West Indies v Australia T20 series betting tips, preview 2021

Rupert McIntosh

July 9, 2021

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New Zealand v Australia betting tips - T20 World Cup prediction

Welcome to our betting preview of the West Indies-Australia series being played in the Caribbean in July as part of both teams’ warm-up for the Twenty20 World Cup in October in the UAE and Oman.

The West Indies are coming off a 3-2 loss in a five-match T20I series against South Africa, while Australia have not played international cricket since tackling New Zealand in April.

Australia will be fielding a new-look line-up with a string of first-choice players unavailable including ace batsman Steve Smith (elbow injury), opener David Warner and paceman Pat Cummins. All-rounders Glenn Maxwell and Marcus Stoinis, and pace bowlers Kane Richardson, Jhye Richardson and Daniel Sams were also not considered.

The Australians will have a line-up full of players keen to impress enough to lock up a spot in the World Cup, which was originally scheduled to be hosted in Australia in 2020 before Covid-19 intervened.

West Indies are ranked only ninth in the world in T20s by the ICC to Australia’s fifth, but they Windies are the reigning T20 world champs and have regained a string of familiar faces hoping to have one last crack at the T20 title, including the Master of the Universe himself, Chris Gayle.

The West Indies and Australia have not played in an ODI since the 2019 World Cup in England and in a T20 since the 2014 World Cup, so it’s hard to get a handle on how they will match up, though bookies have made Australia hot favourites to win the opening match and the series.

All five matches of the T20 series are to be played at Darren Sammy National Cricket Stadium, at Gros Islet, St Lucia, so players who do well early in the series could dominate all the way through.

Spinners are expected to be suited at St Lucia, as well as at Kensington Oval, Barbados, where all three ODIs are scheduled to be played.

West Indies v Australia limited-overs cricket schedule

T20 International series
July 9, 2021: 1st T20I, St Lucia, 7.30pm local time (9.30am, July 10 AEST)
July 10, 2021: 2nd T20I, St Lucia, 7.30pm local time (9.30am, July 11 AEST)
July 12, 2021: 3rd T20I, St Lucia, 7.30pm local time (9.30am, July 13 AEST)
July 14, 2021: 4th T20I, St Lucia, 7.30pm local time (9.30am, July 15 AEST)
July 16, 2021: 5th T20I, St Lucia, 7.30pm local time (9.30am, July 17 AEST)

One-day International series
July 20, 2021 | 1st ODI, Kensington Oval, Barbados, 2.30pm local time (4.30am, July 21 AEST)
July 22, 2021 | 2nd ODI, Kensington Oval, Barbados, 2.30pm local time (4.30am, July 23 AEST)
July 24, 2021 | 3rd ODI, Kensington Oval, Barbados, 2.30pm local time (4.30am, July 25 AEST)

West Indies v Australia T20 squads

West Indies: Kieron Pollard (c), Nicholas Pooran (vc), Fabian Allen, Dwayne Bravo, Sheldon Cottrell, Fidel Edwards, Andre Fletcher, Chris Gayle, Shimron Hetmyer, Jason Holder, Akeal Hosein, Evin Lewis, Obed McCoy, Andre Russell, Lendl Simmons, Kevin Sinclair, Oshane Thomas, Hayden Walsh Jr.

Australia: Aaron Finch (c), Ashton Agar, Wes Agar, Jason Behrendorff, Alex Carey, Dan Christian, Josh Hazlewood, Moises Henriques, Mitchell Marsh, Ben McDermott, Riley Meredith, Josh Philippe, Mitchell Starc, Mitchell Swepson, Ashton Turner, Andrew Tye, Matthew Wade, Adam Zampa. Reserves: Nathan Ellis, Tanveer Sangha.

West Indies v Australia T20 tips

Our cricket betting expert has examined the odds and found some value players to follow in this series:

West Indies’ Fabian Allen

Allen won’t be well known to Australian cricket fans but he is a serious talent. His left-arm spinners caused problems for the touring South Africans, while he is a dashing right-handed batsman who smashed five sixes in one quick-fire knock against the Proteas. He is one to follow in the leading wicket-taker and man of the match betting markets.

Check out the latest odds at Topsport!

Australian wicketkeeper/batsman Josh Philippe

The dashing Philippe has been the dominant player in the Big Bash League for the past couple of seasons and is busting to break out on the international scene. It’s worth checking final line-ups before each match because Australia will mix it up, but when Philippe is sent out to open the innings he can be explosive. He or Matthew Wade will be thrown the gloves and opening spot at various times through this series.

Bet now at Playup!

West Indies in the most sixes markets

No matter the opposition, the Windies have long been dominant at clubbing maximums, and the side they field in these eight matches will contain plenty of hitting power. They hit almost twice as many sixes as their opposition in the recent series against the Proteas and expect that to continue here with the likes of Gayle, Andre Fletcher and Kieron Pollard around.

Bet now at Topsport!