West Indies vs Ireland, 2020: 1st ODI, Preview – Visitors aim to punch above their weight against the Caribbeans

The first ODI of the year will be played between West Indies and Ireland. On this tour, Ireland will test themselves by playing three ODIs and as many T20Is against the Caribbean side. Ever since Kieron Pollard has taken over, there has been a drastic change in the way the West Indies have been playing their cricket. They’ve not just tried to be aggressive all the time but also added a sense of calm and maturity to their approach.

Their recent performance against India was quite splendid despite the loss in both T20Is and ODIs. These are the kind of performances that will lift them up as they look to build a strong side for the future. For the first two games of this ODI series against Ireland, the West Indies have made a few changes to their squad. They will like to give themselves the best opportunity in helping find the most desirable squad possible. A couple of players can be tested while the existing crop will want to prove their talent.

As far as Ireland is concerned, this is a great opportunity for them at the start of the year. With a change of captaincy in the 50-over format, they’d hope that the results will also be favourable. Their players will be eager to put on display the talent that they possess and will hope to make this a series worth remembering.

Team Combinations

West Indies

The absence of Jason Holder opens up a spot for one of the players. It should be Brandon King who is the most likely to make it to the final cut. This means that Roston Chase will be back batting lower down the order. The likes of Shimron Hetmyer, Nicholas Pooran and Kieron Pollard will be the key in the middle order. West Indies have to pick one player between Hayden Walsh and Khary Pierre.

Predicted XI: Shai Hope (wk), Evin Lewis, Brandon King, Shimron Hetmyer, Nicholas Pooran, Kieron Pollard (c), Roston Chase, Keemo Paul, Hayden Walsh/Khary Pierre, Alzarri Joseph, Sheldon Cottrell.

Ireland

Ireland has hinted about their eleven during the practice game. With his performance in the match, Gareth Delany might well make his ODI debut. Of what we’ve seen in that practice game, Ireland seemed to have lacked an additional bowling option. They will need to have someone like Andy McBrine as well in the XI to restrict a strong opposition batting line-up. Thus, Gary Wilson might sit out.

Predicted XI: Paul Stirling, Gareth Delany, Andrew Balbirnie (c), William Porterfield, Kevin O’Brien, Lorcan Tucker (wk), Simi Singh, Mark Adair, Barry McCarthy, Andy McBrine, Boyd Rankin.

Focus will be on

Brandon King (West Indies)

Brandon King has been in the reckoning for the ODI team for a while now. But the extreme competition has resulted in him in only warming the bench. He made his debut against Afghanistan last year. This is a wonderful opportunity for him to stake his claim at number three with some stellar performances. He looked good in the practice match where he scored 45 off 57 balls.

Andrew Balbirnie (Ireland)

Andrew Balbirnie will be leading Ireland for the first time in an ODI. This will be a massive moment for him and he will hope to inspire his troops to a victory. Moreover, his role with the bat will also be critical for his team. At three, he should look to play long innings and must get a big score on the board.

Head to Head

Matches – 9:  West Indies won – 7 | Ireland won – 1 | N/R – 1

Stat Attack

13 – The number of ducks Kieron Pollard has bagged in his ODI career. If he bags another duck, he will become the player with joint second-highest ducks for West Indies in ODIs.

Broadcast Details

TV – Sony Six, Sony Six HD

Live Streaming – Sony LIV

Match timings – 01:00 PM local time (10:30 PM IST) (05:00 PM UTC)