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WI vs AUS | 3rd T20I Preview: T20 'specialist' West Indies eye series win

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West Indies bowlers have been in some brilliant touch in the ongoing five-match T20I series against Australia as they have unleashed a couple of riveting performances to drive their side to an advantageous 2-0 lead at St Lucia. 

The hosts scalped six wickets in a span of 29 runs in the second match to bundle out the Aussie side for 140 in reply to West Indies’ 196/4.  

But this wasn’t the first instance when the team had produced an emphatic performance with the ball. The home side unveiled something similar in the first encounter when they stole away a win from the jaws of defeat, courtesy some fine work from the bowlers. 

The visitors were chasing 146 in 20 overs when the Caribbean bowling unit pushed them on the backfoot and picked up the last five wickets in a span of just 10 runs to bowl them out for 127. 

While the West Indies bowling setup is in incredible form, their middle-order showed some skills with the willow in the last outing. 

Shimron Hetmyer notched up a half-century while Andre Russell’s unbeaten 8-ball 24 that included a couple of sixes and as many boundaries to take on the Australian bowling help his side post a big total of the board. 

Australia, on the other side, are facing some issues with their form. The bowlers were able to restrict the opposition for a smaller total in the first clash but that changed in the second match, courtesy of Hetmyer and Russell’s onslaught and a responsible knock from the experienced Dwayne Bravo who was sent up the order. 

But the batting is much more a bigger concern for the team management at the moment. With the key players not in the side, the visiting team has been facing issues with the batting unit, especially the middle-order. 

Barring Mitchell Marsh, none of the batsmen have looked in the groove and with the series at stake now, the Australian think tank needs to fix the problems. 

Match Details

West Indies vs Australia, 3rd T20I

Venue: Daren Sammy National Cricket Stadium, Gros Islet, St Lucia

Date & Time: July 13th, at 5:00 AM IST and July 12th, at 7:30 PM Local Time

Live Streaming: Fan code

Pitch Report

The track at St Lucia seems to be a favourable one for the side that bats first. The ball comes easily on to the bat in the initial stage of the game while the pitch gets slower a bit as the game progresses. 

The instance of this was visible in the first two matches after West Indies defended the target successfully in both encounters. So, if you win the toss, bat first and post a big total on the board. 

Team News

West Indies: The home side is in some lethal form especially the way the bowlers have fared so far in the series. West Indies don’t really need to make many changes in the lineup. 

They didn’t really score many runs in the first match but turned the tables for themselves in the second with the bat. The presence of Hetmyer, Russell and Bravo in the ranks is a boon to the side. Overall, the Calypso team is in good form and is pretty steady at the moment. They should stick to the basics and what they have been doing so far.  

Australia: Australia are in all sorts of trouble at the moment. From leaking runs to batting failures to dropping catches, you name the issue and the Aaron Finch-led side is struggling with it. 

The batsmen need to get back in form, especially the middle and lower-middle order as their failure has been one of the major reasons for Australia’s unsuccessful run so far in the series. Apart from this, Finch’s form with the bat is also concerning and the skipper needs to end his run drought and should lead from the front. 

The bowlers have failed to restrict the opposition from scoring runs while they haven’t got any good help from the fielders either. The team management has a lot of work to do before the players take the field in the next match. 









Probable Playing XIs

West Indies

Andre Fletcher, Lendl Simmons, Chris Gayle, Shimron Hetmyer, Andre Russell, Nicholas Pooran (wk), Dwayne Bravo, Fabian Allen, Hayden Walsh, Sheldon Cottrell, Obed McCoy

Australia

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

Fantasy XI

Matthew Wade, Moises Henriques, Lendl Simmons, Aaron Finch, Shimron Hetmyer, Dwayne Bravo, Mitchell Marsh (c), Andre Russell (vc), Josh Hazlewood, Obed McCoy, Hayden Walsh

Discover more

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