Match Facts Wednesday, November 16Start time 0930 local (0730 GMT)Big Picture Visiting teams to Zimbabwe often use their time here as a looking glass into the future: which new combinations might be worth exploring? Who are the up-and-coming players? Whos staking a claim for the next major tour? While West Indies circumstances might be a little more tempestuous, both they and Sri Lanka have picked forward-thinking squads for this series, and there is plenty to prove on both sides.This is particularly true of the batsmen. Darren Bravo has been culled from West Indies squad for his outburst on Twitter, and they are also missing batsman Marlon Samuels, wicketkeeper Denesh Ramdin and allrounder Kieron Pollard, depriving them of a combined 521 ODIs worth of experience. With 44 ODIs to his name Johnson Charles is, by some distance, West Indies most experienced batsman. Several somewhat unknown entities have a chance to stake a claim.The same goes for Sri Lanka, who already have one eye on their tour of South Africa in the new year. Sri Lanka have captain Upul Tharangas 189-match ODI experience to call upon, with Kusal Pereras international nous to back him up, but not an awful lot beyond that. Their relative familiarity with Zimbabwean conditions and the sparkling form of young batsman Dhananjaya de Silva may give them an advantage, but they will likely find themselves more tested by West Indies attack than by anything Zimbabwe have thrown at them in the last few weeks.Sulieman Benn and Sunil Narine have their wiles, and Shannon Gabriels improved fitness and balanced action enhances his menace. Captain Jason Holder will be personally buoyed by his recent second innings five-for against Pakistan in Sharjah, but the Bravo imbroglio may dampen the momentum West Indies gained from their historic Test success over Pakistan.Or it may not, given that in recent times West Indies have rarely seemed more than a tweet or two away from controversy, and weathering such storms is all in a days work for them. On the field, however, conditions are setting this match up as a middleweight fight that will favour the most sturdy batsmen and most incisive bowlers on either side.Form Guide Sri Lanka: WLLLW (Last five completed matches, most recent first)West Indies: LLLLWIn the Spotlight Kraigg Brathwaites Herculean efforts in Sharjah helped secure West Indies five-wicket win there, but his one-day record remains rather more modest than his Test record. With no Samuels or Bravo to provide the ballast in West Indies top order, West Indies will be looking to Brathwaite to step up and glue the top order together.Sri Lankas questions around their inexperienced middle order are yet to be answered, given the tiny target and limp bowling attack they faced on Monday. How they stand up to the greater challenge provided by West Indies may be crucial to their overall success.Team News Multiple changes to their squad will have shaken West Indies up somewhat, and despite their long-form success in the UAE, West Indies recent 3-0 defeat in the ODIs against Pakistan will be in the back of their minds. All the new names in their batting line-up have a chance to clean the slate, and there are several middle-order slots up for grabs and several all-round options.West Indies (possible): 1 Johnson Charles, 2 Kraigg Brathwaite, 3 Evin Lewis, 4 Jason Mohammed, 5 Shai Hope, 6 Shane Dowrich (wk), 7 Jonathan Carter, 8 Carlos Brathwaite, 9 Jason Holder (c), 10 Sulieman Benn, 11 Shannon GabrielShehan Jayasuriya came in for some tap from Peter Moor on Monday, but there is no urgent reason for Sri Lanka to tinker with their XI. When the tri-series moves to Bulawayo, they will have expanded opportunities to play their spinners, and there should be a similar make-up to their line-up against West Indies.Sri Lanka (probable): 1 Dhananjaya de Silva, 2 Kusal Perera, 3 Niroshan Dickwella (wk), 4 Kusal Mendis, 5 Upul Tharanga (c), 6 Asela Gunaratne, 7 Shehan Jayasuriya, 8 Sachith Pathirana, 9 Nuwan Kulasekara, 10 Suranga Lakmal, 11 Nuwan PradeepPitch and conditions Zimbabwe coach Heath Streak suggested it wasnt so much the grass on the pitch as the clouds overhead that aided swing and seam on Monday, and both the pitch and weather conditions are expected to be very similar. Much of the day is expected to be cloudy and overcast, with occasional sunny spells, while there may well be thunderstorms in the afternoon.Stats and triviaIn 54 ODIs between these countries, West Indies hold the advantage with 27 wins to Sri Lankas 24. Yet that is weighted somewhat by West Indies yesteryear prowess. Sri Lanka have won six of the last seven matches between the teamsSuranga Lakmal is Sri Lankas leading wicket-taker this year, with 11 scalps from eight matches at 26.72West Indies last visited Zimbabwe in 2007-08, when they won a five-match series 3-1, with one game abandonedQuotes Weve been facing Carl Mumba who has been bowling very fast, so West Indies pace wont be a problem, rather the ball seaming around will be the challenge for us.Sri Lanka batsman Dhananjaya de Silva feels movement, rather than pace, will be West Indies key weaponIts obviously a big impact to lose senior guys with experience who bring pedigree to your side. Its a situation where we have to cope with what we have, and gel together as quickly as possible.Jason Holders West Indies side has been shorn of several experienced players ahead of this tri-series Custom Harmon Killebrew Jersey . The winner Saturday will remain in the elite 10-team field next year. "We talked about wanting to be disciplined and stick with our game plan and good things will come," Draisaitl said, who had two goals for the victors. Custom Twins Jerseys . It is a cliché dragged out by fans and pundits regularly when discussions take place around which teams are better than others. http://www.customtwinsjersey.com/ . LOUIS -- Mike Smith is used to facing plenty of shots, so this was nothing