Last Updated on 2 months by Charbel Coorey

WI vs AUS 2nd T20 Dream11 Prediction Possible Playing 11 Pitch Report | WI vs AUS 2nd T20 Dream11 Prediction Today | West Indies vs Australia 2nd T20I Key Players | St Lucia Pitch Report

It had been a while since Australia played any international cricket. However, the glaring issues in their T20 batting remain despite some new faces. Faced with a seemingly easy scenario of 41 runs to win in 60 balls with six wickets in hand, Australia decided to put all common sense to the side and play as if they needed 141 runs. The shot selection was atrocious, as they surrendered the perfect opportunity to start their tour on the perfect note.

However, in Australia’s weakness we can see West Indies’ strength. Such is their depth that they can never been written off, and that applies not only to their bowling effort, but also the effort of Andre Russell with the bat. His 28-ball 51 took the Windies to a defendable total after Josh Hazlewood further pressed his claims for more games in T20Is with a superb powerplay bowling performance.

Now, the Windies have the chance to take a 2-0 series lead and build some momentum. After their series defeat to South Africa, and without the services of regular skipper Kieron Pollard in the opening game, a 2-0 series lead can build some great confidence with the T20 World Cup approaching.

Key Players to Watch/Key Stats

West Indies:

• Andre Russell struggled against South Africa (62 runs, avg. 15.50). He produced the goods yesterday after getting dropped early on, scoring 51 off 28 balls to rescue the Windies’ innings. He has now scored 133 runs in T20s on this ground at an average of 33.25 and superb strike rate of 211.11.
• Can Evin Lewis bounce back after a duck in the first T20I? He was recently West Indies’ leading run-scorer in the series vs South Africa (178, avg. 35.60, SR 160.36).
• Kieron Pollard missed the first T20I owing to a hamstring injury. If he is available, then Australia needs to watch out as Pollard has smashed 541 runs at an average of 90.17 and strike rate of 177.38 in T20s on this ground.
• How well is Obed McCoy going? The left-armer continues to bamboozle batsmen with his slower ball, which has resulted in 17 wickets in his last nine T20Is (including 4/26 yesterday). He has gone wicketless only once in these last nine matches.
• Hayden Walsh Jr enjoyed a very successful return to the Windies team. His 3/23 helped kickstart the Aussie collapse. Fabian Allen was also good with the ball (2/24), and produced some superb catching in the field.

Australia:

• Given Australia’s middle-order worries, Aaron Finch’s role becomes even more important. He scored just 4 (5) yesterday, so how he bounces back will be key for the Aussies.
• Matthew Wade was looking in superb touch (33 off 14 balls) before slapping one straight to deep point. Wade’s batting was all-the-more impressive given he usually struggles in T20 chases. When batting first, he has scored 1,946 runs at 36.72 (SR 149.12). When batting second, the numbers drop significantly to 18.02 and 118.09 respectively.
• Mitchell Marsh scored a fine 31-ball 51 yesterday (along with 2/26), but would have been disappointed to not finish the job for Australia. Marsh has been in fine form on this tour, with scores of 56 (28) and 31 (21) in the intra-squad matches before the first T20I.
• Josh Hazlewood was outstanding in the first T20I, producing figures of 3/12. During the powerplay, he took figures of 2/3 in three overs, including a maiden. It will be fascinating to see how the Windies batsmen respond.
• Ashton Agar has taken 19 wickets in 12 T20Is since the start of 2020, including two five-fors. He will be key in conditions that can assist spin, along with Adam Zampa. Both went wicketless in the first T20I, as did the struggling Mitchell Starc.

Also read: Twitter reactions to Australia’s shocking collapse

Stats and Facts

• Is Chris Gayle on borrowed time? The great T20 batsman has had a tough year in T20Is in 2021 (89 runs in eight innings, avg. 12.71 SR 94.68).
• Australia lost 6/19 yesterday to lose the match by 18 runs.
• West Indies have won their last four T20Is against Australia, going back to 2012.

Possible Playing 11

If Kieron Pollard isn’t fit for this game, then the Windies could go in with the same XI that won the first T20I.

West Indies: 1. Lendl Simmons, 2. Evin Lewis, 3. Chris Gayle, 4. Shimron Hetmyer, 5. Nicholas Pooran (c & wk), 6. Andre Russell, 7. Fabian Allen, 8. Dwayne Bravo, 9. Hayden Walsh Jr, 10. Obed McCoy, 11. Fidel Edwards

It was a shocker for Australia yesterday. They may give the same team a chance to redeem themselves.

Australia: 1. Aaron Finch (c), 2. Matthew Wade (wk), 3. Mitchell Marsh, 4. Josh Philippe, 5. Moises Henriques, 6. Ben McDermott, 7. Dan Christian, 8. Ashton Agar, 9. Mitchell Starc, 10. Adam Zampa, 11. Josh Hazlewood

Daren Sammy National Stadium St. Lucia Pitch Report and Weather

The surface looked a pretty decent one for batting, with poor strokeplay, rather than the pitch, the reason for the downfall of many batsmen. It remains to be seen if the same pitch is used for this match, but a decent batting pitch, with some help for the spinners (and slower balls) can be expected.

More windy conditions are forecast for this match, with some showers throughout the day. However, there shouldn’t be too much rain to affect the game significantly. The wind may see dew not play a factor.

Dream11 Prediction

Option 1:

Option 2:

Match Prediction

There is a sense of unpredictability in both teams at the moment, which makes this match a tough one to predict. The last five T20Is in West Indies have been won by the team batting first. Given both teams’ chasing worries, that trend could continue here.