Cricket: Tourists bring their big guns for ODI and T20s

West Indies defeated by Black Caps. Photo / Photosport

Not convinced about this West Indies team as a quality test unit? Certainly they need to show a lot more in the second test in Hamilton starting on Saturday after tumbling to an innings defeat in less than four days at the Basin Reserve yesterday.

But if you're wondering about the big names of West Indian cricket, a few of them are arriving shortly for the ODI and T20 three-game packages which round out this tour.
The one-day rubber starts at Whangarei's Cobham Oval on December 20, with the other two in Christchurch on December 23 and 26.

The T20s are at Nelson's Saxton Oval on December 29, then back-to-back at Mount Maunganui under the new lights at the ground on January 1 and 3.

They will be two separate groups and are expected to be announced in the next two days.
The ODI side will include celebrated heavy hitting opener Chris Gayle and classy but fiery batsman Marlon Samuels, who has 10 centuries and averages 33.

Gayle is going at 37.4, has 22 centuries (two against New Zealand) in 273 matches. His last innings in New Zealand was the World Cup quarter-final in Wellington, when he hit eight sixes en route to 61 in 33 balls.

However he was totally outgunned that day by Martin Guptill who smeared an unbeaten 237, still the second highest ODI score behind Indian Rohit Sharma's 264 against Sri Lanka at Kolkata in 2014.

Look out for aggressive 25-year-old lefthand opener Evin Lewis, from Trinidad.
He's hit two ODI tons (including 176 not out in 130 balls against England in his most recent innings at The Oval in September) and two in 14 T20s.

The West Indies, barely believably, have to go through a qualifying tournament to make the 2019 World Cup, so far have they lost the 50-over plot of late.

They lost 13 and won just three of 19 ODIs this year.

As for the T20 squad, Gayle, tricky finger spinner Sunil Narine, legspinner Samuel Badree, both clever short form operators, and burly allrounders Carlos Brathwaite and Kieron Pollard will be coming.

Big Brathwaite won hero status after clouting four sixes in successive Ben Stokes deliveries in the final over of the world T20 final at Kolkata early last year.

The West Indies have won six of nine T20s this year. New Zealand are No 2-ranked T20 side behind Pakistan. The Windies are No 3, setting up an entertaining series over New Year.