Upbeat West Indies aim to build on Harare gains

If off-field distractions have followed West Indies to Zimbabwe, their performance in their first game of the tri-series did not show it. They brought a largely young, inexperienced squad here but their win on Wednesday suggested depth and quality nonetheless, and they will arrive in Bulawayo a confident group.

West Indies' three debutants in the first match helped to shape their win, with Shai Hope and Rovman Powell both making 40s before offspinner Ashley Nurse chipped in with three wickets. Nurse has insisted that rankings are not foremost in West Indies' game plans, but their current position of ninth in the ICC rankings suggests a serious malaise that needs tackling.

With a forward-looking squad and the necessity for general improvement in one-day cricket, it's hard to dismiss the feeling that West Indies are focussed on their future. They have already missed out on qualification for the Champions Trophy next year, and if they are to avoid the ignominy of having to play in a qualifying tournament for the 2019 World Cup, they will have to continue to build on performances such as those in their tour opener. This game offers their next opportunity to do just that.

"I had a chat with Marlon Samuels [who has been to Zimbabwe before],

but apart from that we're just pulling out all the data we can possibly find from

the analysts in terms of the ground stats and the opposition.

But cricket is cricket at the end of the day, you just have to play as you see it,

and assess the conditions as quickly as possible."

Jason Holder leads a squad with very little experience of Zimbabwean conditions