da casino： West Indies may be lacking their big stars but their captain Floyd Reifer has said they could spring a surprise as most of their opponents haven’t had a chance to analyse his new-look squad
da bet vitoria： Cricinfo staff22-Sep-2009West Indies may be weakened without their big stars but their captain Floyd Reifer has said his side could spring a surprise as most of their opponents haven’t had a chance to analyse his new-look squad.The leading players of the Caribbean – including Chris Gayle, Shivnarine Chanderpaul and Dwayne Bravo – are missing because of a long-running contract dispute with the West Indies board.West Indies open their campaign against Pakistan on Wednesday. “We have watched Pakistan a lot on the television,” Reifer said. “We have been able to come up with some tactics but they have never watched us play, so that’s good for us. There is a nervous energy in the camp but we are not scared of anyone.”West Indies’ chances have also improved because Pakistan’s captain Younis Khan was ruled out of the match due to a hairline fracture on the little finger of his right hand. “Losing the leader of the team, the leader of the ship, is never a good thing,” Reifer said. “He is a good captain and a good batsman so that’s a big blow for Pakistan.”The other two sides in West Indies’ group are India and Australia, two of the favourites for the tournament. “Whether it’s a tough group or not, it will be a challenge for us. Thereare no big-name players.”He urged his inexperienced side to seek inspiration from the West Indies’ performances in the two previous Champions Trophies. “This is a major tournament and we want to do well. In 2004, we were the champions. We were underdogs then as well. In 2006, we finished runner-up.”The signs haven’t been encouraging for West Indies in the lead-up to the tournament. They were thrashed by 188 runs by South Africa and lost to Sri Lanka by five wickets on Sunday.
