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The series is out of reach but the quest for pride is ongoing for West Indies, as the fourth ODI prepares to get underway against Pakistan in Barbados. Darren Sammy won the toss and chose to bowl first in showery weather at the Kensington Oval, with his seamers hoping to use the conditions to propel them towards their first win of the series.
The manner of Shivnarine Chanderpaul's axing continues to reverberate around the Caribbean, with claims and counter-claims fizzing their way back and forth between the player's representatives and the WICB, but today it's the return of another of the old guard that takes centre-stage. Ramnaresh Sarwan is back after being dumped in the post-World Cup clear-out, with the wicketkeeper Carlton Baugh also slotting into the team at the expense of Andre Russell and Devon Smith.
There were signs of life from West Indies in the third ODI, as Ravi Rampaul claimed three early wickets and 4 for 32 all told, before the legspinner Devendra Bishoo continued his rapid rise to prominence with 3 for 42, but by and large Pakistan have been in control of the series throughout. Their slow bowlers have tied West Indies' batsmen in knots, to such an extent that Sammy said one of the main aims in this match would be to work on strike rotation, while Misbah-ul-Haq's languid tempo has been ideal for the circumstances.
With the series in the bag, Pakistan as expected have rung the changes, with Wahab Riaz and Umar Akmal rested to allow debuts for Tanvir Ahmed and Usman Salahuddin, an exciting 20-year-old batsman from Lahore whose impressive strokeplay made him a stand-out member of their Under-19 team in recent seasons.
West Indies 1 Lendl Simmons (wk), 2 Kirk Edwards, 3 Darren Bravo, 4 Ramnaresh Sarwan, 5 Marlon Samuels, 6 Dwayne Bravo, 7 Darren Sammy (capt), 8 Carlton Baugh (wk), 9 Ravi Rampaul, 10 Kemar Roach, 11 Devendra Bishoo.
Pakistan 1 Mohammad Hafeez, 2 Ahmed Shehzad, 3 Azad Shafiq, 4 Misbah-ul-Haq, 5 Usman Salahuddin, 6 Hammad Azam, 7 Shahid Afridi (capt), 8 Mohammad Salman (wk), 8 Junaid Khan, 9 Saeed Ajmal, 11 Tanvir Ahmed
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