West Indies vs Australia | 2nd T20I: Aussies scramble to stop spirited Windies after gifting 1st game

It was a monumental effort from the West Indies to come from behind and register one of their most memorable victories in the T20 format when they defeated Australia by 18 runs in the opening encounter. The visiting side was the more superior team for the major part of the match but failed to drive home the advantage and was eventually skittled out for 127 in 16 overs to hand Windies a comfortable victory. 

With the 2nd encounter slated to be played tomorrow, Australia will get very little chance to recover from their heartbreak and try to level the series. Meanwhile, the home team will be roaring with confidence after the victory and will look to seize control and take a 2-0 lead in the 5 match series. 

After being put in to bat, West Indies struggled their way to 145 in their allotted 20 overs which was largely possible owing to a blistering half-century from the blade of Andre Russell. The swashbuckling all-rounder gave the hosts a much-needed late impetus to propel them to a competitive score which eventually proved to be enough as their bowlers staged a dramatic comeback and bowled Australia out. 

There is a lot to ponder upon for the home team especially when it comes to their batting. Despite a powerful lower middle order, the Windies batting line-up has failed to live up to the expectations on a consistent basis which resulted in their below-par outing with the bat against Australia as well. 

While Russell’s firepower will give them a huge boost going forward, the rest of the batting unit needs to come good more consistently for Windies to harbour hopes of defending their world title later this year. 

The bowling department raised their hands and riding on a brilliant spell of bowling by Hayden Walsh Jr, Windies made a stunning turnaround during the back end of the match. 

Walsh who was playing his first international game for some time bamboozled the Aussie batsmen with his variations and his three-wicket spell was the main reason behind Australia’s downfall. Obed McCoy, who had a terrific time with the ball against South Africa, continued his good work and prized out four important scalps to seal the deal for the home team. 

On the other hand, it will be a difficult pill to swallow for Australia especially after surrendering the opening encounter from a winning position. On the back of a superb spell of fast bowling by Josh Hazlewood, the visitors managed to restrict the Windies to 145 which were by no means a match-winning target under any stress of imagination. 

Despite losing three early wickets, it was Mitchell Marsh, whose heroic batting display tilted the scales in favour of Australia. Moises Henriques began with a couple of sixes as Australia seemed to coast towards the victory target. However, Marsh’s dismissal eventually opened the floodgates for a dramatic collapse which Australia could never really recover from. 

West Indies vs Australia: Match Details 

Match No - 2nd T20I 

Date and Time: July 11, 2021, 05:00 AM IST, 11:30 IST,  July 10 7:30 PM Local time

Venue: Darren Sammy National Cricket Stadium, Gros Islet, St Lucia. 

Pitch Report and Toss 

If the opening T20I gives us any indication, the St Lucia strip wasn’t a straightforward batting wicket and looked a bit two-paced. The ball was not coming onto the bat but batsmen who got themselves in managed to strike it big. The slower deliveries stuck on the pitch and Obed McCoy benefited immensely. 

We might be expecting a batter batting wicket for the second encounter and despite the result of the series opener, the team winning the toss will still be tempted to chase given the history of this ground. Teams batting second has won 8 out of the 14 matches played at this stadium so far. 

Weather Conditions 

Temperature is expected to hover around 27 degrees with a 40 per cent chance of rain during the time of the match. After a humdinger of a contest in the opening encounter, we will hope that the rain gods stay away and we witness a full match. 

Team News 

West Indies 

The home team won’t look to tinker with their winning combination. A more flamboyant option can be preferred at the top of the order in the form of Andre Fletcher along with Evin Lewis but that will make Lendl Simmons sit out. 

Despite scoring a run a ball 27 and not looking anywhere close to his best, Simmons might be the preferred option given his experience in this format and the ability to churn out runs in crucial situations. 

Probable Playing XI 

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 

After the heartbreaking defeat, Australia might tinker with their combination. While the bowlers did a commendable job and could see the same unit taking the field tomorrow, there might be a change here and there in the batting line-up. 

With so many explosive options in the middle overs trying to take on the attack to the Windies bowlers, Australia needs someone who can play the anchor’s role and Alex Carey might be a suitable option. 

He can play the situation perfectly and has the ability to smash the long ball. Carey could be drafted in place of Philippe but with the head coach preferring Philippe at the middle order, he could get an extended run. The rest of the XI should remain the same. 

Probable Playing XI 

Aaron Finch (c), Matthew Wade (wk), Mitchell Marsh, Josh Philippe/Alex Carey, Moises Henriques, Ben McDermott, Daniel Christian, Ashton Agar, Mitchell Starc, Adam Zampa, Josh Hazlewood

Dream11 team 

Wicket-keepers- Matthew Wade 

Batsmen- Lendl Simmons, Moises Henriques, Evin Lewis, Aaron Finch 

All-rounders- Mitchell Marsh, Andre Russell

Bowlers- Obed McCoy, Hayden Walsh Jr, Josh Hazlewood, Adam Zampa.