Australia v West Indies First T20 Tips: Windies have a chance in the chase

• Windies value in chase

• Joseph top bowler chance

• Hobart pitch tricky

Australia v West Indies
Friday 8 February, 08.00
TV: Live on TNTSports

Australia v West Indies First T20 team news

Travis Head and Josh Hazlewood are returned to the squad for the start of the series. Davi Warner is also available as the hosts try to figure their best batting combination.

Josh Inglis, Steve Smith, Matthew Wade, Tim David, Aaron Hardie and a fit-again Glenn Maxwell give them a plethora of options. Mitch Marsh leads so he should bat at No 3.

Possible XI: Head, Warner, M Marsh, Smith, Inglis, Maxwell, Wade, Abbott, Behrendorff, Hazlewood, Zampa

West Indies are bolstered by arrivals from the ILT20. Rovman Powell, the skip, Andre Russell, Akeal Hosein and Nic Pooran add much-needed quality after they were blown away in the ODI series.

Possible XI: King, Charles, Pooran, Hope, Powell, Russell, Shepherd, Holder, Akeal, A Joseph, Motie

Australia v West Indies First T20 pitch report

In the last 17 T20s at Hoart 160 or more has been busted only seven times. With heavy skies expected to greet the teams for the contest, there will be plenty planning a short of West indies runs given their struggles in the ODI series. Anything in the low 160s should prove popular.

Australia v West Indies First T20 match odds

Could the planets come into line for an upset with West indies at 3.55/2? Make no mistake, this is by their strongest suit.

The key is the toss. There's a 65% bias for the chaser in the last 17 at the venue and both these teams prefer to bat second. West Indies have won eight from 118 in the last two years and Australia five from ten.

It's not an overwhelming margin for the visitors but it's enough to consider that they should be a little shorter if the flip goes their way.

Australia v West Indies First T20 player bets

Alzarri Joseph has eight wins in his last 19 (two years) for top West indies bowler. Sportsbook's 3/14.00 rates a wager, then.

For the batters, Brandon King and Glenn Maxwell are two-year win-rate value at 4/15.00 and 9/25.50. King gives us 3% and Maxwell almost 7%. As ever with the latter we're not entirely sure where he'll bat but he's not been lower than No 5 for four years for Australia.

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