Are W Indies Up for It? (England vs West Indies: who will win?)

Name: fordoo

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Product:	England vs West Indies: who will win?
Date:	27/08/00 (8 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Lara, Hinds and Stewart

Disadvantages: English weather

I think the deciding factor for this test (presuming the weather doesn't intervene) is likely to be the W Indies temperment. They have had a hard tour where some players have failed to perform, the pitches for the tests have been poor and England have not only battled well but, unusually for them, have tended to pick their best team.
Strangely though I feel the wicket at the Oval is likely to be the one that gives the W Indies batsmen a chance to prove they really can play.
Hopefully the Oval will play true and might bounce a bit and this should give Lara and Hinds (and our one batsman worth watching, Stewart) a chance to show how well they can play.
My reservation over predicting a W Indies win is largely based on whether they have the temperament to fight back after a long hard tour where they have recently performed so badly in the tests. Their defeat by Somerset will not help morale and I'm sure some of them will be thinking of the plane home.
I just favour the W Indies to win but I think they need a good start as any sign of weakness will be seized upon by a confident England side who are on top of their game.
Either way let's hope for 5 days cricket this time.

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