WI Women vs Aus Women 3rd T20I: Who’s More Dangerous at Arnos Vale?

Although the Australian team has already claimed the Three Match Series, they will face off against a competitive West Indies side that has managed to turn what was expected to be an uninspired match into a thrilling contest. The final match of the series, the Australian Women’s T20I series against the West Indian Women, has become an intense duel despite Australia already claiming the series championship title. Having scored the same number of runs in each match, 164, the third match of the series between the Australian Women’s cricket team and the West Indian Women’s cricket team will be viewed by all players as an opportunity to showcase their talents rather than simply another game in a series.

In addition, A few facts that support this premise include the fact that scoring teams generally perform better than chasing teams; and the fact that chases become problematic when the ball loses its speed and the spinners can maintain a relatively high number of bounces.

If you add in the fact that both Australia (WI Women v AUS Women T20 3) and WI (WI Women v AUS Women T20 3) have demonstrated that they can control the middle overs while applying a variety of spin and clever pace-based approaches, it is evident that the middle overs are the most important timeframe for scoring during these series, for any team scoring more than their opponents in the first three overs are likely to score near identical to the other team, while maintaining lanes of scoring evenly distributed between those three overs.

There are many examples of this during this series, including that Australia has made 164 runs during both games; and, on both occasions West Indies have had to play catch-up to Australia because of how they were forced to apply spin pressure through the middle overs.

Australia’s Threats Include Big Run Production, Spin-Hitting, and Clean Roles.

Starting at the location on this “threat map” that allows Australia to generate big runs quickly; as was shown in the first game when Beth Mooney’s 79 came from 55 balls and provided Australia with momentum after a slow start, which helped create a solid scoring opportunity, thanks to Ellyse Perry. In game two, Georgia Voll successfully opened the powerplay by scoring 39 runs in 23 balls and Perry’s ability to keep the score above the rate during the late stages of the run chase.

Both of these are significant reasons for why the WI Women v AUS Women 3rd T20I may be viewed as a match dominated by the Australian side based on how they have often had at least 2-3 scoring options available should one or more of their top batsmen struggle.Voll has proved himself capable of coming out and scoring quickly while Mooney can withstand sustained attacks, while Perry is able to alter her hitting style drastically without relying on “ideal pitches” to execute huge runs. In addition to being able to bat as above, Voll, Mooney and Perry also have one other common characteristic; all three are exceptional bowlers.

From a bowling perspective, Alana King is Australia’s “go-to” bowler during the series; i.e. she has taken the most wickets during the series and also has maintained the best bowling figures in the opening match and second match (combined)!

In the opening match she took 3 for 14, and converted a moderately challenging chase into a slow but systematic climb through the run chase. In the second game she took 2 for 25, while her most critical wickets were those of Matthews (caught by Molineux) and Taylor (stumped by Mooney). The fact that Georgia Wareham was able to deliver such excellent control through the air and mountainous, teetering deliveries also assists in Australia being able to replicate two spin overs in the same time without losing their momentum.

Athletic fielding and baseball intelligence make up an essential third aspect of Australia’s game. When they dropped catches in the first game yet still won (very convincingly), that demonstrates their lowest bar is still high. If they tighten up their catching, then the West Indies will need to take their best swings in order to be able to compete.

Whereas the West Indies have a concentrated danger, Arnos Vale is a perfect venue for our chase to be “within striking distance.”

Matthews is a huge key to success for the West Indies when she is successful and batting deep into the innings; she is capable of elevating the entire team’s performance and elevating the team as a contender to any country. Her 56 (off 41 balls) in game #2 featured 7 fours and 3 sixes, and Australia was forced to defend every possible boundary.

Dottin will be a factor in the batting. She is still one of the fastest hitters to have amassed a two-over game impacting victory at the women’s level and still in the WBBL format.The unbeaten score of 39 runs in just 28 balls posted by her in the second examination kept alive the hopes of the West Indies until the very last over. Those fans that have been following her in the WPL would attest to her ability to turn lengths into a pick-up. With Stafanie Taylor in the line-up, the West Indies are to be feared for another reason, the fact that she controls her innings. Although she had only scored 28 runs in the first inspection and 22 runs in the second, her ability to keep pace with her batting partners (Matthews and Dottin) means they are not under pressure to hit every ball. This is important because when you are facing a pitch where every single dot ball you face can be the difference between winning or losing, having the ability to have someone like Taylor on your side to create runs through calmness is crucial.

The West Indies bowlers are more dangerous than their final result would indicate. The numbers that Deandra Dottin put up in the first game of 3/35 showed that she can pitch the ball hard. In the second game, wickets were shared among Karishma Ramharack, Matthews, Jahzara Claxton, Afy Fletcher, and Dottin. When a bowling attack takes wickets from multiple sources, it raises the ceiling for the entire team.

Deciding who wins the 3rd T20I will depend heavily on the matchups.

The key component to a successful evening for Australia is the powerplay, commonly corresponding with a score of between 45 and 55 at the 6-over mark. In order for the West Indies to have any chance of winning, they have to win at least one early matchup between their new ball attack and Australia’s top two batsmen. If Laura Voll finds room on the off side, she will be able to hit those extra-cover boundaries all night. If Beth Mooney is at 20 runs after 15 balls, she tends to take that innings to a much larger total.

