Windies face daunting task against Australia

Smarting from the loss to Pakistan in their first match, the West Indies face the uphill task of shocking the mighty Australians on Saturday to keep their hopes alive in the Champions Trophy.

Without their senior players, the West Indies have so far been a second string team, and, if their first match is anything to go by, they don't stand a chance against the defending champions.

Batting is the major worry for the West Indies, who were bundled out for a paltry 133 against Pakistan. And to pose any challenge to the Australians, they will have to regroup their resources well.

However, the Caribbean team can take pride from the fact that they shot out half the Pakistan side while defending the meagre total. Thus, the onus will be on pacer Gavin Tonge, who bagged four wickets in the first match.

Australia, on the other hand, are on a high after their 6-1 win in the just-concluded ODI series against England and don't have much to bother about.

Apart from the last match, Australia dominated the whole series. Their batting mainstay Michael Clarke, Mike Hussey and skipper Ricky Ponting are in peak form and hoping to carry the momentum in the tournament.

Among the bowlers, pace spearhead Brett Lee is back in the squad and in ominous rhythm.

Lee was the highest wicket-taker in the ODI series against England, claiming 12 wickets from six matches, followed by Shane Watson and Mitchell Johnson, both bagging 10 scalps each from seven and six matches respectively.

All-rounder Cameron White was the highest scorer, amassing 260 runs from seven matches. Even youngsters like Tim Paine and Callum Ferguson were among the runs, and Ponting is hoping they make themselves counted in the tournament.

Teams:

Australia: Ricky Ponting, Michael Clarke, Callum Ferguson, Nathan Hauritz, Ben Hilfenhaus, James Hopes, Michael Hussey, Mitchell Johnson, Brett Lee, Tim Paine, Peter Siddle, Adam Voges, Shane Watson, Cameron White, Brad Haddin.

West Indies: Floyd Reifer, Darren Sammy, David Bernard, Tino Best, Royston Crandon, Travis Dowlin, Andre Fletcher, Kevin McClean, Nikita Miller, Kieran Powell, Dale Richards, Kemar Roach, Devon Smith, Gavin Tonge, Chadwick Walton, Daren Powell.

Match starts at 1300 IST.