AUS vs WI 2nd T20 Match Prediction

AUS vs WI Team Previews

Australia

Australia is hard to beat on home soil in any cricket format, but the West Indies proved that it’s possible to chip away at the tough façade.

Not that Australia won by luck at all, as captain Aaron Finch was just superb in chasing down 146 runs for the win. Finch made 58 runs from 53 balls, but he had a lot of help from keeper Matthew Wade’s 39 from 29, not out.

With Steve Smith left out of the side to focus on upcoming games against England, there was a notable lack of experience and calmness in the top order.

Plus, Glenn Maxwell and Tim David’s zero runs put a lot of pressure on the lower order, but a win is a win.

We saw excellent bowling from Josh Hazlewood, in particular, who took three wickets for 35 runs. Spin bowling was a bit ineffective, as Adam Zampa got thumped for 21 runs without a wicket.

West Indies

Could the West Indies have held on to a win? Absolutely, but sloppy fielding and dropped catches gave Australia too many chances to pounce on the victory.

We loved what we saw from opener Kyle Mayers, who made 39 runs from 36 balls (5 fours and 1 six), but it wasn’t really until the lower order that the team got a bit more help.

Odean Smith’s 27 and Jason Holder’s 13 runs were much needed, but we can see at least Mayers picking up a 50 in the second T20.

With the ball, Alzarri Joseph shined by taking two wickets and only giving up 17 runs from four overs. Some better fielding in round 2 and there’s no reason why the West Indies can’t take the second game.

The visiting side has not been in Australia for six years, and has won only one game in any format against Australia since 1997, that being a T20 victory in 2013.

With the first match jitters out of the way, the visitors will feel more confident and prepared for the second match.