December 10, 2006	Sunday	Ziqa'ad 18, 1427

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LAHORE, Dec 9: After giving the home team a real scare in the second One-day International at Faisalabad on Thursday, the West Indies will be aiming to go all out in the third ODI here on Sunday and stop Pakistan from taking a 2-0 unbeatable lead in the five-match series.

The West Indies, indeed, have an impressive track record in the ODIs this year and appear determined to improve upon it with emphatic win here on Sunday.

“We are still very much in the series and our bowlers are bowling well. All we need is a consistent show from our batsmen to win at Lahore and level the series," said skipper Brian Lara, who needs 38 more runs to complete 10,000 runs in ODI cricket.

Confirming the availability of experienced Shivnarine Chanderpaul for the match here, Lara said there were no fitness problems in the squad. He also denied rumours that he would not be fully fit for the big game on Sunday after the record-breaking player was seen limping during the practice session and applying ice on the knee later in the day.

Asked if he had some worries over the performance of dashing opener Chris Gayle, Lara said he had performed well in in India and was capable of bouncing back at any time. "We have three more games to go and I hope Gayle will regain his fine touch," he said.

Pakistan will also be anxious to bring up another victory at their favourite ground on Sunday and consolidate their position in the limited overs contest.

The Gaddafi Stadium will host its 49th ODI on Sunday and seventh against the West Indies. Of these seven, Pakistan have won four while West Indies have emerged victorious in only one. One match ended in a tie in 1991.

"We will be focusing on another victory here to seize a comfortable lead of 2-0 as the West Indies is a strong team and they can bounce back any moment," Pakistan coach Bob Woolmer said at a press conference on Saturday.

"We have great regard for the visitors since they are one of the world's best sides and has the potential to give us real tough time," he said.

Woolmer confirmed that all the players were fit and raring to go for the match. "Except Younis, who has left the team due to a personal tragedy, all the other 14 players of the squad are available for selection and the good news is that Yousuf has also joined us," the coach said.

Yousuf missed out the second ODI at Faisalabad due to his wife's illness but attended the nets here on Saturday. "My wife is quite okay now therefore I have decided to join the team," Yousuf told Dawn after the nets session.

Commenting on the pitch, Woolmer said it did not look like a batting paradise and the match could well be low scoring affair. "I don't think it will be a high scoring match, but I hope I am proved wrong," he said.

When asked about the impending challenge of South African tour next year, Woolmer said it will be a different setting altogether there and the batsmen will have to put in their best for good results.

"Those will be different kind of pitches and weather will also be quite changed. But if you consider the importance of the home series against the West Indies, it has been quite competitive too as they have a number of good quality cricketers," he said.

Meanwhile, a partly cloudy weather was forecast by local MET office for Sunday.

Pakistan is likely to retain the playing XI which won at Faisalabad with only Yousuf replacing Younis Khan.

Teams:

Inzamam-ul-Haq (captain), Mohamamd Yousuf, Imran Farhat, Mohammad Hafeez, Yasir Hameed, Abdul Razzaq, Shoaib Malik, Kamran Akmal, Umar Gul, Mohammad Sami, Rao Iftikhar, Rana Naved-ul-Hasan, Danish Kaneria, Abdul Rehman.

West Indies: Brian Lara (captain), Chris Gayle, Ranako Morton, Daren Ganga, Lendl Simmons, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Dwayne Smith, Marlon Samuels, Ian Bradshaw, Corry Collymore, Daren Powell, Jerome Taylor, Dave Mohammed, Denesh Ramdin.

Umpires: Nigel Llong (England), Asad Rauf (Pakistan).

TV Umpire: Zameer Haider. Match Referee: Allan Hurst (Australia).