Aaliyah Alleyne and Chinelle Henry will be essential to the West Indies’ chances of success with the new ball.In bowling, a wicket is not the only goal for a bowler. They need to create pressure on batsmen to hit to the longest pockets and to limit the first six runs in a match to no more than 45 – 46. If they do this successfully, Fletcher and Ramharack can take the opportunity to create aggressive fields, as opposed to conservative fields.

The middle overs of an ODI fixture have been owned by Australia. King and Wareham have made the scoring process so tedious, and without Matthews being at the crease for the West Indies, they would have struggled to keep up with the run rate while chasing. The best strategy for the West Indies in the middle overs would be to have a left-right batting combination, and be aggressive with their sweeps and late cuts, rather than being reliant on slogging.

For the Australians, the biggest danger in the match will be Dottin at the end of the innings. If Darcie Brown is slightly off with her yorkers, she will give up runs at the death. Similarly, if a bowler is using slow-cutters that hang in the air, it is likely that those deliveries will also go for boundaries. The best option for the Australians when bowling at the death is to provide variation of the type of balls being bowled and cover the square boundaries as much as possible. Their strong ground fielding capability should be a big part of their plans.

The Dead Rubber and Selection Pressure

Australia has the luxury of being able to experiment at the moment because they have already won the ODI series (2-0). The outcome of the next match may have a significant impact on the matchup for the remaining matches in the series, and therefore it will also be an opportunity for Australia to be even more aggressive in their approach as this opens up specialist roles.

For example, if Megan Schutt is included in the squad, the Australians will have a better strategic plan with regard to swinging their pace bowlers in the powerplay overs and attacking the stumps of the West Indian batsmen. On the other hand, if Ashleigh Gardner is included, the Australians will have two elite power hitters and additional options for spin bowling to match up against West Indies batsmen.

However, there is a counterpunch to the positive points above. Rotation of the team can disrupt a players’ rhythm. Communication and timing around one another’s bowling plans can slip when a side turns three, four, or more players in and out and/or over the course of a game, and this instance would be something the West Indies would want as a matter of course if they want to keep Australia below 155 and still be able to chase with Matthews as of the 10th over.

The West Indies questions around selection will revolve around their search for the additional 10 percent of performance around their stars. Qiana Joseph has provided the West Indies with a great launching pad to succeed as a team this season, however, her run-out in the second match did impact the West Indies chase. As the innings progresses, as the ball begins to slow, Shemaine Campbelle’s impact will become vital; she is the individual responsible for keeping the innings alive as the spinners take control.

If the West Indies add a bench batter or an additional seamer to their lineup, the sole rationale for doing so should be to do either one of two things: either reduce the dot ball count during the chase or provide an additional wicket-taking option during the powerplay. On the Arnos Vale pitch, there is little room for error as per passive overs.

At Arnos Vale, Which Side has the Better & Dangerous Squad Right Now?

At this point in time, I believe that the Australians can be classed as the more dangerous squad. I believe that the Australians have more layers to their threats than the West Indies, and that they can get to 160 in numerous different ways. Furthermore, when it comes to defending a total of 160, the Australians can do it with a two-pronged spin attack that will help to control the most critical overs of the innings. To date, the 164 on the Arnos Vale pitch has been proven to be a repeatable number, not a one-off anomaly.With the most devastating individual firepower in Women’s T20 cricket, the West Indies can keep their hopes up in a match even when not running on all cylinders. The combination of Matthews and Dottin is a potent one, capable of completely ruining any template an opponent may have, and Taylor is one of the best in the World at reading a chase. However, West Indies’ explosive ability is much more dependent on getting two or three of their big guns firing together than it is on one player doing it alone. The last two games have demonstrated how challenging that is against Australia’s spin and fielding pressure.

From an Indian perspective watching at 4 AM IST on the 24th of March, the interesting angle of watching both teams will be how they approach this last match before switching to one-day format. Australia will be looking to sharpen up their roles for the upcoming World Cup, while the West Indies will be hoping for a complete 20-over performance that matches up to their individual talents.

Australians scored 164 in both matches

Australians scored 164 in both matches, which shows that they have a “dangerous” team because they can reproduce the same scores on this pitch.

Alana King has been the control point for Australia in this series: in the first match King took 3 for 14 and in the second match she took 2 for 25 with two vital wickets of Matthews and Taylor.

The West Indies’ best batting template showed up in the second match: Matthews scored 56 off 41 balls and Dottin scored 39 not out off 28 balls and they carried their hopes deep into the innings of a 165-run chase.

The battle for powerplay runs will be the biggest factor. Australia scored 54 runs in the first six overs of the second T20I. The West Indies cannot afford another poor start.

Overall

The WI women vs Aus women 3rd T20I is a battle between West Indies’ top-end power and Australia’s depth and ability to apply pressure repetitively. At Arnos Vale, the middle overs are usually where a match is won or lost and therefore Australasia’s depth in spin and batting flexibility makes it a more dangerous team.

The West Indies have a chance of stealing this match if Matthews gets some support early in the innings and their bowlers are able to put the ball on the stumps in the first six overs. If all of that comes together, then the series will be decided, and they won’t have a quiet night in Kingstown.