West Indies vs Australia 5th T20I Prediction: Who will win today's match?
Dead rubbers are rare in international cricket nowadays, with multi-format series and the introduction of several ICC leagues adding meaning to every bilateral clash. However, the fifth and final T20I between West Indies and Australia, to be played on July 16 at St Lucia, is one contest that has no impact on the bigger picture.
By winning the first three matches, West Indies took an unassailable lead in the five-match series. Although they squandered the upper hand in the previous game to hand Australia their first win of the tour, the hosts will be quietly confident of building more momentum in the lead-up to the T20 World Cup.
Australia, on the other hand, are a touch shorthanded. Giving fringe players some gametime might be the central theme of their involvement in the final T20I, with Andrew Tye, Mitchell Swepson and Wes Agar yet to find a place in the playing XI this series.
Irrespective of the scope of the contest, the fifth T20I between Australia and West Indies promises to be a cracker, with both teams boasting immense firepower in the shortest format of the game.
West Indies vs Australia 5th T20I Match Prediction: Who will come out on top in St Lucia?
West Indies have been plagued by injuries this series, with captain Kieron Pollard and batsman Shimron Hetmyer missing out in the recent past. The batting department hasn't really taken a hit in their absence, though.
Lendl Simmons is the leading run-scorer for the Windies with 144 runs in four innings. His explosive 72 in the fourth T20I set the platform for the hosts to continue their winning streak, but a middle-order collapse meant that Fabian Allen's late heroics went in vain.
Apart from Simmons, the rest of the West Indies batsmen have come up with meaningful contributions even as they've struggled with inconsistency. Andre Russell has been his free-flowing self in the middle, and has been dismissed only once while accumulating 106 runs.
Hayden Walsh Jr. has been absolutely incredible against Australia, with 11 wickets at an average of 8.81. He has had support from Obed McCoy and Allen to a certain extent, but there's no doubt that the leg-spinner is West Indies' best option with the ball.
Australia have been largely a one-man show thus far. Mitchell Marsh, for all of his injury troubles and patchy displays, finally seems to have found a settled place in the side. Batting at No. 3, the all-rounder has amassed 189 runs in the series thus far, with six wickets to boot.
Captain Aaron Finch is the only other Australian batsman to have recorded a fifty in what is a concerning stat. Moises Henriques, Matthew Wade, Alex Carey and Ashton Turner must come to the party for the Kangaroos, with the shadows of currently sidelined players like Glenn Maxwell and David Warner looming large over the T20I playing XI.
The Australian bowlers have performed decently in some phases, but they've struggled to contend with the sudden explosiveness of the Caribbean batsmen. Josh Hazlewood's three-wicket haul is probably the only standout display so far, with Riley Meredith and Adam Zampa proving expensive.
Even if West Indies choose to rotate for the final T20I, they will enter the contest as the favorites. The Australian middle order has been far from impressive in this series, with the bowling attack too not inspiring much confidence overall. Considering that the visitors' only win this series came because the Windies failed to capitalize on a winning position, the signs don't look too promising for Finch's men.
While it is impossible to rule out another Australian victory, West Indies can be backed to overcome the brief blip that was the fourth T20I and head into their upcoming Pakistan assigment on the back of a win.
Prediction: West Indies to win the fifth T20I against Australia