Ahmedabad: Had the cricketing world been normal, sunshine and a bunch of cricketers attired in maroon colours would have guaranteed a bright and appealing game against any opponent.

Unhappily for the West Indies, the cricket world has virtually turned upside down. The unquestionable leader and showmen of the traditional and the abridged version for many years, the West Indies is now way down at No. 7 in the game's official ranking list.

The West Indies captain Brian Lara is keen to see a swing in the fortunes of his team and advance positively. Though a beleaguered outfit, Lara appeared far from anxious on the eve of the clash against Zimbabwe in the qualifying round of the ICC Champions Trophy at the Sardar Patel Gujarat Stadium here on Sunday. The West Indies is the defending champion.

Lara's dream

At the press conference here on Saturday, Lara said his dream was to play a Test at the Eden Gardens, Kolkata before he bids adieu to the game. He also talked about the aspirations of his team, which has to play three qualifying matches to enter the second stage of the competition. Lara said his team was mentally prepared to play three competitive games. "We are looking at it as a positive. All four teams are here to qualify. We are not taking any team lightly. They (Zimbabwe) have improved and the more matches they play, the more confident they will get. I liked what I saw of Zimbabwe in the Caribbean. We watched them play in South Africa recently. With some more creativity, they will be a better side,'' he said.

Sunday's match will be Lara's first in India since the 1996 World Cup. "Unfortunately, the last time the West Indies came here, I was unwell. They say Lord's is the home of cricket. To me, the way the public receives any team here, not just the Indian team, is tremendous. The home of cricket is actually India. There can be no better time for me to make up for lost chances. There is a tri-series in India in January. My dream is to play a Test at the Eden Gardens. Hopefully I'll last that long,'' he said.

When Lara was asked if the present seam attack was the best in many years after the departure of Andy Roberts, Michael Holding, Joel Garner and Malcolm Marshall, Lara said: "I am not going to compare the current fast bowlers with the past and even with the likes of Reon King and Merv Dillon. They were also good. The current lot have to play more regularly. These guys still need to prove themselves. Collymore and Bradshaw have been playing at this level consistently. They have the potential and they need to harness that and improve.''

Zimbabwe captain Prosper Utseya, who attended the conference alongwith coach Kevin Curran, said it was exciting to play the West Indies team that drubbed his side 5-0 last April.

Curran put things in perspective saying it would be fantastic to play three matches and compete with teams like West Indies, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.

The odds are heavily stacked against Zimbabwe, which doesn't have Vusimuzi Sibanda, because he could not break his contract with a club in Australia. The African side does not have seasoned campaigners and have lost 18 of the 19 matches played against the West Indies. One match was abandoned.

The West Indies brings in a lot of experience. Lara has played 275 matches, Sarwan 107, Gayle 143, Chanderpaul 196, Hinds 110 and Colleymore 70.

On the other hand, Utseya has played just 47 matches. Brendan Taylor has played 50, while fast medium bowler Tawanda Mupariwa has picked up an impressive tally of 33 wickets at 25.27 from 18 matches.

The teams:

West Indies (from): Brian Lara (Capt.), Chris Gayle, Ramnaresh Sarwan, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Wavell Hinds, Marlon Samuels, Dwayne Bravo, Carlton Baugh (wk), Corey Collymore, Runako Morton, Dwayne Smith, Ian Bradshaw, Fidel Edwards and Jerome Taylor.

Zimbabwe (from): Prosper Utseya (Capt.), Stuart Matsikenyeri, Hamilton Masakadza, Elton Chigumbura, Terrence Duffin, Justice Chibhabha, Brendan Taylor, Harry Rinke, Gregory Strydom, Tawanda Mupariwa, Edward Rainsford, Anthony Ireland, Tafadzwa Kamungozi and Tafadzwa Mufambisi.

Umpires: Messrs Rudi Koertzen (SA) and Mark Benson (Eng); Third Umpire: Aleem Dar (Pakistan); Fourth Umpire: Asad Rauf (Pakistan); Match Referee: Jeff Crowe (NZ).

Hours of play: 2.30 p.m. to 6 p.m. and 6.45 p.m. onwards.

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