Australia v West Indies – ICC World Twenty20 2012 (Group B) – Match Preview [Part 1]
Following the Australia v Ireland clash, the competition in the ICC World Twenty20 2012’s Group B gets more intense as Australia and the West Indies prepare to battle it out in the 8th match of the tournament, due to be played at the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo today on September 22.
Australia appeared an unsettled side prior to the commencement of the tournament, having come directly from a T20I defeat at the hands of Pakistan in the UAE, with their T20I ranking having slipped lower down on the ICC’s list.
However, the team reaffirmed their reputation as a force to be reckoned with after maintaining a firm, dominant stance throughout their first World T20 match against famed giant-killers Ireland, who were forced to succumb to a 7-wicket defeat at the hands of the Aussies.
The West Indies, however, have come into the tournament branded with the tag of favourites. Long considered among the weaker sides, the Windies have been struggling on the international stage for a prolonged period of time.
However, recent performances have indicated an upward progression, and the team has begun to display a competitiveness and fighting spirit which they had been lacking for a long time. Their most recent series, prior to the World T20 were played against New Zealand, and saw the Windies winning the T20I series 2-0, the ODI series 4-1, and the Test series 2-0.
Since then, they have gone on to lose their first World T20 warm-up match against Sri Lanka (by 9 wickets), but won the second against http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Afghanistan-c745 (by 8 wickets).
Going into the match, both Australia and the West Indies appear evenly matched, and the game could turn in either team’s favour – their last clash in the T20 format saw both teams finishing a 2-match series on a 1-1 draw in the Caribbean during March this year.
The match provides Australia the chance to cement a spot in the Super Eights stage of the tournament (already having defeated Ireland), while the Windies will also be looking to get a good headstart with a victory over Australia, instead of dumping all the pressure on their match against http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Ireland-c751.
The Windies are famed for having a great mix of made-for-T20 players, but are inconsistent as a team and fail to fire on a regular basis. If the team aims to lift the cup at the end of the World T20, slip-ups cannot be allowed at any stage of the tournament.
The West Indies boast a powerful batting line-up, with http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Bangladesh-c747 Premier Leagues, the 33-year-old is a veteran of 23 T20Is (with 757 runs to his credit) and 110 T20s (4110 runs with 8 centuries and 28 half-tons). The Aussie bowlers will be aiming to restrict Gayle to a low score, and get him out early in order to keep the Windies under control.
Gayle is likely to be joined at the top by http://www.senore.com/Cricket/DM-Bravo-c1386.
http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Zimbabwe-c3045 in 2010.
The Windies have plenty of pace options, in the form of http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Sunil-Philip-Narine-c91869 is likely to feature as a key figure for the team.
The young mystery off-spinner was the most successful bowler during this year’s Indian Premier League, and in his short career spanning 41 matches in the T20 format, he has already claimed 60 scalps. He was also recently awarded the http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Mickey-Arthur-c1969 has stated that the team’s chances at success rely on their ability to tackle Narine effectively.
“He's always going to be a factor, like Ajmal for http://www.senore.com/Cricket/West-Indies-c760 where it turned massively.”
Sammy might consider playing a second spinner, in which case leg-spinner http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Samuel-Badree-c88341 is likely to find himself in the playing XI. The 31-year-old’s success in the format can be gauged by the fact that he holds the record for the best career economy rate in T20s - 4.59.
Overall, the Windies’ boast a promising line-up, with the potential to upset the Aussies easily if they can manage to bring their act together and deliver a concentrated performance.
Continued in Part 2 ...
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