Nottingham: Australia have been warned to be wary of being "kidnapped" by the West Indies in a game Pat Cummins has tipped to be a high-scoring slug-fest.
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Veteran opener Chris Gayle, provided he is passed fit, will look to bully the Australians - he is averaging a six every 10 balls in his past 23 innings - but Cummins said the world champions were ready for him.
"Yeah, it is always a great challenge playing against Mr Worldwide, or whatever he calls himself - Universe Boss," Cummins said.
"He is, obviously, a class act and keeps hitting sixes whenever he plays. I've played against him quite a bit in Twenty20 but never an ODI against him but they have got lots of pretty exciting players. Trent Bridge is a pretty small ground so I am sure it is going to be one of the more high scoring ones."
Australia's impressive record against Gayle will also buoy hopes. In 31 ODIs against the world champions, the last being in 2013 before he fell out with his home board, Gayle had only 802 runs at 26.73 - well down on his career average of 38.2. He had also failed to post a century, Australia being the only frontline nation he hasn't reached three figures against.
But former Australian captain Steve Waugh says Gayle is not the only danger.
Waugh said the West Indies "possess a squad full of match winners that can dominate if they gain any sense of ascendancy in a match".
"They are the most watchable team in the tournament with a batting line-up that can kidnap any bowling attack with brute force.
"No ground is big enough when this behemoth of a batting order clicks into overdrive but they also have a vulnerability against high-quality bowling as they tend to play one dimensional at times."
Both have promised a healthy supply of bouncers but they face a significant test on Thursday, because Trent Bridge is the highest scoring ground in the country. The Australians also have bad memories of the venue, not the least being when England plundered a world record total of 6-481 against them last year.
Cummins claimed three wickets in the win over Afghanistan on Saturday but the challenge will be greater against a West Indian side that was fortunate to qualify for the World Cup but has become one of the more fancied sides.
Cummins was surprised that there was a hint of swing in Bristol, coming about 20 overs in when Marcus Stoinis was bowling. As this second match will be a day game, starting at 10.30am, whoever bowls first could benefit from greater movement, especially if the conditions are overcast.
Regardless, a key weapon will still be the bumper.
"In a format like ODIs, there is not a lot on offer; there's no swing or seam - quite rarely. So you have got to try and change up some way," he said.
"With our pace and bounce, I feel like that [bumper] is a really good wicket-taking ball or a dot ball. It is going to be a risk if a batter is trying to play that every time. So, yeah, I am sure we are going to keep being aggressive with it ... yeah, that's the way we play, nice and aggressive."
Clive Lloyd, who led the West Indies to World Cup glory in 1975 and 1979, praised the West Indies short-ball tactics in their win over Pakistan.
"We just need to see what happens when the pressure is on the West Indies, but the game against Australia should do that as that will be a good test of where we are at," Lloyd said.
"Australia have got some firepower and some very good batsmen, so that should be an excellent game. That will give you an idea if West Indies can qualify or not."
- SMH/The Age
