West Indies and Australia will fight it out in a five-match T20I series starting on Sunday, July 20 (local time) in Jamaica, a week after the shambolic 27 all-out for the hosts in the pink-ball Test match. The hosts would want to forget the Test series as quickly as they can, going into the T20 series, a preferred and favourable format for the Windies, especially with a T20 World Cup in sight and missing two of their most magnetic stars of the format, Nicholas Pooran and Andre Russell.
The first two matches of the series will also be the final appearance for Russell in maroon and hence, the Jamaica games, home city for the big-hitting all-rounder, are being advertised by the West Indies as 'Dre Day' on Sunday and Tuesday. It will be a momentous occasion for the local crowd to witness their superstar in action at the highest level for the last time and a bittersweet moment for the West Indies, who will have to settle within themselves before a T20 World Cup without the likes of Pooran and Russell and build a team to succeed at the mega event.
For Australia, Mitchell Marsh returns to lead the side and after the success in the IPL, he would hope for an equally great series with the bat, if not better. However, he and Cameron Green will both play just as batters. Mitch Owen, the new kid on the block, is set to make his Australia debut, and with the visitors playing a first T20I assignment since November last year, they too would want to zero down on a pool of 18-20 players, they think would be their key players for the T20 World Cup.
When and where to watch WI vs AUS T20I series on TV and OTT in India?
The five-match T20I series between the West Indies and Australia will kick off at the Sabina Park in Kingston, Jamaica, on Monday, July 21, at 5:30 AM IST. The remaining matches are scheduled for July 23, 26, 27 and 29, with the second match being in Jamaica, followed by the last three in Basseterre, St Kitts and Nevis. The Jamaica matches start at 5:30 in the morning the next day in India (relative to the original day in the Caribbean) and the final three in St. Kitts will begin at 4:30 AM IST.
Unfortunately, the WI vs AUS T20I series will not have a live broadcast on TV, but all five matches can be live-streamed on the Fancode app and website.
