West Indies will begin their preparations for the forthcoming World Cup with an ODI tri-series in Ireland as the opening match of the series will see the hosts taking on the Windies at Clontarf Cricket Club Ground in Dublin on Sunday.
Ireland will make a fresh start in this tri-series after their home defeat to England in one-off ODI in Dublin on Friday. However, the Irish have some positives to take from defeat as their bowlers almost derailed strong England batting unit. There is plenty of experience in the top-order batting with the likes of William Porterfield, Paul Stirling, and Andy Balbirnie able to put up a competitive score while Kevin O'Brien and Gary Wilson will play a key role in the middle-order. The onus of giving early breakthroughs will be on Joshua Little, Tim Murtagh, and Boyd Rankin.
On the other hand, West Indies will miss half of their World Cup squad for this tri-series as they are playing in the Indian Premier League (IPL) with their respective franchises. So, in their absence West Indies might check the strength of their bench before the World Cup, with the youngsters like Shane Dowrich, Sunil Ambris, John Campbell and Raymon Reifer getting an opportunity to showcase their talent. The West Indies batting unit will depend mainly on Darren Bravo and Shai Hope at the top while Roston Chase and Jason Holder will look after the middle-order to score runs in bulk. Meanwhile, the pace
West Indies will begin their preparations for the forthcoming World Cup with an ODI tri-series in Ireland as the opening match of the series will see the hosts taking on the Windies at Clontarf Cricket Club Ground in Dublin on Sunday.
Ireland will make a fresh start in this tri-series after their home defeat to England in one-off ODI in Dublin on Friday. However, the Irish have some positives to take from defeat as their bowlers almost derailed strong England batting unit. There is plenty of experience in the top-order batting with the likes of William Porterfield, Paul Stirling, and Andy Balbirnie able to put up a competitive score while Kevin O'Brien and Gary Wilson will play a key role in the middle-order. The onus of giving early breakthroughs will be on Joshua Little, Tim Murtagh, and Boyd Rankin.
On the other hand, West Indies will miss half of their World Cup squad for this tri-series as they are playing in the Indian Premier League (IPL) with their respective franchises. So, in their absence West Indies might check the strength of their bench before the World Cup, with the youngsters like Shane Dowrich, Sunil Ambris, John Campbell and Raymon Reifer getting an opportunity to showcase their talent. The West Indies batting unit will depend mainly on Darren Bravo and Shai Hope at the top while Roston Chase and Jason Holder will look after the middle-order to score runs in bulk. Meanwhile, the pace attack will be led by Sheldon Cottrell, Kemar Roach and Shannon Gabriel.
Player Recommendations:
Wicket-Keeper: Shai Hope (10 credits)
The 25-year-old did not have a great outing in the ODI series against England in March this year where he scored just 115 runs in four matches but still, he is one of the key players for West Indies in the top-order where he has an average of 45.56 in 49 ODI matches.
Batsman: Darren Bravo (9 credits)
Bravo had a sub-par series against England in March this year where he scored just 133 runs in four innings at an average of 44.33. He made great starts with the bat, but couldn't able to convert in to big scores. However, this series will be a great chance for him to get some quality match practice as the condition suits his batting style.
All-Rounder: George Dockrell (8.5 credits)
The 26-year-old has been in great form from the past to months where he shone with the ball against Afghanistan with eight wickets in five matches. Although he went wicket-less against England in Friday's encounter, he did manage to score 24 runs with the bat. He will be hoping to show a great performance against West Indies.
Bowler: Joshua Little (8 credits)
Little had an excellent ODI debut against England on Friday where he troubled experienced England's batting unit with the ball in hand where he picked four wickets in his spell. The 19-year-old will be hoping to replicate his performance against the West Indies.
Captain: Darren Bravo
Vice-Captain: Paul Stirling
Predicted Playing XI:
Ireland: William Porterfield (C), Paul Stirling, Andy Balbirnie, Lorcan Tucker, Kevin O'Brien, Gary Wilson (WK), George Dockrell, Mark Richard Adair, Tim Murtagh, Joshua Little, Boyd Rankin
West Indies: John Campbell, Shai Hope (WK), Jonathan Carter, Darren Bravo, Roston Chase, Sunil Ambris, Jason Holder, Ashley Nurse, Kemar Roach, Sheldon Cottrell, Shannon Gabriel
