West Indies v Australia, 2nd Twenty20, Bridgetown
West Indies aim for big improvement
The Preview by Brydon Coverdale
March 29, 2012
http://www.espncricinfo.com/west-indies-v-australia-2012/content/current/story/559252.html
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Kieron Pollard made a 20-ball half-century on Tuesday but ran out of time to add much more to his score © AFP
Teams: Australia | West Indies
March 30, Kensington Oval
Start time 1400 (1800 GMT)
Big Picture
The first Twenty20 on Tuesday was one of the most one-sided matches of the tour so far. Australia kept West Indies to 150 and then chased down the target with 11 balls to spare and eight wickets in hand, which by T20 standards is a trouncing. West Indies have responded by dropping Darren Bravo, who was scratchy, but what they really need from their top order is fewer dot balls and more turning over of the strike. A few more boundaries wouldn't hurt either. If Johnson Charles gets going he can be dangerous but two of the most destructive batsmen in West Indies' order, Kieron Pollard and Darren Sammy, often bat too low to have a serious impact. They need to work out their batting order and ensure that too much is not left for the last few overs.
There was a lot to like about Australia's performance on Tuesday, from the death bowling of Shane Watson and Brett Lee to the century stand between Watson and Michael Hussey, who complemented each other perfectly. Under George Bailey, this side is starting to find its feet. Brad Hogg would likely be in Australia's best XI - he was rotated out of this tour to give Xavier Doherty and Nathan Lyon a chance - but otherwise expect a very similar side to this outfit when Australia play their first match of the World T20 in Sri Lanka later this year. For now, the aim is to win the series 2-0 after the drawn ODI series.
Form guide
(Most recent first)
West Indies LLWLL
Australia WLWLW
In the spotlight
It was hard to believe that Kieron Pollard's fifty on Tuesday was his first in a T20 international. Part of the reason is that he has often batted down the order, and West Indies might wish to give him more time in the middle after his brutal display in St Lucia, where he raced to a 20-ball half-century, the quickest ever by a West Indian in a T20 international. The more time he has at the crease the faster the match could be dragged out of Australia's grasp.
Michael Hussey helped Australia to victory with an unbeaten 59 batting at No.3 on Tuesday, and it was his first T20 international in nearly two years. Often he had been rested before or after a big Test and one-day tour, and he remains a key to Australia's chances in the ICC World T20 later this year. His poise and precision placement make him a valuable batsman in this format and playing at first drop allows him to have significant influence.
Team news
West Indies have dropped Darren Bravo and the allrounder Andre Russell is unavailable due to a minor hamstring strain, while Danza Hyatt has been included in the squad. Fidel Edwards should come into consideration on his home ground, where there should be some pace in the pitch.
West Indies (possible) 1 Johnson Charles, 2 Dwayne Smith, 3 Nkrumah Bonner, 4 Danza Hyatt, 5 Kieron Pollard, 6 Dwayne Bravo, 7 Darren Sammy (capt), 8 Carlton Baugh (wk), 9 Fidel Edwards, 10 Krishmar Santokie, 11 Sunil Narine.
Australia have confirmed an unchanged side for the second T20.
Australia 1 David Warner, 2 Shane Watson, 3 Michael Hussey, 4 George Bailey (capt), 5 David Hussey, 6 Matthew Wade (wk), 7 Daniel Christian, 8 Brett Lee, 9 James Pattinson, 10 Clint McKay, 11 Xavier Doherty.
Pitch and conditions
This is the first match at Kensington Oval on this tour and the pitch is expected to be an excellent batting surface with some pace in it.
Stats and trivia
- Due to their schedule at the ICC World Twenty20 in 2010, Australia have played more Twenty20s (5) at Kensington Oval than West Indies (3)
- The toss can be important at this venue, with nine of the 12 T20s played there having been won by the team that batted first
Quotes
"We'll just be doing exactly what we did last game. We addressed our death bowling at the end of the one-day fixture and I think we did that really well [on Tuesday]."
Matthew Wade