West Indies are up against an in-form, marauding New Zealand in match number 29 of the ICC World Cup 2019. The Kiwis are on a roll, decimating every opponent on the way and are now placed comfortably at the top of the table. The excellence of their bowlers coupled with the genius of Kane Williamson have given them several victories, sometimes from perilious positions.
The bowlers, led by the ever-threatening Trent Boult, have done a fabulous job in restricting opponents to below-par scores. Matt Henry's performances have forced the Kiwi management to keep someone like Tim Southee out of the starting eleven. Colin de Grandhomme has played the role of support bowler to perfection till now and Mitchell Santner has refused to give opposition batsmen any room to score runs with his left arm spin.
The batsmen though need to step up and start firing as the bulk of the responsibility to score runs has been shared by Ross Taylor and the consistent Williamson. The latter especially has dragged his team out of difficult positions, notably in the last match against South Africa where he guided his team home with an unbeaten hundred. The openers especially, need to score big to ease the pressure on the middle order.
West Indies have not enjoyed a good run at the World Cup so far despite moments of brilliance. Their bowlers Oshane Thomas and Sheldon Cottrell have deployed short ball tactics well in the early stages of matches, but the bowling unit has lost its way in the middle and death overs on a consistent basis. Their spin department also looks shaky. Shannon Gabriel is a mere shadow of his test bowling self and captain Jason Holder has lacked sting in his bowling.
Their batting has blown hot and cold. Though they scored 321 against Bangladesh, it was evidently below par on a flat deck. Shai Hope has been their main scorer but he is accumulating runs at a low strike rate. Chris Gayle is yet to hit his maverick best and the rest of the batsmen has failed to carry the team to the mammoth scores expected. Against a New Zealand bowling attack that is performing at top gear, the West Indies batting needs to step up and deliver.
Match time: 3 PM (IST)
Where to watch:
Star Sports 1, Star Sports 1 HD, Star Sports 1 Hindi, Star Sports 1 HD Hindi, Star Sports 1 Tamil, Star Sports 1 Telugu, Star Sports 1 Kannada, Star Sports 1 Bangla
Team news: Colin Munro's poor recent form can open the door for Henry Nicholls to come into the starting eleven. For West Indies, Carlos Brathwaite may slot back in.
Pitch report: In the last ODI at the Old Trafford ground, England hammered Afghanistan to post a total of 397. So, both teams will look to win the toss and post a big score on the board.
Weather report: The conditions are expected to remain bright and sunny and the temperature will hover around 9-15 degrees Celcius.
Probable XIs:
West Indies: Evin Lewis, Chris Gayle, Shai Hope (wk), Darren Bravo, Shimron Hetmyer, Nicholas Pooran, Andre Russell, Carlos Brathwaite, Jason Holder (c), Oshane Thomas. Sheldon Cottrell, Ashley Nurse
New Zealand: Martin Guptill, Colin Munro, Kane Williamson (c), Ross Taylor, Colin de Grandhomme, Tom Latham (wk), Jimmy Neesham, Mitchell Santner, Trent Boult, Matt Henry, Lockie Ferguson
Betting Odds: According to Oddschecker, West Indies 7/5, New Zealand 4/6
