Australia will take on West Indies in the first ODI of the 3-match series. Australia lost the T20I series 4-1 but the ODI format suits their playing style.
Match Timings: July 21, 12 AM IST
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Australia and West Indies will kick off the ODI series in Barbados and this series will be part of the CWC Super League. Australia had good numbers with winning two consecutive series in Super League, while West Indies lost to Bangladesh but defeated Sri Lanka 3-0 at home.
When we talk about the ODI format, Australia looks slightly better. The semifinalists of the 2019 WC have beaten England and India in Super League. They lost only two games out of six. By 2020, they lost only four ODIs which shows their dominance but things might be changed because they don’t have major players who were part of the Aussies squad during this period.
Australia made few mistakes in the T20I series and their batting was tested. Only Wade and Marsh were the positives for Australia in a 4-1 defeat. The Bowling unit did a decent job but it was not an ideal performance. Australia would look to boost their bench strength and some new players will be seen in this format. They don’t have Warner, Smith, Pat, and Maxwell who were the stars of Australia’s success in ODI.
Wade and Philippe can open for Australia. Finch has been ruled out of this fixture so Alex Carey will lead the side. Henriques and Marsh can play up in the order, followed by Alex Carey and McDermott. Australia can hand over the debuts as well because they will lack in finding some spots.
Meanwhile, West Indies are boosted after the T20I series win and they would look to carry this momentum in ODI as well. Pollard has the big responsibility to take good form in ODIs as well. West Indies played qualifier tournament last time so they would look to take the early qualification through Super League. Shai Hope will be back as the vice-captain and Pollard will also be back in the captain’s role. Darren Bravo and Roston Chase have joined the squad. Fabian Allen and Evin Lewis have been rewarded after an impressive T20I series.
West Indies played two ODI series this year. They were beaten by Bangladesh 3-0 but later, they whitewashed Sri Lanka at home. It’s an important series for the hosts. Australia had an edge in H2H records and they last played an ODI bilateral series with West Indies in 2012. Both sides last met in ODI in the 2019 World Cup and Australia were on the winning side. West Indies are favourites because Australia will miss their key players.
Pitch Report
Barbados’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. 270-280 would be a good total on this track.
Squads
West Indies
Shai Hope, Evin Lewis, Darren Bravo, Shimron Hetmyer, Nicholas Pooran, Roston Chase, Jason Holder, Fabian Allen, Kieron Pollard (C), Romario Shepherd, Sheldon Cottrell
Australia
Matthew Wade (wk), Josh Philippe, Mitchell Marsh, Moises Henriques, Ben McDermott, Alex Carey (C), Ashton Agar, Mitchell Starc, Adam Zampa, Josh Hazlewood, Andrew Tye
Key Players
Australia
Mitchell Marsh
Leading run-scorer for Australia in T20I series, wicket-taking bowler as well
Josh Hazlewood
Would be a handy bowler with new ball
West Indies
Shai Hope
In-form player in ODI format and has a consistency
Jason Holder
All round package for this format, having a good form
