West Indies vs New Zealand – 1st One-Day International Preview & Prediction
THE FACTS
When is West Indies vs New Zealand taking place? Wednesday, August 17th, 2022 – 19:00 (UK)
Where is West Indies vs New Zealand taking place? Kensington Oval, Bridgetown
What is the expected weather for West Indies vs New Zealand? 27-31c, dry throughout with sunny intervals before clear skies later
What channel is West Indies vs New Zealand on? The match will be televised live on BT Sport in the UK
Where can I stream West Indies vs New Zealand? BT Sport subscribers will be able to stream the match live via the BT Sport website and app
LAST MEETING
New Zealand beat West Indies by 5 runs
THE TEAM NEWS
WEST INDIES
- West Indies at least gave themselves something to build upon by winning the final T20i of a three-match series against New Zealand that they had already lost, the margin of victory being eight-wickets.
- Shimron Hetmyer is set to return for the Windies in the 50-over format following his T20i comeback with it being over a year since the 25-year-old last featured for his nation in ODI cricket.
- Injury sees Roston Chase miss out here although spin-bowler Gudakesh Motie could feature provided he passes a fitness test, whilst both Romario Shepherd and Rovman Powell have been dropped, with all-rounder Kevin Sinclair earning a call-up.
NEW ZEALAND
- New Zealand’s 1-2 T20i series win over West Indies was yet another white ball triumph for them across this year and now they turn to the 50-over format where like T20, they have been performing exceedingly well.
- A rib-injury side-lines fast bowler Matt Henry from this game, with a like-for-like replacement in Ben Sears called up to the Black Caps squad as a replacement and the 24-year-old could make an ODI debut here.
- As was the case in the T20i series, New Zealand have named their strongest possible white-ball squad for these ODIs, Kane Williamson captaining the team once again and Trent Boult remaining in the squad despite him giving up his central contract.
THE PREDICTION
West Indies continue to tinker with their ODI line-up, clearly still unsure as to their best XI and with over a year until the 2023 Cricket World Cup, matches such as this are so important for them to establish who is good enough to do a job for the Windies in the 50-over format. The New Zealand squad meanwhile, is far more settled and head coach Gary Stead alongside skipper Williamson even have the pleasure of a selection headache with plenty of players making their case to feature in the starting XI. Their high-performing middle-order provides an excellent safety net for the top order batters and the bowling unit is nicely balanced. When taking this into account, the smart move is to back New Zealand winning this opening ODI.
