Australia host West Indies for a quickfire series ahead of the T20 World Cup.
The West Indies haven’t had a lot of cricket and this will be a very important series for them on the road to the World Cup.
Australia vs West Indies | First T20I | Wednesday 5 October 2022 | Metricon Stadium, Gold Coast | 10:10
Australia
Australia have brought out their big guns for this series although we might still see some experimentation.
Aaron Finch’s captaincy stint might be drawing to a close and he will be determined to go out on a high with the defence of their World Cup.
Expectations of a home win will be high which naturally brings pressure of a different sort for Australia.
Unlike before their last tilt at the world title Australia are now an established power in the format and are big time favourites for this match and the series.
West Indies
The West Indies need big efforts from their batters with Australia capable of winning the game with ball in hand.
Brandon King and Evin Lewis have a lot of work to do in the powerplay but they could be the men who engineer an upset.
Question marks hang over the captaincy of Nicholas Pooran particularly his use of bowlers and tactics in the field.
Akeal Hosein is a bowler who could just come good with left-arm spinners now coming into fashion in the format.
Verdict: Australia
The hosts should win this match.
