Battling for the fifth spot
It's his last international match, and Brian Lara will want to improve on his record against England - his 777 runs have come at an average of 31
Dileep V
20-Apr-2007
 |
|
The last Super Eights match of the World Cup is of little consequence for the tournament itself, but for both teams it's a chance to bid a memorable farewell to two long-standing members. Duncan Fletcher bids farewell as England's coach, while Brian Lara ends a glittering 17-year career. Just for the record, the fifth place in the World Cup is also at stake.
Thanks to England's tendency to shun one-day cricket, they have played only ten times against West Indies since 2001, winning four and losing five. The last time the two teams met, Kevin Pietersen smashed an unbeaten 90 off 86 balls to help chase down a challenging 273. Pietersen and Paul Collingwood are the only two England batsmen who average more than 30 in 2007, and the onus will again be on them to ensure that they sign off from the World Cup in style.
| Batsman | Innings | Runs | Average | Strike rate | 100s | 50s |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kevin Pietersen | 9 | 426 | 53.25 | 77.73 | 1 | 4 |
| Paul Collingwood | 17 | 649 | 49.92 | 74.00 | 2 | 3 |
| Ian Bell | 18 | 503 | 27.94 | 64.81 | 0 | 3 |
| Andrew Flintoff | 16 | 358 | 25.57 | 79.73 | 0 | 1 |
| Andrew Strauss | 13 | 269 | 20.69 | 65.93 | 0 | 1 |
| Michael Vaughan | 11 | 173 | 15.72 | 57.09 | 0 | 0 |
Pietersen has done well in his only innings against West Indies, but Collingwood has struggled - in eight innings versus them, he has only managed 120 runs, with a highest of 46 not out. Andrew Strauss has much better numbers - an average of 53.37, and four fifty-plus scores in nine innings. For the current captain, though, it continues to look bleak - his numbers against West Indies is very nearly as poor as his 2007 stats.
| Batsman | Innings | Runs | Average | Strike rate | 100's | 50's |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kevin Pietersen | 1 | 90 | - | 104.65 | 0 | 1 |
| Andrew Strauss | 9 | 427 | 53.37 | 81.17 | 1 | 3 |
| Andrew Flintoff | 9 | 295 | 36.87 | 96.09 | 1 | 1 |
| Paul Collingwood | 8 | 120 | 17.14 | 68.96 | 0 | 0 |
| Michael Vaughan | 9 | 136 | 17.00 | 69.38 | 0 | 1 |
For West Indies, Lara leads the run-tally, but he has also played 26 innings for his 777 runs, which gives him an average which is significantly lower than his career numbers. His only century against them was in Barbados, though - a blistering 106-ball 110, and an encore will fit the occasion perfectly. Interestingly, Bravo, Ramnaresh Sarwan and Chris Gayle all average more than 50 against England.
| Batsman | Innings | Runs | Average | Strike rate | 100's | 50's |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dwayne Bravo | 6 | 173 | 57.66 | 81.60 | 1 | 0 |
| Ramnaresh Sarwan | 11 | 418 | 52.25 | 88.74 | 1 | 2 |
| Chris Gayle | 12 | 510 | 51.00 | 69.10 | 2 | 1 |
| Shivnarine Chanderpaul | 12 | 376 | 31.33 | 68.99 | 0 | 3 |
| Brian Lara | 26 | 777 | 31.08 | 79.20 | 1 | 6 |
Not only has Gayle been in excellent batting form against England, his bowling has been on song too, with an average of less than 20 and an economy rate of less than four. The World Cup has so far been a wretched one for Gayle - his batting and bowling averages for the tournament are almost exactly the reverse of his stats against England.
| Bowler | Matches | Wickets | Average | Economy |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chris Gayle | 13 | 18 | 19.05 | 3.94 |
| Dwayne Bravo | 10 | 11 | 28.63 | 5.62 |
| Ian Bradshaw | 7 | 9 | 34.33 | 4.68 |
Among the current England bowlers, James Anderson is the leading wicket-taker - he has 11 in eight games, but he conceded 6.13 runs per over. Andrew Flintoff is the other bowler who has played a few games against West Indies - his 11 games have fetched eight wickets. Sajid Mahmood and Monty Panesar haven't played an ODI against West Indies.