'Major Part' for Rampaul in ODIs

Teenage pacer Ravi Rampaul will play a "major part" in the upcoming five-match ODI series against Zimbabwe, according to West Indies captain Brian Lara.

Rampaul, the 19-year-old Trinidadian fast bower who was fast-tracked to the senior team after an impressive Red Stripe Bowl tournament, stands to benefit from the touring team policy of "rotating" the fast bowlers, Lara explained.

"We are discussing the possibility of rotating our fast bowlers to ensure that they remain fresh and free of too much cricket in a short space of time. Corey Collymore has had two hard Test matches and must be in need of some rest," Lara wrote in a column for the Trinidad Guardian.

"We were severely hampered with the loss of a bowler in each of the two Test matches and we have to safeguard ourselves against that recurrence," he added.

The decision to rotate the fast bowlers will give Rampaul a chance to strut his stuff at the highest level in preparation for the Under-19 World Cup in Bangladesh. Rampaul will be the lynchpin of the Under-19 attack and Lara said the experience in Zimbabwe will serve him well for that.

Rampaul played in the opening tour match against Zimbabwe 'A', bowling 30 overs in both innings. He did not pick up a wicket.

So far on tour, Lara lost the services of his youngest pacers -- 18-year-old Jerome Taylor to a back injury and 21-year-old Fidel Edwards to an ankle tweak.

"Fidel Edwards and Jerome Taylor will be back in training tomorrow and we will have a better picture of their condition after they go through their paces with the physiotherapist," Lara said.

The ODI series, which starts on November 22, could also see Lara breaking a few more West Indian batting records. Coming off his obliteration of Viv Richards' record for the most Test runs by a Caribbean batsman, Lara is just a shade behind two records held by former opener Desmond Haynes.

Haynes holds the West Indies ODI run-scoring record (8648 runs at 41.37), just 415 runs ahead of Lara (8,233 runs at 43.10). Lara has so far appeared in 19 fewer matches than Haynes.

Lara also needs one century to go past Haynes' mark of 17 ODI tons.

The West Indies team also has a chance to jump a few spots in the ICC one-day rankings. West Indies are ranked fifth on 106 points, just one point behind Pakistan and two behind England.