Australia elect to bowl, Pollard ruled out of first T20

West Indies will be without skipper Kieron Pollard for their series-opening T20 against Australia due to a hamstring injury, with Nicholas Pooran stepping in for the veteran allrounder.

Aussie captain Aaron Finch won the toss and elected to bowl first in the first of five T20 Internationals being played at St Lucia's Daren Sammy Cricket Ground.  

Scorecard: West Indies v Australia, first T20

Pooran sprung a surprise when he walked out to do the toss, with the explosive wicketkeeper-batsman explaining at the toss that Pollard is injured.

A Cricket West Indies spokesperson confirmed to cricket.com.au that Pollard was suffering from a hamstring issue, adding that the regular skipper had been "sidelined with a slight niggle but recovering well and should be available soon".

Pollard had admitted on match eve that the recent T20 series against South Africa, which saw all five games squeezed into the space of a week, had taken a toll on him.

The veteran had appeared to injure his hamstring during that series.

"It has been tough for us over the last couple of games playing five games in seven days, that's going to take a toll on you physically," he said. "It took a toll on me physically in that last game.

"For me, I'm fighting it, doing the necessary things to give myself the best opportunity (to play)."

The five T20s against Australia will also be played within seven days, with the first two and last two games both being played on consecutive days.

The Aussies have opted against a three-spinner strategy, with Test star Josh Hazlewood getting the nod for the final place in the visitor's XI.

Hazlewood plays ahead of leg-spinner Mitchell Swepson, who is hopeful of featuring alongside spin twins Ashton Agar and Adam Zampa at some stage on this tour.

Dan Christian is making a long-awaited return to international cricket, four years after his last game for Australia, while Mitch Marsh will bat at No.3 in a middle-order also featuring Ben McDermott, Josh Philippe and Moises Henriques.

Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis, Jhye Richardson, Kane Richardson and Riley Meredith are the omissions from Australia's last T20 in March, a 2-3 series-sealing defeat to New Zealand in Wellington.

Of those five, only Meredith has made the Windies trip, while Steve Smith (elbow injury), David Warner, Pat Cummins and Daniel Sams (bubble fatigue) are also all unavailable.

Eager to make amends for their 2-3 series loss to South Africa in Grenada, the Windies have named a side possessing vast experience in the shortest format and a few grey hairs.

Pooran captains an XI featuring Chris Gayle (41), Fidel Edwards (39), Dwayne Bravo (37) and Lendl Simmons (36).

Young batting tyros Shimron Hemtyer and Pooran provide middle-order class.

Christian has earnt his spot on the back of tremendous success in T20 leagues around the world, winning nine titles, including last summer's BBL crown in his first season with the Sydney Sixers.

West Indies XI: Lendl Simmons, Evin Lewis, Chris Gayle, Shimron Hetmyer, Nicholas Pooran (c/wk), Dwayne Bravo, Andre Russell, Fabian Allen, Hayden Walsh, Obed McCoy, Fidel Edwards

Australia XI: Aaron Finch (c), Matthew Wade (wk), Mitch Marsh, Josh Philippe, Moises Henriques, Ben McDermott, Dan Christian, Ashton Agar, Mitchell Starc, Adam Zampa, Josh Hazlewood

Qantas Tour of the West Indies 2021

Australia squad: Aaron Finch (c), Ashton Agar, Wes Agar, Jason Behrendorff, Alex Carey, Dan Christian, Josh Hazlewood, Moises Henriques, Mitchell Marsh, Ben McDermott, Riley Meredith, Josh Philippe, Mitchell Starc, Mitchell Swepson, Ashton Turner, Andrew Tye, Matthew Wade, Adam Zampa. Travelling reserves: Nathan Ellils, Tanveer Sangha.

West Indies T20 squad: Kieron Pollard (c), Nicholas Pooran (vc), Fabian Allen, Dwayne Bravo, Sheldon Cottrell, Fidel Edwards, Andre Fletcher, Chris Gayle, Shimron Hetmyer, Jason Holder, Akeal Hosein, Evin Lewis, Obed McCoy, Andre Russell, Lendl Simmons, Kevin Sinclair, Oshane Thomas, Hayden Walsh Jr

T20 series
(all matches at the Daren Sammy Stadium, St Lucia)

First T20: July 10, 9.30am AEST (July 9, 7.30pm local)

Second T20: July 11, 9.30am AEST (July 10, 7.30pm local)

Third T20: July 13, 9.30am AEST (July 12, 7.30pm local)

Fourth T20: July 15, 9.30am AEST (July 14, 7.30pm local)

Fifth T20: July 17, 9.30am AEST (July 16, 7.30pm local)

ODI series
(all matches at Kensington Oval, Barbados)

First ODI (D/N): July 21, 4.30am AEST (July 20, 2.30pm local)

Second ODI (D/N): July 23, 4.30am AEST (July 22, 2.30pm local)

Third ODI (D/N): July 25, 4.30am AEST (July 24, 2.30pm local)

* Details of five-match T20 tour of Bangladesh are yet to be announced by the Bangladesh Cricket Board. Tours are subject to agreement on bio-security arrangements and relevant government approvals.

Image Id: 5200299A21CD478498254D296EED8C88