Gibson increases Barbados expectations

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Coach Ottis Gibson is hopeful conditions at the Kensington Oval in Bridgetown will allow the West Indies fast bowlers to claim a two-one series victory over New Zealand.

Coach Ottis Gibson is hopeful conditions at the Kensington Oval in Bridgetown will allow the West Indies fast bowlers to claim a two-one series victory over New Zealand.

Outdone by 186 runs inside four days in the series opener at Sabina Park in Kingston, the Windies enjoyed a prompt turnaround for a 10-wicket success at Queen's Park Oval in Port of Spain.

Seamers Jerome Taylor and Kemar Roach have garnered a fine stretch of collective form throughout – and have been well complemeneted by spinner Sulieman Benn.

"Hopefully we'll get a very good surface in Barbados, one that helps our quick bowlers a little bit more than maybe Trinidad and Jamaica. Our fast bowlers are bowling fantastically well so hopefully we get a pitch that gives them a little bit of support and they can continue to bowl the way they have been bowling and bowl us to a series win," <i>CMC</i> quoted Gibson as saying.

"We will have a look at the pitch and see what it holds. Kensington always has a little bit in it for the bowlers as well. Trinidad was a very un-Trinidad like pitch, t was a good pitch for batting and the bowlers had to work hard."

The Windies, meanwhile, have named an unchanged squad. Fast bowler Jason Holder, the uncapped Leon Johnson and spinner Shane Shillingford, who did not play in the second Test in Trinidad, have been retained in the 14-man party. All-rounder Marlon Samuels and opening batsman Kieran Powell, who were dropped after the series opener in Jamaica, have not been recalled.

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