Aussies wary of threat posed by Windies

Fresh off a one-day series sweep, Australia’s women are eagerly eyeing a new location and a switch to the T20I format. 

The Caribbean limited-overs action now moves to Barbados, where Australia will ramp up their preparations for the T20 World Cup on home soil next February and March.  

The Windies are traditionally a stronger T20I outfit than a 50-over one, as Australia learnt first-hand in the final of the 2016 T20 World Cup when they suffered an upset defeat to Stafanie Taylor’s team. 

The hosts are ranked fourth in the 20-over format, and despite Australia inflicting three heavy defeats on their rivals in the ODIs Australian captain Meg Lanning is expecting a tougher contest from the Windies in Barbados. 

"They’re very dangerous in the T20 format," Lanning said on Wednesday.  

"They showed at times in this ODI series that when they do get on the front foot, they are very dangerous. 

"We’re expecting good competition, we know we’ve got to play well.  

"We’ll have a day off and then we’ll get into T20 mode. We want to go out there and play attacking cricket.  

"We feel like we’ve got good variety with bat and ball, nothing changes for us, we want to win every time we go out there and that’s what we want to do." 

The series is the start of a T20 feast for Australia’s best players, who return home to play Sri Lanka in three 20-over internationals ahead of the first stand-alone edition of the Rebel WBBL in October. 

And after battling through oppressive heat and humidity through the last two daytime ODIs in Antigua, the Australian squad are also looking forward to making the switch to night matches. 

All three games at Kensington Oval will begin at 7pm local time, a factor that has spearhead Megan Schutt excited. 

"Hell yeah, the less time we spend in the heat the better, so I’m glad to get to that," Schutt said. 

Australia knocked the West Indies out of the 2018 T20 World Cup semi-finals last November in front of their home crowd in Antigua – something that still weighs on the minds of the hosts. 

"It would be nice to settle that score … we just have to try and focus on what we want from this and not too much on the Aussies," Windies skipper Taylor said ahead of the ODI series.  

The West Indies have yet to name their squad for the T20I matches, but the feeling among the Australian camp is the host will bring back at least some of the frontline players who missed the ODI series through injury. 

What remains to be seen is whether star allrounder, vice-captain and local Barbados hero Hayley Matthews will be recalled for the series after being sent home on the morning of the first ODI for disciplinary reasons. 

Cricket West Indies haven’t elaborated on the reason behind Matthews’ dismissal from the squad, with the matter referred on to their disciplinary tribunal. 

The Australian and West Indian squads flew to Barbados on Thursday for the three T20Is at Kensington Oval, beginning Saturday at 7pm local time (9am Sunday AEST). 

Fans in Australia, New Zealand and Papua New Guinea can stream the series live and free on cricket.com.au and the CA Live App, while fans elsewhere can watch on the West Indies Cricket YouTube channel. 

CommBank Tour of the West Indies

Australia squad: Meg Lanning (c), Rachael Haynes (vc), Erin Burns, Nicola Carey, Ashleigh Gardner, Heather Graham, Alyssa Healy, Jess Jonassen, Delissa Kimmince, Beth Mooney, Ellyse Perry, Megan Schutt, Tayla Vlaeminck, Georgia Wareham

West Indies ODI squad: Stafanie Taylor (c), Hayley Matthews (vc), Reniece Boyce, Afy Fletcher, Chinelle Henry, Shamilia Connell, Stacy Ann King, Natasha McLean, Kycia Knight, Kyshona Knight, Anisa Mohammed, Karishma Ramharack, Shabika Gajnabi

One-Day Internationals*
*ICC Women's Championship matches

First ODI: Australia won by 178 runs

Second ODI: Australia won by 151 runs

September 11: Third ODI, Australia won by eight wickets

Twenty20 Internationals

September 14: First T20I, Kensington Oval, Barbados

September 16: Second T20I, Kensington Oval, Barbados

September 18: Third T20I, Kensington Oval, Barbados