WI look for openers

Only Brian Lara’s genius saved the West Indies with his double century paving the way for a second Test win to level the four-Test series.

But the inability of the West Indies openers to take the shine off the new ball has often left Lara exposed to the early wrath of pace bowlers.

And Glenn McGrath, for one, believes the marvellous stroke player is vulnerable early on.

“I’ve got Lara a few times quite early in his innings. If we can bowl a good line and length to them early and take our catches, anything could happen,” he added.

But neither Hooper, who scored a century and took nine wickets in the WestIndies A side’s 154-run defeat by Australia in Antigua this week, nor attack of McGrath and Jason Gillespie. Chanderpaul is believed to want to bat at No 3 and Adrian Griffith, the only other recognised opener included in the 13-man squad, looked average against Australia in the first match of the tour.

There was even talk of wicketkeeper Ridley Jacobs or big-hitting Dave Joseph partnering Campbell.

Suruj Ragoonath, Darren Ganga and Lincoln Roberts, who had been in the squad for the second Test, have been dropped.

Team

West Indies: Brian Lara (captain), Courtney Walsh, Dave Joseph, Curtly Ambrose, Ridley Jacobs, Jimmy Adams, Nehemiah Perry, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Pedro Collins, Corey Collymore, Sherwin Campbell, Carl Hooper, Adrian Griffith.