West Indies Vs Australia, Match Preview
Australia is finally playing a game after being away from Cricket for a while. Their international schedule has been light over the last few months, and the men’s team will finally be playing after four months. Australia has a lot of Cricket going ahead and will be moving from bubble to bubble. After West Indies, they will face Bangladesh as they play a string of T20s to prepare for the World Cup. The T20 World Cup is one cup that has eluded Australia, and Finch will hope to have the cup soon.
Their first-choice players are absent, and Australia has some Big Bash players who will get a chance to stake a claim for the World Cup. The final squad will be different from the one in the World Cup, but some players could push for their spots in the tournament.
Australia faces the current World Champions in T20 Cricket. The West Indies lost to South Africa recently but showed some promise with their explosive Cricket. The West Indies haven’t had an excellent win-loss ratio after the 2016 World Cup and are currently ranked ninth. They have been without their first-choice players and now have a near full-strength squad, which will help them in the series.
A full-strength squad helped them against South Africa as they batted well to win two games. If the side were a bit more consistent, they could have closed out the series, but consistency has been an issue for West Indies.
West Indies Vs Australia, Team News
West Indies have named 18 players who will be rotated ahead of the World Cup. They have reduced their squad to 13 for the game, and Jason Holder is one of the players who could have his workload managed.
For Australia, Dan Christian is back in the squad at the age of 38. He is a proper finisher and could be the answer to Australia’s finishing issues. His inclusion helps provide balance as the side has a decent set of bowlers. Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood are also a part of the squad, along with Adam Zampa.
West Indies Vs, Australia, Predicted XIs
West Indies (possible) 1 Lendl Simmons, 2 Evin Lewis, 3 Chris Gayle, 4 Shimron Hetmyer, 5 Kieron Pollard (capt), 6 Andre Russell, 7 Nicholas Pooran (wk), 8 Dwayne Bravo, 9 Akeal Hosain, 10 Obed McCoy, 11 Fidel Edwards
Australia (possible) 1 Aaron Finch, 2 Matthew Wade (wk), 3 Mitchell Marsh, 4 Moises Henriques, 5 Ben McDermott, 6 Josh Philippe, 7 Dan Christian, 8 Ashton Agar, 9 Mitchell Starc, 10 Adam Zampa, 11 Riley Meredith/Josh Hazlewood
West Indies Vs Australia, Players to Watch out For
Dan Christian
As Australia named a squad full of second-string players, Dan Christian received a call-up. He has done well over the last few years in domestic Cricket and did well in the inter-squad fixture. He is a good bowler and a genuine finisher. With most of Australia’s batters suited to the top-order, they finally have someone who specializes in finishing, and this series could help find a spot in the World Cup.
Nicholas Pooran
Nicholas Pooran did well in the Big Bash earlier this year but has been off-color in T20s ever since. He struggled in the IPL and looked nowhere near his best against South Africa.
West Indies Vs Australia, Pitch Report
Australia played two-inter squad matches at Gros Islet, and the pitch looked good. Against South Africa, the scores stayed in the 160s range, but they could go higher this season. The forecast is cloudy, but rain is likely to stay away. The pitch is expected to turn, but with the surface being suitable for batters, chasing may be the better option.