T20 World Cup, Australia vs WI: Preview, stats, and more
Australia and West Indies face each other in the Super 12 of the ICC T20 World Cup 2021 on Saturday. The match is set to be held in Abu Dhabi. Australia occupy the second position in Group 1 with a superior NRR over South Africa. A big win over a hapless Windies will be massive for Australia. Here's the match preview.
Key details about the match
The batters will enjoy the conditions early on and look to maximize in the powerplay overs. The pitch will slow down as the match progresses as spinners will come into play. The match will start at 3:30 PM IST at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium. One can watch the match live on the Star Sports Network and stream the same on Hotstar (paid subscription).
A look at the head-to-head record
The two teams have met on 16 occasions in T20Is. Australia have pocketed just six wins with Windies sealing 10 victories. The two teams have faced each other five times in the ICC T20 World Cup. West Indies have a 3-2 advantage. WI won in 2009, 2012, and 2014 respectively. Australia sealed wins in 2010 and 2012.
Australia will aim to be ruthless against West Indies
Australia will be aiming to get the job done in a ruthless manner versus the Windies, keeping in mind the NRR and South Africa's chances. After a dazzling win against Bangladesh, the Aussies would want to continue in the same vein. Australia have a sound bowling unit, led by Adam Zampa. With the bat, the Aussies have enough pedigree.
West Indies have been outplayed so far
Defending champions West Indies have been outplayed in the ongoing T20 World Cup. They have already exited the tournament and will look to play for pride. Despite having some of the leading T20 players, WI failed to offer any substance. Kieron Pollard has work to do as captain and make sure his side offers something. WI could suffer another defeat here.
A look at the top performers
Australian captain Aaron Finch has amassed 2,594 runs in T20Is at 37.05. David Warner (2,363) can become the second Australian batter with 2,400-plus runs. Chris Gayle, who has 405 runs against Australia, can get past 1,900 T20I runs (1,884). Zampa has 62 wickets in T20Is for Australia at 21.08. He can make a real impact alongside Mitchell Starc (57 scalps).
A look at the probable XI of both teams
Australia probable XI: David Warner, Aaron Finch (c), Steve Smith, Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis, Matthew Wade (wk), Ashton Agar, Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins, Adam Zampa, Josh Hazlewood West Indies probable XI: Evin Lewis, Chris Gayle, Roston Chase, Shimron Hetmyer, Nicholas Pooran (wk), Kieron Pollard (c), Andre Russell, Jason Holder, Ravi Rampaul, Akeal Hosein, Dwayne Bravo
