West Indies v Australia 1st ODI betting tips & odds – 20/7/2021

The first of three One Day Internationals between the West Indies and Australia is scheduled for Tuesday afternoon at Kensington Oval in Bridgetown, Barabados. BP’s cricket betting expert presents his best bets and match analysis for what will be just the second ODI between these two old rivals in the last five years.

West Indies v Australia 1st ODI match analysis

Coming off a 4-1 T20 series victory over Australia, the West Indies will head into the first ODI with plenty of confidence, although it will be a very different side competing in this three-match series. The Windies will welcome superstar allrounder Jason Holder back into the mix, whilst Shai Hope and captain Kieron Pollard are expected to play crucial roles throughout the series.

The West Indies have won three of their six ODI matches in 2021, most recently claiming a 3-0 series win over Sri Lanka in March. With the dynamic opening duo of Hope and Evin Lewis ably supported by a middle order of Darren Bravo, Nicholas Pooran, Pollard and Holder, the Australian bowling attack will certainly have their work cut out for them.

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The Aussies are set to play their first ODI since December last year, but it could be a long day for a line-up missing David Warner, Steve Smith, Marnus Labuschagne, Glenn Maxwell and Patrick Cummins. On the plus side, the visitors will have three first-choice ODI bowlers available for this contest with Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood and Adam Zampa all involved in this tour of the Caribbean.

Despite losing the T20 portion of the tour in devastating fashion, the one positive to come out of that series was the resurgence of Mitchell Marsh coming in at first drop. The much-maligned allrounder was Australia’s top runscorer in the series with 219 runs at an average of close to 44 from his five matches. With no Smith or Labuschagne to save Australia’s top order, perhaps it is Marsh who will be the one to steady the ship if need be.

West Indies v Australia 1st ODI betting predictions

Match result: Australia to win

Sports betting sites are having a tough time trying to split these two, but we are confident that this second-string Australian side can get back on the winners’ list in Barbados. For years Australian cricket teams have struggled in the shortest format, but they continually excel in the 50-over game. With experienced campaigners like Aaron Finch, Mitchell Marsh, Alex Carey, Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood and Adam Zampa all involved in this tour, there will be no excuses for a poor result on Tuesday.

Australia top wicket-taker: Mitchell Starc

It has been a fair fall from grace for Mitchell Starc in the past 18 months, but the big lefty is surely due for a bag of wickets. He has 184 wickets from 96 ODI’s, including 11 four-wicket hauls and seven five-wicket innings with an outstanding strike rate of a wicket every 27 balls. He is a huge threat during the first 10 overs when the ball is swinging, and his death-bowling is up there with the best in the world. Starc has an outstanding record against the Windies, with his 21 wickets coming at 13 runs apiece.