West Indies vs Australia, 1st ODI: Preview, predicted XIs, match prediction, live streaming, weather forecast, and pitch report

West Indies are gearing up to take on Australia in the opening match of the three-match ODI series on Wednesday (July 21).

Kensington Oval in Bridgetown, Barbados, will play host to the upcoming match. The two teams recently took part in a five-match T20I series, which saw the hosts triumph 4-1.

Had Andre Russell been able to hit one more boundary off Mitchell Starc in the last over of the fourth T20I, the home team would have rocketed to a 5-0 clean sweep.

The Aussies didn’t have quite a few of their big names for the tour, and the inexperience showed, especially in their batting department.

Their bowlers also had to bear the brunt of the West Indies batting, which is packed with power-hitters like Andre Russell, Evin Lewis and others. However, 50-over cricket is a different ballgame, and the Aussies will be looking to make amends.

In the ODI Super League points table, West Indies are languishing in ninth place with three wins and as many losses. The Aussies, on the contrary, are placed fourth with 40 points.

Australia, meanwhile, has endured a blow as Aaron Finch has been ruled out due to a knee injury. Alex Carey has been named the skipper in his place.

---

Match Details

Date: July 21, 2021 (Wednesday).

Time: 12:00 AM (IST) - July 21, and 06:30 PM (GMT) - July 20.

Venue: Kensington Oval, Bridgetown, Barbados.

---

Weather Report

There is a chance of rain around 12 AM, 5 AM and 1 PM, but the heavens may not open up during match time.

From 5 PM onwards, the sun will also be out. The temperature will be around the 28 degrees Celsius mark, with the humidity mostly in the 70s.

---

Pitch Report

Barbados has hosted 39 ODIs from 1985 to date, and the track at the venue has mostly been batting friendly. The average score in all ODIs at the ground is 250.

The team batting second has won 22 games, and hence, chasing should be the preferred option in the upcoming match.

---

Predicted XIs

West Indies

Kieron Pollard didn’t play any of the T20s against the Aussies due to a niggle. If he sits out, Nicholas Pooran may have a chance to lead in the 50-over format as well.

Shai Hope has had a torrid time of late in all forms of cricket, and he will be looking to get useful runs under his belt. The focus will also be on Evin Lewis, who has tasted quite a bit of success in white-ball cricket this year.

West Indies: Evin Lewis, Shai Hope (WK), Shimron Hetmyer, Darren Bravo/Roston Chase, Nicholas Pooran, Jason Mohammed/Kieron Pollard, Jason Holder, Fabian Allen, Alzarri Joseph, Akeal Hosein, Sheldon Cottrell

Australia

After a disappointing outing in the T20s, the Aussies will be desperate to turn their fortunes around. Mitchell Marsh was Australia’s standout batter in the T20Is, with three half-centuries, and he’ll be looking to carry the momentum.

Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood are likely to share the new ball. Adam Zampa has to take responsibility in the middle overs as he is a genuine wicket-taker.

Australia: Matthew Wade, Josh Philippe, Mitchell Marsh, Ashton Turner/Ben McDermott, Alex Carey (c & wk) Ashton Agar/Daniel Christian, Moises Henriques, Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, Andrew Tye, Adam Zampa

Match prediction

Australia should be able to cross the victory line in the first ODI. Although the hosts won the T20Is, their performance in ODIs over the last few years hasn’t been all that great.

---

TV and live streaming details

TV: No telecast in India

Live Streaming: Fancode