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The third T20I of the five-match series will take place at Daren Sammy National Cricket Stadium in St Lucia on Tuesday on July 13.
The West Indies will take on Australia in the third match of the series at St. Lucia after winning the first two games quite comprehensively. The match will be a do or die situation for Australia, who will be desperate to keep the series alive.
The T20 World Cup preparations seem to be on the right path for the Windies, who are trying different combinations almost every game. The defending T20 World champions have made a great comeback to lead Australia 2-0 after losing the series against South Africa by 2-3.
In the first T20I, West Indies bowlers made an incredible turnaround to bowl the visitors out when they needed 37 off 58 with six wickets in hand. The hosts showed their true batting potential in the following game and hammered 196/4 in 20 overs, eventually winning by 56 runs.
The Aussies are in a complete mess with plenty of their main players opting out of the tour and the management unable to find the right balance. Their batting unit, in particular, has looked like a Trainwreck, with most of the batters playing out of position. Aaron Finch’s men need to get their act together asap if they are to bounce back in the series.
Key Players
Arguably the most valuable T20 player, Andre Russel has rediscovered his form after an awful IPL season. The all-rounder scored a magnificent 51 off 28 in the first match against Australia and followed it up with a quick-fire 24* off 8 balls. He also returned with figures of 1 for 22 in three overs in the second game. Russell has over 5000 runs to his name in T20 cricket at an astonishing strike rate of 174 while also picking 250+ wickets.
Dwayne Bravo, the veteran all-rounder has adapted incredibly well over the years to continue to make an impact. Bravo has done remarkably well since his comeback to the West Indies team ahead of the South Africa series. He was the top wicket-taker of the series against SA with 10 wickets from five games at an average of 13.10. Bravo has carried that form over in this series and is fresh off a 34-ball-47* knock in the last game, including three sixes. In international T20s, Bravo has 73 wickets at an economy of 8.16 and over 1200 runs to his name.
Shimron Hetmyer has been touted as one of the best middle-order batters in white-ball cricket, especially T20s. In his short career, Hetmyer has shown his immense talent in the leagues around the world. He played an unfamiliar role of a finisher for Delhi Capitals in IPL and pretty much aced it. Coming back into the West Indies side, he’s slowly finding his best and coming fresh off a terrific knock of 61 off 36 in the second match against Aussies. While he still has a long way to go in international T20s, his record in domestic T20 cricket is outstanding, scoring over 1200 runs at an average of 28.2 and strike rate of 137.7.
Mitchell Marsh, the Australian all-rounder has been in the scheme of things for the team for years but has never been a permanent member. Marsh has suffered a lot due to countless injury issues and poor form. However, on this tour, he’s about the only thing that’s going right for the Aussies. Batting in the top order, Marsh has made the most of the opportunity by scoring two back to back half-centuries. He smashed 51 off 31 in the first match while scoring 54 off 42 in the second. With most of the batting unit in tatters, Australia will need Mitch Marsh to continue his good form.
Prediction
The rivalry between Australia and the West Indies has always been a heated one. West Indies hold an edge over the Aussies with 8 victories out of 13 meetings between the two. They have also beaten Australia in all of the last five clashes.
Apart from the track record not being in their favour, Australia have looked below average in both bowling and batting departments. With the pitch getting worn out, it’s hard to see their batters getting back in form magically. Playing with second-string XI and no experience on their side, Australia will need an extraordinary performance to turn things around.
The West Indies, on the other hand, have looked like a well-oiled machine. Their batting is coming into its own while the bowlers have done a terrific job. Expect West Indies to continue their dominance over Australia and take a 3-0 unassailable lead in the series.
