AUS vs WI Team Previews

Australia

Australia has won the cricket world cup a record five times and even though it may not be the favorite this time around, no one can take it lightly. David Warner has been in brilliant form since his return to international cricket while Steve Smith is in good touch too.

This has meant that the batting problems being faced by Australia not too long ago are a thing of the past.

Going up against a talented but not extraordinary West Indian attack, we think the Australia batsmen will do very well. Warner, Finch, Smith, Khawaja, Maxwell, Stoinis, and Carey at number 7 is a long and powerful batting lineup.

The key players are obviously David Warner and Steve Smith but Aaron Finch is no less dangerous. Usman Khawaja has also been hitting ODI centuries with remarkable consistency, although, we are not sure if he is going to be replicate that for in the ICC World Cup 2019.

This match is being played at Trent Bridge where some massive scored well above 400 have been hit recently. The Australians certainly have the batting power to make such totals or to chase them down if needed.

The Aussies may not have more power than the West Indian lineup but they do have more pedigree and consistency.

The biggest difference between the two sides is going to be the bowling. The Australians have a very good bowling attack led by Mitchell Starc and Pat Cummins. These are two genuinely quick bowlers that are always searching for wickets. Nathan Coulter-Nile as the third seamer is not bad either.

Adam Zampa has been very effective in the middle overs while the presence of Glenn Maxwell and Marcus Stoinis in the provides two more bowling options to the Australians if needed.

There is no real weakness in this side and it is just a question of the players performing to their potential.

West Indies

West Indies lived up to its billing as the dark horse for this tournament by brushing aside Pakistan with ease. For a change, it was not it's powerful batting that took center stage but its bowling. Led by some fearsome short bowling by Andre Russell and Oshane Thomas, the West Indies used the short ball plan very effectively to stop the Pakistani batsmen in their tracks.

We are not sure how well the same kind of attack will work against Australia.

West Indies took a big risk by playing just three regular bowlers against Pakistan and then banking on the all-rounders to do the rest of the work. Jason Holder, Andre Russell, and Carlos Brathwaite are pretty decent bowlers so the idea of getting 20 overs from these three is not that far-fetched provided they remain fit.

This team selection also allows the West Indies to play a long and dangerous batting lineup.

Carlos Brathwaite is slated to bat at number 8 and he is certainly no slouch.

The long batting lineup allows players like Chris Gayle, Shimron Hetmyer, and Nicholas Pooran to play freely. The challenge for this entire lineup is going to be shot selection. The Australian bowling attack is a much better one than Pakistan and is going to ask difficult questions from the very first ball.

The West Indian players will need to take their time and get their eye in before going hard. They have the power in the side to be able to catch up later on thanks to Russell, Holder, and Brathwaite in the lower-order.

We have seen many times in the past that the Australian and West Indian players really go hard at each other. There is not too much love between these two sets of players and this can sometimes motivate the West Indian players even more.