It’s time for a clash between the Caribbean calypso and the Aussie regimentation and if both team play to their full potential it should be a cracker of a competition.
In T-20 it’s never easy to predict a winner and when two more-or-less balanced teams come face-to-face in a knock-out situation there is more to just strength on paper.
West Indies surely must have kept an eye on the Pakistan-Australia match and their team management must have observed how the Aussies got strangulated by an overdose of quality spin.
With that scenario in mind West Indies will surely look up to Narine, Badree, Samuels to be the key in this crucial match.
The Australia-Pakistan match has also brought to the fore that if you can make early inroads in to the Aussie innings then you have a chance of taking them by the horns.
That is why David Hussey is so important for them in the middle-order. He has loads of experience of playing in sub-continent conditions, against good spinners and also has perfect idea about building an innings on wearing sub-continent pitches.
He can also be used as a spinner and his bowling can come handy for the team. Also the Aussie team management may think of using Mathew Wade higher up the order.
It’s surely packed right at the top but Wade at seven is surely struggling to come to terms. In T-20 at times it benefits to throw up something at the opponent for which they may not be ready.
Hafeez did that against Australia by bowling the spinners till the eighteenth over and Australia didn’t have any answer to that.
Shane Watson’s form will be crucial for Australia. He has had a good tournament so far both with bat and ball.
The Aussies might be feeling that it was good that Watson had an off-day with the bat the other day and will come out better against the Caribbeans in this must win game.
But I believe that the weak link for Australia will be the lack of quality slow bowlers and spinners except for Brad Hogg, as because if people like Gayle get going only pace can never be the answer to that.
West Indies can surely boast on that front with the likes of Narine, Badree, Samuels and if needed Gayle can also come to the party.
West Indies will be praying for a blitzkrieg from big man Gayle because if he gets going he can destroy any bowling that comes his way.
He is surely the best T-20 player in the world and with his newly developed ability to adopt and play in any given situation makes him the most desired T-20 player across the globe.
But the best thing for West Indies is that like Australia, they are not going to depend only on Gayle as Samuels, Bravo, Pollard, Russel, Charles can all come to the party any day. That makes them an exciting T-20 team and if on song can outplay any opponent on their day.
But they will have to make sure that they don’t play a batsman less as the Australians have wicket taking bowlers.