West Indies vs Sri Lanka: cricket tips

Shivnarine Chanderpaul has been the hero for West Indies in their three-match series against Sri Lanka. Without him, it is doubtful whether the home side would have had the contest wrapped up before this evening's meaningless final match at Gros Islet.

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His extraordinary six off the final ball of the innings to win the first match and his cool and calculated 52 when steering West Indies to their target of 125 off 25 overs in game two in Port of Spain have made him the main target of praise.

However, before you go out to rush to back him for top runscorer honours at 3/1 at the Beausejour Stadium, consider the record of opener Chris Gayle, who has shown he is in decent touch with a half-century in the first match.

The talented left-hander has a fantastic record at the venue and in his last three matches there he has scored 95, 124 and 43, top scoring on two occasions.

The only concern about backing him is that as the match is a dead rubber, Gayle, who doesn't look too bothered at the best of times, may relax too much and play with less care.

As for the match outright, it is surprising to see 4/5 about West Indies and even money Sri Lanka. One would have thought the Windies deserve to be a little skinnier given their dominance so far.

Remember that there is no Muttiah Muralitharan for the tourists and Lasith Malinga is missing as well. Their absence has meant Sri Lanka have now lost all four of the games they have played down the years without two of their best bowlers.

Punters should also bear in mind that there is a slight bias for teams batting second at this venue. Nine of the 15 games played have been won by the side bowling first.

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