Australia and the West Indies will jump into a new ODI World Cup cycle with refreshed squads, with Manuka Oval ready and willing to play host to a potential series decider on Tuesday night.
Series facts
Schedule:
February 2: MCG, 2.30pm AEDT
February 4: SCG, 2.30pm AEDT
February 6: Manuka Oval, Canberra 2.30pm AEDT
How to watch: Every ball of the series is live and exclusive to Fox Cricket and Kayo Sports. Tickets are available here, plus you can listen live on ABC Sport, Triple M and SEN radio
Live scores, highlights, news and reactions after the match: cricket.com.au and the CA Live app
Form guide
Past 10 matches, most recent first. W: win, L: loss, T: tie
Australia: WWWWWWWWWL
Australia were going through a wretched run in the ODI arena with series losses to South Africa and India and a slow start at the World Cup, before the team in green and gold hit their stride. Pat Cummins' side galvanised to win nine matches in a row which included the World Cup final, a seven-wicket win over India in front of a 93,000-strong partisan crowd in Ahmedabad.
West Indies: WLWLWLLWLT
The Windies were noticeably absent from the 2023 ODI World Cup after failing to qualify after four years of sub-par results in the format. However some promising signs emerged in their most recent series in December, where they defeated England 2-1 in a one-day series at home.
Series squads
Australia: Steve Smith (c), Travis Head (vc), Sean Abbott, Xavier Bartlett, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Cameron Green, Aaron Hardie, Josh Inglis, Marnus Labuschagne, Lance Morris, Matt Short, Will Sutherland, Adam Zampa
With four uncapped players – Xavier Bartlett, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Lance Morris and Will Sutherland – in the squad, we will be seeing some debutants for Australia. Six World Cup winners are missing from the squad and Steve Smith will take the reins in Pat Cummins' absence.
Sutherland latest bolter to join Aussie one-day squad
West Indies: Shai Hope (c), Alzarri Joseph, Alick Athanaze, Teddy Bishop, Keacy Carty, Roston Chase, Matthew Forde, Justin Greaves, Kavem Hodge, Tevin Imlach, Gudakesh Motie, Kjorn Ottley, Romario Shepherd, Oshane Thomas, Hayden Walsh Jr.
West Indies also have a couple of uncapped players in their squad, wicketkeeper Tevin Imlach and top-order batter Teddy Bishop. There's a lot more inexperience in this squad too, with Shai Hope (122 ODIs) and Alzarri Joseph (67 ODIs) the only players with over 50 ODIs to their name.
Players to watch
Travis Head has become a must-watch cricketer, as highlighted by his centuries in the World Test Championship and ODI World Cup finals. He has shone particularly bright in the one-day game and is now one of the first picked for Australia in the format.
Hayden Walsh Jnr is a match-winning leg-spinner who gives the ball a big rip and brings great personality as well. He took 5-39 when the sides met in Bridgetown in the first ODI in 2021. Captain Shai Hope is a bit of an emigna - he has one of the best ODI averages of all current players (51.32) but just hasn't been able to nail it any of the other formats. He will love batting in Australian conditions and is a huge chance to add to his 16 ODIs hundreds on this tour.
Head-to-head
Overall: Australia (76 wins), West Indies (61 wins), tied (3), no result (3)
Past 10 years: Australia (6 wins), West Indies (2 wins)
In Australia: Australia (41 wins), West Indies (35 wins), tied (1), no result (3)
Most runs: Desmond Haynes (2262), Viv Richards (2187), Brian Lara (1853), Mark Waugh (1708), Allan Border (1546)
Most wickets: Craig McDermott (63), Curtly Ambrose (61), Joel Garner (54), Michael Holding (52), Shane Warne (50)
Rapid stats
- Australia have won 12 of their last 14 men's ODIs against West Indies, including a six-wicket victory in their most recent meeting (July 26, 2021).
- Australia have lost each of their last two multi-game bilateral men's ODI series (1-2 v India and 2-3 v South Africa – both in September 2023). The last time they lost more such series in succession was a span of six from February 2017 to January 2019.
- West Indies defeated England 2-1 in their most recent multi-game bilateral men's ODI series (December 2023) and they will be aiming for back-to-back wins in such series for the first time since December 2007.
- Australia defeated England by 221 runs in their most recent men's ODI at the MCG (November 22, 2022), snapping a three-match losing run at the venue and they'll will be aiming for back-to-back wins in the format at the MCG for the first time since December 2016 (nine consecutive wins).
- Australia have made a strong connection on 15 per cent of their balls faced in men's ODIs since the beginning of 2023, the highest rate of any Test playing country in that time and three percentage points more than West Indies (12 per cent).
- Australia (42.3) and West Indies (42) have the highest bowling averages during the powerplay of any Test playing countries in men's ODIs since the beginning of 2023.
- Marnus Labuschagne (49) is one away from reaching 50 appearances for Australia in men's ODIs. He scored an unbeaten half-century in last year's World Cup final in his most recent innings in the format (58 not out v India – November 19, 2023).
- Shai Hope (16) is one away from equalling Desmond Haynes (17) for the third most hundreds for West Indies in men's ODIs. He's scored six centuries in the format since the beginning of May 2022 with only Virat Kohli (seven for India) logging more in that time.
- Roston Chase (West Indies) has a batting good connection rate of 79.5 per cent from 156 balls faced in men's ODIs since the beginning of 2023, the third best of any player (minimum 90 balls faced) from a Test playing country in that time (Babar Azam – 80.8 per cent of 1258 balls faced for Pakistan and Shubman Gill – 80.2 per cent of 1502 balls faced for India).
What's on the line?
At the start of a new ODI World Cup cycle, it's a great chance for new players to establish themselves in the highly successful Australian one-day set up.
Oh, and they're playing for this brilliant piece of silverware, the Dettol ODI Series trophy.
Men's Dettol ODI Series v West Indies
February 2: MCG, 2.30pm AEDT
February 4: SCG, 2.30pm AEDT
February 6: Manuka Oval, Canberra 2.30pm AEDT
Australia ODI squad: Steve Smith (c), Travis Head (vc), Sean Abbott, Xavier Bartlett, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Cameron Green, Aaron Hardie, Josh Inglis, Marnus Labuschagne, Lance Morris, Matt Short, Will Sutherland, Adam Zampa
West Indies ODI squad: Shai Hope (c), Alzarri Joseph, Alick Athanaze, Teddy Bishop, Keacy Carty, Roston Chase, Matthew Forde, Justin Greaves, Kavem Hodge, Tevin Imlach, Gudakesh Motie, Kjorn Ottley, Romario Shepherd, Oshane Thomas, Hayden Walsh Jr.
Men's Dettol T20I Series v West Indies
February 9: Blundstone Arena, Hobart 7.00pm AEDT
February 11: Adelaide Oval, 7pm AEDT
February 13: Perth Stadium, 7pm AEDT
Australia T20I squad: Mitchell Marsh (c), Sean Abbott, Jason Behrendorff, Tim David, Nathan Ellis, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Glenn Maxwell, Matt Short, Marcus Stoinis, Matthew Wade, David Warner, Adam Zampa
West Indies T20I squad: Rovman Powell (c), Shai Hope, Johnson Charles, Roston Chase, Jason Holder, Akeal Hosein, Alzarri Joseph, Brandon King, Kyle Mayers, Gudakesh Motie, Nicholas Pooran, Andre Russell, Sherfane Rutherford, Romario Shepherd, Oshane Thomas
Article originally published on cricket.com.au