new. Harmon Killebrew Jersey Large . Jane Virtanen scored two, and Alex Roach and Elliott Peterson rounded out the offence for the Hitmen (40-15-6). Brady Brassart chipped in with three assists. Colton McCarthy scored twice, Brayden Point had a goal and two assists, and Jack Rodewald also scored for the Warriors (15-35-9), who were 2 for 5 on the power play. Cheap Custom Twins Jersey . LOUIS -- Roman Polak was celebrating even before Alexander Steen scored the winning goal in Saturdays 4-2 win over the Carolina Hurricanes. Fifteen months ago, Oklahoma president David Boren provided a two-word diagnosis: psychologically disadvantaged.Thats how Boren felt about the state of the Big 12 when he told Oklahomas student newspaper that the league, smaller than the other Power 5 conferences, needed to explore ways to grow.So began the Great Big 12 Runaround.When it ended Monday afternoon in North Texas, after a truncated meeting of the Big 12s board, we all felt like shrinks who dont get paid for their services. The Big 12 isnt expanding. Talk about a circular conversation.I made one recommendation -- to bring this process to closure one way or the other, Big 12 commissioner Bob Bowlsby said Monday. We shouldnt kick the can down the road.Given the past 15 months, that might not be so easy. In that time, Boren talked and talked, and then he talked some more. He was pro-expansion, then lukewarm and, eventually, seemed to back away from the whole thing. In a perfect twist for this wandering process, Boren became chair of the Big 12 board this spring after Kansas State president Kirk Schulz left for Washington State.Someone suggested Ive had a brain transplant, Boren said Monday. Rumors to that effect are not true.The Big 12 hired two consulting firms to explore how expansion could impact the league, particularly in the long-term. For a league that had lost four members since 2010 -- two of which, Texas A&M and Nebraska, have football teams currently ranked in the AP Top 10 -- and appears vulnerable to further pillaging when its grant of rights agreement expires in 2025, getting bigger made sense.After the leagues spring meetings in Arizona, expansion appeared somewhat likely. At the Big 12 board meeting a month later in Irving, Texas, the league announced that its football title game was returning in 2017 and that it wouldnt explore a conferencewide TV network. The Big 12 announced record revenue distribution, celebrated its solidarity and civility behind a well-respected commissioner in Bob Bowlsby. Expansion seemed dead, and we all seemingly could get on to other business.But this is the Big 12, folks. Nothing can be wrapped up so neatly.In July, the Big 12 announced that expansion was back on the table. Candidates surfaced and lobbying began, especially in Texas. The Big 12 eventually narrowed the pool to 12 schools. Of those, six -- Houston, BYU, Cincinnati, Connecticut, South Florida and Central Florida -- generated the most attention.In the end, none received enough support from the Big 12 presidents. The Big 12 remains a 10-team league with a footprint, other than Texas, that covers a sparsely populated area of the country. It is still the only Power 5 league without its own television network. It is still a league that has seen its football recruiting suffeer in recent years and could have benefited from members in new regions.ddddddddddddWere there any great candidates out there? No, not with the potential toxicity swirling around BYU. But think about some of the recent Power 5 expansion additions: Maryland, Rutgers, Colorado, Utah, TCU, West Virginia, Syracuse, Pittsburgh, even Louisville.How many of those were or are considered home runs? None. But some have added value, including TCU, a conference nomad which quickly became one of the better Big 12 football programs. If the Big 12 really wanted to give this process its due, it should have looked for the next TCU, projecting 5-10 years out rather than talking in circles. And if the Big 12 is ultimately doomed in the long-term, adding members would have brought a short-term financial windfall, which could help current members who wont find soft landing spots if the conference dissolves.In not expanding and, equally important, not extending its grant of rights, the Big 12 possibly signed its own death warrant Monday. It remains the most vulnerable league. The loss of one more heavyweight, Texas or Oklahoma, likely would TKO the conference. A very bad strategic move, a source close to the process told ESPN.com. Painfully incremental decision-making.Theres still a very valid and underplayed argument that the Big 12 is the best place for Texas and Oklahoma. If Texas went to the Big Ten or SEC, it would no longer be the biggest voice in the room, and it would have to change its behavior and its expectations. It would have to accept (gasp!) equal revenue sharing and no Longhorn Network. Oklahoma also could make a move but would likely have to accept being No. 3 or No. 4 instead of clearly in the top tandem.Texas and OU seem happy for now, because, in the end, neither favored Big 12 expansion. How will they feel in eight or nine years?Most expansion explorations are quick and stealthy. After the Big Tens first expansion study in 2010 generated more buzz than commissioner Jim Delany anticipated, Delany didnt go public with his pursuit of Rutgers and Maryland and shocked everyone in November 2012. ACC commissioner John Swofford is the king of expansion guile, twice pillaging the Big East.The Big 12, meanwhile, spent a lot of time and money to keep the status quo.It was a deliberate process, one that included a lot of people, Bowlsby said. It was a lot more public than a lot of these other processes have been.Meanwhile, theres an imprint in all of our couches, in the shape of a former Oklahoma governor and senator and current university president.Psychologically disadvantaged? The Big 12s issues go much, much deeper. ' ' '