Last Updated on 4 years by Charbel Coorey

WI vs SL 1st ODI Dream11 Prediction Possible Playing 11 Pitch Report | WI vs SL 1st ODI Dream11 Prediction Today | West Indies vs Sri Lanka 1st ODI Key Players | Antigua Pitch Report

After one of the most enthralling T20I series in recent memory, attention turns to an ODI series between two sides looking to make improvements in a format they have played little of in recent years. And, important ODI Super League points are up for grabs.

Both West Indies and Sri Lanka have been mostly involved in Test and T20I formats over the past 12 months, which makes this ODI series a battle of shaking off the rust. And, given how aggressive the batsmen looked to be in the T20Is, this series could be anything.

Sri Lanka’s last assignment was a year ago, where they swept West Indies 3-0 in home conditions. For the West Indies, they were taken apart 3-0 in Bangladesh earlier this year, but the side they’ll field today will be vastly different to the inexperienced one that toured the subcontinent.

To paint a picture of how little they’ve played, West Indies have played just 18 ODIs since the 2019 World Cup. Sri Lanka have played even less (8), so how quickly these teams hit their groove will be interesting to see.

Key Players to Watch/Key Stats

West Indies:

• Shai Hope scored three 50+ scores (including a century) in the 2020 series vs Sri Lanka (3 inns, 238 runs, avg. 79.33). He averages 52.20 in 78 ODIs.
• Darren Bravo has the most runs vs Sri Lanka of any current West Indian player (11 ins, 349 runs, avg. 31.72). The key will be building on a modest average.
• Nicholas Pooran, who had a quiet T20I series, has a good ODI record vs Sri Lanka (4 inns, 210 runs, avg. 52.50, 1 50, 1 100).
• Jason Holder has taken 14 wickets in nine ODIs vs Sri Lanka. Fabian Allen was player of the match in the last T20I, and scored a 32-ball 51 vs Sri Lanka in the 2019 World Cup.
• Alzarri Joseph had a superb series against Sri Lanka last year. He took 10 wickets in three ODIs.

Sri Lanka:

• Dimuth Karunaratne will be key at the top for Sri Lanka. He has played just four ODIs vs West Indies (129 runs, avg. 32.25), but has a solid record as captain to date: 14 inns, 493 runs, avg. 37.92, SR 76.55.
• The experience of Dinesh Chandimal and Angelo Mathews will be key for Sri Lanka. Matthews has a solid enough record vs WI that he can build on (9 inns, 205 runs, avg. 34.16, SR 93.60).
• Wanindu Hasaranga had a dream T20I series, where the Windies batsmen could not get a hold of him. He took 3/12, 3/17 and 2/13. It will be interesting to see if he can transfer this form to ODIs.

Stats and Facts

• Sri Lanka beat West Indies 3-0 in 2020. In fact, Sri Lanka have won eight of their past nine ODIs against West Indies since 2015.
• Only Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli have scored more ODI runs than Shai Hope since 2018. In this period, Hope has struck 3,102 runs at 61.02.
• Interestingly, Kieron Pollard has an awful batting record vs Sri Lanka. He averages just 9.42 against them in eight ODIs. Can he improve on that here?
• Angelo Mathews had a poor series vs West Indies in 2020 (3 inns, 18 runs, avg. 6.00).

Possible Playing 11

West Indies: 1. Shai Hope (wk), 2. Evin Lewis, 3. Darren Bravo, 4. Kyle Mayers, 5. Nicholas Pooran, 6. Kieron Pollard (c), 7. Jason Holder, 8. Romario Shepherd, 9. Fabian Allen, 10. Akeal Hosein/Kevin Sinclair, 11. Alzarri Joseph

Sri Lanka: 1 Dimuth Karunaratne (c), 2. Danushka Gunathilaka, 3. Pathum Nissanka, 4. Dinesh Chandimal, 5. Angelo Mathews, 6. Niroshan Dickwella (wk), 7. Thisara Perera, 8. Wanindu Hasaranga, 9. Lakshan Sandakan/Akila Dananjaya, 10. Dushmantha Chameera, 11. Nuwan Pradeep

Sir Vivian Richards Stadium North Sound Antigua Pitch Report and Weather

There have been no ODIs at this ground in 2017. In that year, there were three ODIs, with the team batting first winning twice. The average first innings score was 257.33.

Some showers are forecast throughout the day, but there should be a result.

Also read: How England missed a huge opportunity vs India

Dream11 Prediction

Option 1:

Option 2:

Match Prediction

Sri Lanka have an excellent recent record vs West Indies. However, with key experience and talent in the Windies squad, as well as key Sri Lankan absentees, West Indies start as favourites for victory.

Thanks for reading!