West Indies have twice won the T20 World Cup but their halcyon days look to be behind them with a transitional period on the horizon if it hasn’t already begun. They head to Australia looking to show that they can still mix it with the very best and aim to walk off with the title for a third time. They bombed out in their title defence last year which means they have to enter in the first round this time around so they have it all to do to get their title back.
Profile
Captain: Nicholas Pooran
Previous Best: Winners 2012 & 2016
Best Odds: 33/1 Betfair
Key Players: Nicholas Pooran & Jason Holder
Group B Fixtures
Oct 17 vs Scotland at Hobart
Oct 19 vs Zimbabwe at Hobart
Oct 21 vs Ireland at Hobart
Squad
Nicholas Pooran (c), Rovman Powell, Yannic Cariah, Johnson Charles, Sheldon Cottrell, Jason Holder, Akeal Hosein, Alzarri Joseph, Brandon King, Evin Lewis, Kyle Mayers, Obed Mccoy, Raymon Reifer, Odean Smith, Shamarh Brooks.
Team Guide
West Indies have been synonymous with this format of the game for a decade or more. They had plenty of natural big hitters of the cricket ball and a wealth of canny spinners and good seamers who can hold their nerve under pressure at the end of the innings. Much of those senior players are now a thing of the past though and it is time for the 2022 class to show they can live up to what has gone before them. At the very least conditions here should suit them a lot better than in the UAE a year ago.
As a general rule West Indies have been best on flat pitches, ones where their batters can belt the ball out of the park and where the changes and variations that their bowlers have are most effective. Even though their personnel aren’t as strong as before, nothing has changed in terms of the game style they employ. It will be interesting to see they can utilise that strategy successfully on these Australian pitches which have a bit in them for the bowler.
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Betting
West Indies are one of those sides who it is tough to judge whether they are going to have three matches in this tournament or a minimum of eight. You would imagine it will be the latter but I don’t think anyone would be too surprised if it is the former. I’m kind of going to edge my bets and in case it is only three I’ll avoid taking Obed McCoy as the top West Indies bowler as I’m on him outright. I will take one in their batting market though.
Brandon King was the leading scorer in the CPL recently with 422 runs at 38.26 and in one of the warm up matches he confirmed his good form with 64. He has 401 runs in official T20 matches in 15 knocks this year so there is a lot to like about the man who is probably going to bat at number three but who could easily open the batting as he did in the CPL. King is a good bat foot player but he has a good technique too and I think that is important.
Tips
Back B.King Top West Indies Tournament Batter for a 1/10 stake at 5.00 with Betfair
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