is a threat that we’ll certainly have to watch carefully. Whilst we did struggle against spin in the past, we have made improvements in that sector- most of our runs in the warm up game against Bangladesh were scored off spinners. If Narine is dangerous we’ll have to play him very carefully and pick our boundary balls against the other bowlers. We’ll be sure to watch plenty of match footage before the game to be certain of what we’re going up against.”

At 7:30 PM local time on Monday at the R. Premadasa stadium, both the teams’ hopes of qualifying for the Super Eights are put to the test. It’s a situation where the winner takes it all, and both teams are determined to emerge victors by the end of the game- now more than ever. In a recent interview, Kevin Pietersen said that Ireland had no chance of beating the West Indies. Similar thoughts must have been running through KP’s mind on the 2nd of March last year, as Kevin O’Brien walked up to the pitch after the fourth wicket had fallen. And we all know how that story ended – let’s hope it’s a similar result for Ireland today.

Jonathan Gnamam
Darren Sammy’s West Indies are formidable © ICC/Getty Images
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