Slow pitches cause changes

The slow pitches present so far in the West Indies could cause bookmakers and teams to change their odds and team selection.

The warm up games have seen pitches that have stayed slow and low, with sometimes variable bounce, somewhat reminiscent of those found in India. This seems to have quietened voices saying his could be an extremely high-scoring World Cup, as the highest score so far has been 300. Many teams, particularly South Africa in their matches have struggled to reach 200.

Australian captain Ricky Ponting spoke about the bowlers likely to prosper in the tournament: “Slow bowlers are going to play a part, “We just have to look at the makeup of the West Indies’ side during the last 12 months. They had Chris Gayle and Marlon Samuels bowling a lot for them during the middle. That would suggest they are preparing to bowl in a World Cup.”

The pitches are likely to affect the chances of several teams. South Africa’s fast-medium battery, while talented, may find the pitches tough work, and they could suffer through the lack of a quality spinner. It could well play into the hands of India and Sri Lanka. As well as being familiar, they have several bowlers who will enjoy such surfaces and could thrive on them.