ICC World Cup 2019 – Match 10: AUS vs WI – Windies Predicted Playing XI

Windies greeted Pakistan with a barrage of bouncers in their opening encounter. The opposition had no answers to the pace attack of the Caribbean team and succumbed in the worst possible way. The two-time champions chased the target of 106 down in just 13.4 overs which makes their NRR best in the tournament at the moment.

Another stern challenge awaits for Windies as they are set to face Australia in their next encounter. They yet again seemingly are looking to deploy the short-ball against the Kangaroos and will be keen on having another win under their belt. The Windies line-up looks settled and they might not make any changes just in their second game.

Here is the Predicted Playing XI for Australia:

Openers (Chris Gayle, Shai Hope (wk))

In the last five ODI innings that he played, Windies opener Chris Gayle has been unbelievable. He hit three fifties and two centuries reds in these outings accumulating a total of 474 runs. In his final World Cup, Chris Gayle will look to give his all in against Australia. The left-hander just averages 27 against Australia and will look to finish off on a good note in what could be his last game against this opposition.

Shai Hope will keep wickets for the Windies and will open the innings alongside Gayle. He has been one of the most consistent players for the side and should anchor the innings. Most of the other batsmen in the team are fairly aggressive and it should be Hope who should hold things together. With Gayle at the other end, he will have the freedom to get his eye in early in the innings.

Middle Order (Darren Bravo, Nicholas Pooran, Shimron Hetmyer)

Darren Bravo’s form is a massive concern for the Windies. He hasn’t been able to get the big scores and is in the middle of a terrible run. In the last 5 ODI matches, the left-hander only scored 27 runs which is quite concerning. Bravo could get another opportunity before the management takes a call on him.

Nicholas Pooran and Shimron Hetmyer will be the two other batsmen in the middle order. Although not highly experienced, they have got immense talent and potential. On their day, they have the ability to blow oppositions apart and could be absolutely destructive. Pooran did well against Pakistan where he scored 34 runs off just 19 balls. It will be interesting to see how they handle the pressure in the upcoming match.

All Rounders (Andre Russell, Jason Holder (c), Carlos Brathwaite)

It was Andre Russell who initiated the Pakistan collapse in the previous game. He seemed to have a slight concern with his hamstring in the last match. But he should be able to pull through for this game and has had a decent amount of break. The all-rounder has been destructive with the bat and is a huge asset for his team.

Jason Holder has done well with his captaincy. He adds depth to the batting line-up and makes valuable contributions with the bat. The skipper also opens the bowling for his team and will look to test the Australian openers. Carlos Brathwaite will hold onto his place in the team and is doing a fair job with the ball. He is expected to finish the innings for his team with some aggressive batting.

Bowlers (Ashley Nurse, Sheldon Cottrell, Oshane Thomas)

Ashley Nurse in the lone spinner in this attack. He bowls economical spells and is expected to keep things tight in the middle overs. He wasn’t handed over the ball against Pakistan as only 21.4 overs were bowled in the innings. Sheldon Cottrell, on the other hand, did a decent job in the four overs that he bowled. He was lucky to have dismissed Imam-ul-Haq early on but it is still a wicket nonetheless. Cotrell gave away just 18 runs.

Oshane Thomas was absolutely unstoppable in the previous encounter. He bowled quick, at a good pace and hurried the Pakistan batsmen. The pacer picked up four wickets in the match and will want to emulate a similar performance against Australia as well.