Ten days ago, after his team's four-wicket defeat by Zimbabwe, Carl Hooper shrugged his shoulders and accused his team of putting their tails between their legs and running for cover. He hoped that they would qualify, but he acknowledged that he was pushing his natural optimism to the limit.
Three matches later, West Indies scrapped into the final with hosts Sri Lanka and, although clear underdogs, know that they are one game away from saving face on an otherwise disastrous tour. It would hardly paper over the cracks, but it would make the homeward bound trip a whole lot heartier.
"It's been a very hard tour for us and we have not got anything to show for it," said Hooper. "The Test series is what we came for and that was very disappointing. However, if we can win the one-day series, at least that would give us something positive to go home with."
He did not deny the dominance of the Sri Lankans during the past few weeks, but added: "They will be very confident after their win on Saturday and having beaten us so handsomely in the Test series, but I have a strong belief that we can cause an upset. We are yet to play our best cricket on the tour."
Although West Indies will be without the prolific Brian Lara, they have been boosted by the return to form of openers Daren Ganga and Chris Gayle. With Hooper and Ramnaresh Sarwan also in good touch and the dangerous Ricardo Powell lurking in the middle order, they certainly have some firepower should they click in unison.
In the bowling department too, things are starting to gel, with new ball bowlers Pedro Collins and Corey Colleymore performing consistently, rookie fast bowler Jermaine Lawson being impressive and new-boy medium pacer Darryl Brown steady.
West Indies will, however, have to decide just how much spin they need on a notoriously slow bowler friendly surface. With off-breaks from Hooper, Gayle and Marlon Samuels, plus the part-time left-arm orthodox of Ryan Hinds, Neil McGarrell, the only specialist spinner in the squad, appears an unlikely starter.
Sri Lankan captain Sanath Jayasuriya and coach Dav Whatmore both acknowledged their status as favourites and the real threat posed by a West Indies side hungry for redemption.
"After winning in Kandy and getting to the finals, the confidence is high," said Jayasuriya. "But they are still a threat with some players in good form, including Gayle, Ganga and Hooper. We can't take it lightly and I expect it to be a tough game tomorrow."
Whatmore added: "When you start a game, the worst possible scenario possible is to think you are playing a weak side. You can't take any team lightly, particularly in the final."
He was worried the loss of Lara could be a catalyst for the West Indies: "Lara will be missed, there is no doubt about that, but we still have to been on guard, because often in a big match the other players can respond well to the loss of a key player."
Sri Lanka's batting poses few dilemmas, but the make-up of the bowling attack is less easy and they are yet to decide on whether to play fast bowling all-rounder Suresh Perera at number seven or leg-spinner Upul Chandana.
Perera is favourite, mainly because of his batting rather than his bowling, which has been wayward. Chandana has not bowled well either, too frequently dropping short, but with plenty of part-time spinning options amongst the batsmen, Perera would add more to the team as a whole, especially with his extra capability with the bat.
Charitha Buddika Fernando deserves a place having out-bowled Nuwan Zoysa on Saturday, but Jayasuriya wants experience and said Zoysa would play alongside Chaminda Vaas.
Sri Lanka (likely):
Sanath Jayasuriya (capt), Marvan Atapattu, Avishka Gunawardene, Mahela Jayawardene, Russel Arnold, Kumar Sangakkara, Suresh Perera, Muttiah Muralitharan, Nuwan Zoysa, Chaminda Vaas, Muttiah Muralitharan
West Indies (likely): Carl Hooper (capt), Daren Ganga, Chris Gayle, Ramnaresh Sarwan, Marlon Samuels, Ridley Jacobs, Corey Colleymore, Pedro Collins, Ricardo Powell, Daren Brown, Ryan Hinds
© Cricinfo
| Teams | Sri Lanka, West Indies, Zimbabwe. |
| Players/Umpires | Sanath Jayasuriya, Marvan Atapattu, Mahela Jayawardene, Russel Arnold, Muttiah Muralitharan, Chaminda Vaas, Suresh Perera, Kumar Dharmasena, Charitha Buddika, Carl Hooper, Daren Ganga, Chris Gayle, Ramnaresh Sarwan, Pedro Collins, Darryl Brown, Ryan Hinds. |
| Tournaments | LG Abans Triangular Series |
| Grounds | R.Premadasa Stadium, Khettarama, Colombo |
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