West Indies will face Australia in the third game of the 5-match T20I series to seal the first series win of this home summer. Meanwhile, Australia will look to bounce back in the series after losing the first two games in a poor manner.
Match Timings: July 13, 5 AM IST
Team Preview
Australia and West Indies will meet in the third T20I of the series. The story has been changed after the first two games and hosts have a good chance to seal the series against Aussies. West Indies did a great job in the second match by beating Australia with ease.
A century stand between Hetmyer and Bravo set the tone, followed by 8-ball 24 from Russell. West Indies posted 196 and Australia looked in the same manner like they did in the first game. Marsh scored his another half-century but the middle-order showed no responsibility in this chase and Australia bowled out on just 140. Aussies were not even in the frame. Hayden Walsh picked a 3-wicket haul and West Indies made a cakewalk in second game.
Australia’s manner of defeat is a bit surprising. They lost an easy game in the first T20I when they collapsed badly. We saw how Australia collapsed when they required less than 4 runs per over and they also had wickets in hand. West Indies is finding new match-winners in every game. Hetmyer was not even part of playing XI during the South Africa series. He got the chance and delivered. Bravo has been transformed with the bat and ball both.
Hosts are ticking all the good parts ahead of T20 World Cup. Andre Russell smashed a 26-ball fifty in the opening game and added 8-ball 24 cameo in the second game. Pollard didn’t feature in both games but West Indies didn't miss out finisher. The same issues are with Australia and they are missing finisher in their squad who can provide acceleration. But on a different note, their batting is not convincing starting from the top order.
Australia has to look back at its flaws. Finch’s troops last won a series against South Africa 16 months before. Australia lost three T20I series during this period. They lost against England, India, and New Zealand. Finch’s side lost 9 games out of 13 since the covid break which is a big concern ahead of the mega T20 event in UAE. If they lose again, it will be a 4th consecutive series loss for Australia, the poorest run in T20 format for Aussies.
Pitch Report
St Lucia’s surface is good for batting but it will test the batsmen due to its sluggish behavior. It requires an aggressive approach and some sensible cricket in middle-overs like West Indies did in the second game.
Squads
West Indies
Lendl Simmons, Evin Lewis, Chris Gayle, Shimron Hetmyer, Nicholas Pooran (c & wk), Andre Russell, Dwayne Bravo, Fabian Allen, Hayden Walsh, Obed McCoy, Fidel Edwards
Australia
Aaron Finch (c), Matthew Wade (wk), Mitchell Marsh, Josh Philippe, Moises Henriques, Ben McDermott, Daniel Christian, Ashton Agar, Mitchell Starc, Adam Zampa, Josh Hazlewood
Key Players
Australia
Mitchell Marsh
Back-to-back fifty in the series, only promising batsmen for Aussies
Josh Hazlewood
Impressive figure in opening game and would be handy with the new ball
West Indies
Andre Russell
50 in opening game and a quick cameo in second, a top form continues
Dwayne Bravo
Looked wonderful with the bat and bowl this home summer
