Hosts West Indies take on Australia in the first T20 of the 5-match series at the Darren Sammy National Stadium in Saint Lucia on Friday evening. 

West Indies lost the recently-concluded 5-match T20I series by 2-3 against South Africa, after suffering a 25-run defeat in the deciding match. The world champions will be under pressure to perform against Australia. The management has continued with the same set of players that played against South Africa as they continue their preparation for the upcoming T20 World Cup. The batters scored well in patches in the previous series but need to make significant improvements here. The bowlers looked in better form against the Proteas and are expected to trouble the less-experienced Australian batters.

Australia are back to playing international cricket after a gap of more than four months. Although without a number of their key white-ball cricket stars, there are still plenty of big names to call upon from the impressive amount of depth within the team. The absence of David Warner, Marcus Stoinis, Glenn Maxwell, Kane Richardson and Pat Cummins will allow the less-experienced guys a chance to shine. Much will depend on the left-arm pace of Mitchell Starc as he leads the bowling attack, along with spinners Zampa and Ashton Agar.

Although the home side might start the series as slight favorites, the visitors are more than capable of giving a tough fight. With a number of superstars present on both sides, an entertaining game of T20 cricket awaits at the Darren Sammy Stadium.

Match Details

• Match: West Indies vs. Australia, 1st T20
• Venue: Daren Sammy National Stadium, Saint Lucia
• Date & Time: Jul. 10, 2021, at 5 AM IST/7:30 PM Local

Probable Playing XI

West Indies

Lendl Simmons, Evin Lewis, Chris Gayle, Shimron Hetmyer, Andre Russell, Nicholas Pooran (C & WK), Fabian Allen, Dwayne Bravo, Obed McCoy, Fidel Edwards, Hayden Walsh Jr. 

Australia

Aaron Finch (C), Matt Wade (WK), Josh Philippe, Mitchell Marsh, Moises Henriques, Ben McDermott, Daniel Christian, Ashton Agar, Mitchell Starc, Adam Zampa, Josh Hazlewood

Weather and Pitch Report

The weather is expected to be mostly clear in St. Lucia during the match. The temperature will be around 27 degrees during the game.

The pitch at the Darren Sammy Stadium has been a good batting wicket. While the pacers will get some movement early, the batters will be able to play their shots with ease. As the match progresses, the spinners are expected to play a big role with the slowness of the surface coming into play. The average first-innings score in the five T20Is played here has been 156 runs.

Given the recent record at this venue and this being a day/night game, expect the captain winning the toss to opt to field first. A first-innings score of around 170 runs can be a competitive one on this surface.

Top Fantasy Picks

West Indies

• Evin Lewis was the leading run scorer for the West Indies in the series against South Africa. He scored 178 runs in five matches at an average of 35.6 and a strike rate of 160.36, including 2 half centuries. Expect him to go hard at the top of the order.
• Andre Russell's return to the national team was not up to the mark as he struggled with both bat and ball in the T20I series against South Africa. He scored only 62 runs and took 4 wickets in five matches. He will be eager to give a big performance in this match.
• Obed McCoy was impressive with the ball for the West Indies against South Africa. He finished as the second-highest wicket taker in the series, with 9 wickets in five matches at an economy of 7.05 and best figures of 4 for 22. He will look to continue his good form against Australia.

Australia

• Aaron Finch returned to form after struggling for runs in the initial few matches of the series in New Zealand. He is the most experienced player in the current squad, having made 2346 runs in 71 matches at an average of 38.45 and a strike rate of 152.14. 
• Ashton Agar will be a key with the ball for Australia as spin is expected to play a central role in this match and the series. He bowls at a flatter trajectory and generally beats the batters with variations in speed. He took 8 wickets in the last five T20Is, with best figures of 6 for 30.
• Mitchell Starc is one of Australia’s premium bowlers. His left-arm sling action at pace troubles the batters in all formats of the game. He has taken 47 wickets in his 35-match T20I career and is in good form coming into this series.

Howzat Dream Team

• Wicketkeeper: M Wade
• Batsmen: L Simmons, E Lewis, S Hetmyer, A Finch
• All-rounders: A Russell, A Agar, M Marsh
• Bowlers: O McCoy, D Bravo, M Starc

• Captain: E Lewis/O McCoy
• Vice Captain: M Marsh/A Agar

NOTE: The Howzat dream team above is just a suggestion. You can make your fantasy 11 and play fantasy cricket matches. Also, don’t forget to make any necessary changes to your team once the actual playing 11 is announced by each team (30 minutes before the start of the match) as some players you have selected might not be part of the team suggested.

Get fantasy cricket tips on your favorite fantasy sports app and select your own team, Howzat!