The West Indies will close out their tour of Australia with a three-match T20 series starting on Friday in Hobart, ahead of the upcoming World Cup.
Australia will be boasting a squad stacked with big international names and BBL talent, so the visitors will have to be at their best at Blundstone Arena.
Josh Nevett takes a close look at the contest with his free preview and cricket betting tips below.
Australia vs West Indies 1st T20 Preview & Betting Tips
Blundstone Arena, Hobart, Friday February 9th, 7:00pm (AEDT)
Squads
Australia: Mitchell Marsh (c), Sean Abbott, Jason Behrendorff, Tim David, Nathan Ellis, Aaron Hardie, Josh Hazlewood, Josh Inglis, Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis, Matthew Wade, David Warner, Adam Zampa, Spencer Johnson
West Indies: Rovman Powell (c), Shai Hope, Johnson Charles, Roston Chase, Jason Holder, Akeal Hosein, Alzarri Joseph, Brandon King, Kyle Mayers, Gudakesh Motie, Nicholas Pooran, Andre Russell, Sherfane Rutherford, Romario Shepherd, Oshane Thomas
Match Preview
Australia were far too good for the Windies in the ODIs, completing a 3-0 clean sweep, but the squads for this T20 series are more different than similar.
Mitch Marsh, Jason Behrendorff, Glenn Maxwell and David Warner lead the list of inclusions for the home side, while Rovman Powell, Akeil Hosein, Nicholas Pooran and Andre Russell are more than handy additions for the travelling team.
As such, we have to assess this series without paying too much attention to what happened in the 50-over fixtures.
Australia’s most recent T20 fixtures were against India in November – that series was won 4-1 by India, although Australia rested several key players after their ODI World Cup triumph.
On the other hand, the West Indies are coming off consecutive T20 series victories over England and India, so they are in top form.
Powell and Pooran have been the main men with bat in hand, while Andre Russell is back to his best and Romario Shepherd has been a consistent threat with the ball.
Each of those men should take to the field on Friday, so I actually expect the Windies to be very competitive.
While Glenn Maxwell adds massive X-Factor to the Australian team, I’m backing the visitors to go 1-0 up.
West Indies to Win
$3.25 (1 Unit)
Prop Bets
Russell has experienced a renaissance in recent times, performing well in the T20 format for franchises and country. The big hitter has produced three 40+ scores in Abu Dhabi, and should clear the rope at least once on Friday.
Player to Hit 1+ Sixes – Andre Russell $1.90 (Ladbrokes)
Behrendorff took 16 wickets in BBL13, the sixth most of any player, and he has been at the top of his game for a while. The left-armer’s pace and swing will likely bring a couple of batsmen undone in Hobart.
To Take 2+ Wickets – Jason Behrendorff $1.90 (Ladbrokes)
