Win or Bust for England

England enter last-chance saloon later today knowing that a defeat to West Indies will bring an end to their World Cup campaign.

After recording shock defeats to Ireland and Bangladesh, England have been left teetering on the brink of an early departure.

If they are to lose, this will be the fourth World Cup in a row that they have not managed to reach the knockout phase. England has had a roller-coaster ride with shock defeats to Ireland and Bangladesh as well as a tie with India. The wins against the Proteas and minnows the Netherlands have kept them afloat.

Victory against the Caribbean contingent is a must here today.

The England camp is far from a happy one with a stomach bug sweeping through the ranks. Captain Andrew Strauss and spinner Graeme Swann missed training on Tuesday, and paceman Ajmal Shahzad later in the week.

England will need to decide how many spinners to play here, with Swann operating as the lone slow bowler against Bangladesh in Chittagong.

England has already experienced the pitch at Chennai, with many forecasting this strip to be a decisive factor in a possible Michael Yardy recall.

West Indies, who also need a victory to confirm their place in the last eight, will be lifted by the return to fitness of Chris Gayle after he missed the win over Ireland with an abdominal strain.

The Caribbean batting line-up looks solid already, and he will add another slow bowler element to the arsenal.

“Pollard has been pushed up in Dwayne Bravo's absence and has been in good form," said skipper Darren Sammy earlier today. "It is all about finding the right place for him to bat in the 11.”

The West Indies, despite their three wins, have not exactly been put to test, but hope to carry the momentum against England.

England (possible) 1 Andrew Strauss (capt), 2 Matt Prior (wk), 3 Jonathan Trott, 4 Ian Bell, 5 Eoin Morgan, 6 Ravi Bopara, 7 Tim Bresnan, 8 Paul Collingwood, 9 Graeme Swann, 10 Ajmal Shahzad/James Anderson, 11 Chris Tremlett.

West Indies (possible) 1 Chris Gayle, 2 Devon Smith, 3 Darren Bravo, 4 Ramnaresh Sarwan, 5 Shivnarine Chanderpaul, 6 Kieron Pollard, 7 Darren Sammy (capt), 8 Devon Thomas (wk), 9 Nikita Miller, 10 Sulieman Benn, 11 Kemar Roach.

The batsman to watch for England is the in-form Jonathan Trott. Trott’s form this season has been sublime, and regardless of where England goes after this match, he will be looking to end his season on a high note.

For the West Indies Kieron Pollard is a man on the rise and certainly worth a punt. His 94 from 55 balls against Ireland included a mammoth tempo-change in the Powerplay- a part of the game that England has consistently failed to exploit.

This game has all the signs of a 1980’s classic, and both teams will give their all in reaching the knock-out stages.