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The cricket schedule is tight and players are not having time to breathe in between the series. West Indies had to play 5 T20I matches all in only 8 days. They played against India in the T20I series and lost 1-4 series. New Zealand comes into play after winning Ireland, Scotlands, and the Netherlands in their previous play in the T20I series.
West Indies Preview
West Indies were bowled out for 132 & 100 in the last 2 T20I matches against India. Shimron Hetmyer looked in good touch scoring 56 runs off 35 runs in the last match. Brandon King and Kyle Mayers played some good cameos but were not consistent with the bat. Rovman Powell, Nicholas Pooran, and Devon Thomas had a forgetful tour with the bat and will look to score some runs in this series.
Obed McCoy was their few bright spots in the series as his 6-wicket haul helped them win the lone match. Jason Holder and Alzarri Joseph were taken for a lot of runs but took 5 wickets each in the match. Akeal Hossain was their most consistent player in this series picking 4 wickets at an economy rate of 5.75 RPO. Dominic Drakes and Keemo Paul will look to make their mark with the ball in this match.
Key players to bet on: Akeal Hossain, Nicholas Pooran, Kyle Mayers
West Indies Predicted Playing XI:
Brandon King, Kyle Mayers, Nicholas Pooran (c), Shimron Hetmyer, Devon Thomas (wk), Rovman Powell, Dominic Drakes, Jason Holder, Akeal Hosein, Alzarri Joseph, Obed McCoy
New Zealand Preview
New Zealand has announced a full-strength squad for the Caribbean tour and will be led by Kane Williamson. Martin Guptill and Tom Latham are expected to pair up at the top with the likes of Devon Conway, James Neesham, Daryl Mitchell, and Mitchell Santner expected to aid their skipper in the middle order effectively.
Trent Boult, Tim Southee, and Lockie Ferguson will form their pace trio in the starting XI in this match with Matt Henry waiting in the ranks. Spinners Ish Sodhi and Mitchell Santner will slot themselves in the playing XI in this match looking at West Indies’ spin weakness. James Neesham and Daryl Mitchell can give overs if needed in the middle overs effectively.
Key players: Surya Kumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya, Arshdeep Singh
New Zealand Predicted Playing XI:
Kane Williamson (c), Martin Guptill, Tom Latham, Devon Conway, James Neesham, Daryl Mitchell, Mitchell Santner, Trent Boult, Tim Southee, Lockie Ferguson, Ish Sodhi
Weather Conditions
Kingston will have a bright and breezy climate on match day with just 10% chances of rain as per the weather forecasters.
Venue Details
Sabina Park will be fresh and green with the ball coming onto the bat nicely as this is the first match to be played here in a long time. We expect the scores to be 170-180 runs in this match.
Toss: To Bowl
Chasing teams seem to hold an upper hand in the T20I matches off late and we expect both captains to bowl first if they win the toss
Winning Prediction
New Zealand has a strong batting line-up but they might miss the coordination as they never were rested for the recent series. Their bowling unit has been on a roll and will look to continue their good work in this match too. West Indies batting relies too heavily on their openers and they are struggling to maintain the scoring rate in the middle overs. We expect New Zealand to win this match owing to their recent form and momentum.
NEW ZEALAND will win the match.
