NEW DELHI: Bangladesh captain Shakib Al Hasan won the toss and elected to bat first against West Indies in a must-win Group B World Cup match at Mirpur.
Bangladesh are banking on familiar conditions and the stadium, expected to be packed to the rafters, will be behind the home side, but the Caribbean outfit cannot be taken lightly after the massive win over the Netherlands in their last match.
Statistics give Bangladesh the edge as they beat the West Indies 3-0 when the two sides last met in 2009. But that hardly holds any significance as West Indies fielded a second-string team following a financial spat between leading players and their cricket board.
The challenge for the visitors, who lost to South Africa in their opener before beating the Netherlands, could lie in tackling the spinners in unfamiliar territory, but team manager Richie Richardson said the side is up for it.
"Every match is a challenge Every one is going to be difficult, playing against Bangladesh in Bangladesh will be tough," said the former West Indies captain under whom West Indies qualified for the semi-finals of the 1996 World Cup, the last time the event was held in the sub-continent.
"But we have the ability, (and are) certainly very confident that we can beat Bangladesh," Richardson added.
Teams: Bangladesh: Shakib Al Hasan (capt), Tamim Iqbal, Imrul Kayes, Junaid Siddique, Raqibul Hasan, Mohammad Ashraful, Mushfiqur Rahim, Naeem Islam, Abdur Razzak, Rubel Hossain, Shafiul Islam.
West Indies: Darren Sammy (capt), Chris Gayle, Devon Smith, Darren Bravo, Ramnaresh Sarwan, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Kieron Pollard, Devon Thomas, Sulieman Benn, Nikita Miller, Kemar Roach.
Umpires: Kumar Dharmasena (SRI) and Steve Davis (AUS)
TV umpire: Asad Rauf (PAK)
Match referee: Ranjan Madugalle (SRI)(Agencies)
