4-0 win will get India to number 2 spot in ODI Table

After the marvelous excitement and huge success of the ICC World Twenty20 2009, focus now moves to the 50-over format when the West Indies and India go head to head in the four-match series with the latter want a clean sweep to go into 2nd position in the ICC ODI Championship table.

India currently sits with Australia on 122 ratings points but at the back Ricky Ponting's men in 3rd place by a fraction of a point. However, if India sweeps the series, it will gain one rating point which will permit it to claim second place in the championship for the first time while the rankings were introduced in October 2002.

India are 32 ratings points ahead of eighth placed the WIndies and that gap means it is expected to win the series contentedly. If it fails to do so then its rating will suffer and it will lose one point to fall behind Australia even if it safe a 3-1 success. A 2-2 draw series will put India on 119 ratings points and a 4-0 defeat will drop it to 116 ratings points, just four points ahead of 4th placed New Zealand.

In difference, the West Indies, which will start the series on 90 ratings points, will increase nine ratings points in case of a 4-0 series win to fine the gap with 7th placed Sri Lanka by six points. A 3-1 series triumph will lift it to 96 ratings points, a 2-2 draw series will get it to 93 ratings points and a 3-1 loss will go it on 91 ratings points. The West Indies will grant two ratings points if India wins all the matches of the ODI series.

Mashrafe Mortaza named for Bangladesh Skipper

Bangladesh have named fast bowler Mashrafe Mortaza as skipper for the forthcoming tours of West Indies & Zimbabwe. The Bangladesh Cricket Board has decided to ease Mohammad Ashraful of his captaincy duties to let him to focus on his batting. Shakib Al Hasan named for the vice-captain.

"The board wants to sincerely thank Mohammad Ashraful for his contribution as skipper," Said Mohammed Jalal Yunus, the BCB's Media & Communications Committee Chairman. "The decision to replace him was taken with the purpose of relieving the load on Ashraful so that he can play his natural game."

"We all know his quality and what he is capable of as a batsman and we are confident that without the burden of captaincy his batting would flourish and he would contribute more to the team."

Bangladesh faced abundance of flak after the ICC World Twenty20 where they unsuccessful to qualify for the Super Eights.

Then, the under-fire Mohammad Ashraful had insisted he had no plans of relieving the captaincy. The tour of West Indies starts on July 3rd with a three-day match with West Indies A. The team will play three ODIs, two Tests and a Twenty20.

Fidel Edwards to miss first two India ODIs

West Indies have named a 13-man squad without Edwards for the first two one-day internationals against India.

The bowler withdrew from last Monday's Super Eight win over England in the Twenty20 World Cup seconds before the toss, after injuring himself in the warm-up.

It was later established that the problem was an impatience of a nerve root in his lower back.

Fidel Edwards didn’t play on Friday in the semi-final at The Oval against Sri Lanka which West Indies lost by 57 runs to exit the competition.

West Indies officials have given no clear indication about how long Edwards is predictable to be out of the game with the injury.

The selectors have rewarded Darren Bravo, the younger brother of all-rounder Dwayne Bravo, with his maiden call for West Indies, after a season of reliable scoring for his native Trinidad & Tobago in domestic competition.

The younger Darren Bravo scored 605 runs at an average of 43.21 in nine matches of the West Indies domestic first-class competition this year.

Team Squad:

Chris Gayle (captain), Denesh Ramdin (vice captain), Lionel Baker, Darren Bravo, Dwayne Bravo, Sulieman Benn, David Bernard Jr, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Narsingh Deonarine, Runako Morton, Ravi Rampaul, Ramnaresh Sarwan, Jerome Taylor