West Indies vs Australia – 1st T20 International Preview & Prediction
THE FACTS
When is West Indies vs Australia taking place? Saturday, July 10th, 2021 – 00:30 (UK)
Where is West Indies vs Australia taking place? Daren Sammy National Stadium, Gros Islet, Saint Lucia
What is the expected weather for West Indies vs Australia? 16-17c and partly cloudy with a gentle breeze
What channel is West Indies vs Australiaon? The match will be televised live on BT Sport in the UK
Where can I stream West Indies vs Australia? BT Sport subscribers will be able to stream the match live via the BT Sport website and app
LAST MEETING
West Indies beat Australia by 6 wickets.
THE TEAM NEWS
WEST INDIES
- West Indies came out the wrong side of their recently concluded five match T20i series with South Africa, losing 2-3 after suffering a 25-run defeat in the deciding fixture.
- Spin-bowler Sunil Narine remains absent from the Windies squad, with captain Kieran Pollard expected to stick with many of the same faces that played against South Africa as they continue their preparation for the upcoming T20 World Cup.
- All-rounder Fabian Allan missed the final T20i vs the Proteas due to a shoulder injury, but should recover in time for this first match against Australia, whilst the form of explosive batter Nicholas Pooran may be of slight concern to Pollard when taking into account his importance to the team.
AUSTRALIA
- Whilst it will be an Australian side without a number of its key limited overs stars that take to the field for the first T20i, Aaron Finch still has plenty of big names to call upon with an impressive amount of depth within the Aussie ranks.
- The absence of hard-hitting opener David Warner at the top of the order may see Josh Phillipe given an opportunity to open the batting, after shining for Sydney Sixers in the Big Bash League earlier in the year, whilst the experience of both Moises Henriques and all-rounder Dan Christian should make up for not having Glenn Maxwell or the injured Steve Smith available.
- Marcus Stoinis, Kane Richardson, Jhye Richardson and Pat Cummins all opted out of the tour for a number of personal reasons, however left-arm fast bowler Mitchell Starc is set to play a big part for the Australians as he leads the bowling attack.
THE PREDICTION
It will be interesting to see the team that both captain Finch and head coach Justin Langer select for Australia in this first T20i with a number of regular players unavailable. Since flying out to the West Indies, the tourists have utilised intrasquad matches in a bid to get the players up to speed, whilst the Windies are coming straight off the back of a long series against South Africa and are therefore already prepared for action. Having a settled side is likely to work in the hosts’ favour heading into this opening T20i and the big hitting batting order of West Indies should capitalise on a rusty Aussie bowling attack, leading to Kieran Pollard’s men claiming victory in this first match of the series.
