West Indies wary of plucky Irish

MOHALI, India (CMC):

With a quarter-final berth in sight, resurgent West Indies will be anxious to quell any resistance from giant-killers Ireland when they clash in their Group B World Cup match here tomorrow.

The Caribbean side started their campaign with a seven-wicket loss to South Africa, but since then has hammered out impressive wins - a 215-crushing of the Netherlands and a comprehensive nine-wicket victory over Bangladesh.

Ireland, however, may prove tricky opponents, especially after they chased down 327 to beat England to record their only win of the tournament, in Bangalore a week ago.

Experienced middle-order batsman, Ramnaresh Sarwan, said yesterday, however, the Windies would be taking precious little chances with the Irish, who had already proven their mettle.

"We've played against them quite a lot and we had them in the Caribbean not too long ago so I think we know what they are capable of," Sarwan told reporters ahead of the game, which bowls off at midnight Eastern Caribbean time (11 p.m. Jamaica time).

"They've been improving vastly and I think it shows you can't take anyone for granted in this World Cup.

"They showed their skill against England. Of course, we're not going to take anything for granted. We're going to go out there and try to play to the best of our ability and execute the best way we can."

Ireland got the fastest World Cup century from Kevin O'Brien, as they beat England by three wickets with five balls to spare, to send shock waves through the World Cup.

It was the not the first time Ireland had upset a big team at a World Cup, after they beat Pakistan at the last showpiece in the Caribbean four years ago.

No reason to fear

Sarwan said despite the Irish capabilities, the Windies had no reason to fear them as they were confident they could execute efficiently.

"I thought 300 was quite a lot of runs, but I thought O'Brien played really well and at the end of the day Ireland deserved to win the game," the veteran of 162 one-day internationals (ODI) said.

"I don't think it's a matter of fear, I think it's a matter of trying to execute our plan, and I think if we execute our plan, the best way we can, we stand a chance of beating any team. Like I said, the way they played against England we can't take them for granted.

"They've got the depth in their batting and bowling, they've had a squad which has been together for the longest while, so they've done pretty well in trying to do the basics right. That is something we have to guard against and, hopefully, we can do that."

West Indies have had little problems dealing with the Irish threat in the past. In the last World Cup, they beat them by eight wickets and then carved out a six-wicket win in a one-off ODI in Jamaica last year, when Sarwan hit an even unbeaten century.

Ireland coach Phil Simmons, the former West Indies all-rounder who played in three World Cups, said he was expecting no favours from the side he once represented.

"We are no longer seen as a surprise package, so none of the games will be easy," said the 47-year-old.

"They will be a little bit cautious and they realise we play proper cricket. We are hitting the right areas when we bowl and playing good shots when we bat.

"So there will be no complacency from them. They will play us as if they are playing Australia, so we have to prepare for that."

West Indies will look to their batting juggernaut of Chris Gayle, stroke-maker Darren Bravo, Devon Smith and Sarwan for their runs and rely on rookie speedster Kemar Roach and stifling left-arm spinner Sulieman Benn for wickets.

All eyes will be on O'Brien, meanwhile, to see if he can repeat his heroics against England, while teenaged left-arm spinner George Dockrell and fast bowler Trent Johnston will seek to undermine the Windies batting.

TEAMS

WEST INDIES - Darren Sammy (captain), Sulieman Benn, Devendra Bishoo, Darren Bravo, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Kirk Edwards, Chris Gayle, Nikita Miller, Kieron Pollard, Ravi Rampaul, Kemar Roach, Andre Russell, Ramnaresh Sarwan, Devon Smith, Devon Thomas.

IRELAND - William Porterfield (captain), Andre Botha, Alex Cusack, George Dockrell, Trent Johnston, Nigel Jones, Ed Joyce, John Mooney, Kevin O'Brien, Niall O'Brien, Boyd Rankin, Paul Stirling, Albert van der Merwe, Andrew White, Gary Wilson.