West Indies vs Sri Lanka – 1st One-Day International Preview & Prediction
THE FACTS
When is West Indies vs Sri Lanka taking place? Wednesday, March 10th, 2021 – 13:30 (UK)
Where is West Indies vs Sri Lanka taking place? Sir Vivian Richards Stadium, North Sound, Antigua
What is the expected weather for West Indies vs Sri Lanka? 28c with sunshine and cloudy intervals forecast
What channel is West Indies vs Sri Lanka on? The match will be televised live on BT Sport 1
Where can I stream West Indies vs Sri Lanka? The match can be streamed live the BT Sport app and website
LAST MEETING
Sri Lanka beat West Indies by 6 runs
THE TEAM NEWS
WEST INDIES
- West Indies managed to scrape a 2-1 win in the T20 series against Sri Lanka and now they come into the 50-over format hoping to build on that and drastically improve on their recent 3-0 whitewash by Bangladesh in their last ODI series.
- The squad they have at their disposal for this series is far better than the Bangladesh series where they fielded an experimental side but many of their regulars return and they will hope the likes of Shai Hope can hit the ground running.
- There is a good chance that they will hand an opportunity to left-arm spinner Kevin Sinclair after his good performances in the T20s and once again with Fabian Allen likely coming into bat at number eight or nine, the Windies bat incredibly deep once again.
SRI LANKA
- Sri Lanka come into this one-day series having beaten the Windies in eight of their last nine meetings in this format of the game so they will see this as a good opportunity to avenge the recent loss in the T20s.
- They should finally be able to count on Dasun Shanaka after he missed the T20s due to visa issues and he adds vital depth to the team in his all-rounder role and they will hope he can add more quality to their batting especially.
- They are likely to go with two spinners rather than three with Wanindu Hasaranga and Lakshan Sandakan expected to get the start although they may be tempted after seeing the Windies struggle so badly with spin in the T20s.
THE PREDICTION
The T20 series was extremely close between the West Indies and Sri Lanka and this ODI series could be just as competitive. The Windies are favourites to win this opener and the series overall but their record against Sri Lanka is abysmal having lost eight of their last nine meetings. Home advantage should favour them although it will be interesting to see how this venue plays after the pitch in Coolidge helping the spinners notably. This track may not be quite the same and the likes of Shai Hope especially are also much better at playing spin too. The odds on the Windies is not tempting so the visitors are preferred pre-match and there should be an opportunity to cash out at some stage in play in a game that could go either way and potentially down to the wire.
