West Indies have made the statement loud and clear that their performance against South Africa was no luck as they continued their tremendous form into the T20I series against mighty Australia. The visitors have been left stunned after WI completely dominated them in the first two matches.
The 3rd T20I of the 5-match series is once again set to take place at the very same venue as the first 2 matches that took place, Darren Sammy National Cricket Stadium in St. Lucia. The encounter now stands to be a must-win for the Men in green as a defeat here will see the West Indies take an impeccable 3-0 lead.
"One of my best innings for me was hitting quite well, it quite worked out, my role is to bat as deep as possible"
Hetymer after receiving the MOM award.
The Aussies seem to be struggling from the word go and their lack of match practice prior to this series has also been evident as the players have shown rustiness in their gameplay.
Can Australia bounce back to keep the series alive? Or will the spirited Windies make easy work of the Aussies and take an unassailable lead in the series?
Match Toss Time: 23:00 GMT (04:30 IST)
Match Start Time: 23:30 GMT (05:00 IST)
Match Venue: Darren Sammy National Cricket Stadium, Gros Islet, St Lucia
Head to Head
Matches Played: 13, West Indies: 8, Australia: 5
Weather Conditions
The conditions are well in favor of cricket as clear skies are expected throughout the course of the day. The temperature is reported to be hovering in the 30- 26 degrees Celsius range and the humidity at the peak is likely to touch the 71% mark. The wind speeds of around 30 km/h will be an added advantage to the pacers.
Pitch
The groudsmen have definitely done an amazing job in keeping the strip fresh. The last two encounters saw the ball come onto the bat well but the occasional low bounce has helped the slower bowlers gain control of proceedings.
The use of slower ones and cutters could be the vital factor between win and loss. The team winning the toss should be looking to bat first and any score above the 175 mark should find the chasing team in a spot of bother.
Team News
Kieron Pollard did not take the field in the first two matches and considering how well the hosts have been doing it would not be a surprise if the star all-rounder continues to hand Pooran the responsibility. West Indies suffer a huge blow in the form of the injury to veteran pacer Fidel Edwards and they are yet to confirm his availability for the upcoming clash.
Australia on the other hand have not reported any injury concerns but have a lot to do with the form of the players. With Ben McDermott not able to cash in the opportunity given to him, he is likely to be replaced by Alex Carey, who is vastly experienced in the international stage. Mitchell Starc has leaked 89 runs in his 8 overs so far in the series and for that reason, he could be replaced by Andrew Tye or Riley Meredith.
Probable Playing Xl
West Indies (WI): Lendl Simmons, Andre Fletcher/ Evin Lewis, Chris Gayle, Shimron Hetmyer, Nicholas Pooran (c & wk), Andre Russell, Fabian Allen, Dwayne Bravo, Hayden Walsh, Sheldon Cottrell, Obed McCoy/ Akeal Hossein
Australia (AUS): Matthew Wade (wk), Aaron Finch (c), Mitchell Marsh, Josh Philippe, Moises Henriques, Ben McDermott/ Alex Carey, Daniel Christian, Ashton Agar, Riley Meredith/ Andrew Tye, Adam Zampa, Josh Hazlewood
Must- Picks
Dwayne Bravo has been alter-going with his age as like the wine he has been brewing better with age. The all-rounder is a must-pick in your line-up because of his great form with both the bat and ball.
Mitchell Marsh and Andre Rusell too are expected to play an important role in the upcoming contest. In addition to these players, Shimron Hetymer could also bring great value to your fantasy set-up.
WI vs AUS fantasy team
Captain and Vice-captain picks
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