ICC Dream11 Daily Fantasy tips: Australia vs West Indies

After blowing Pakistan away in their first match of the tournament, confident West Indies take on Australia at the typically high-scoring ground in Nottingham's Trent Bridge. Australia themselves are coming on the back of a big win against Afghanistan and will be prepared to counter West Indies' short-bowling tactic, which they used to devastating affect against Pakistan.

The last match at the venue witnessed England failing to chase down a target of 349 set by Pakistan, but they came close which shows that the pitch is equally good across both innings. Whoever wins the toss might still want to bowl first to get a better idea of what total they should aim at from the word go. The teams are expected to be unchanged for this contest.

Predicted XI:

Australia: David Warner, Aaron Finch, Steven Smith, Usman Khawaja, Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis, Alex Carey, Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Adam Zampa

West Indies: Chris Gayle, Shai Hope, Darren Bravo, Nicholas Pooran, Shimron Hetmyer, Andre Russell, Jason Holder, Carlos Brathwaite, Ashley Nurse, Oshane Thomas, Sheldon Cottrell

Dream11 Team:

Wicket-keepers

Shai Hope and Nicholas PooranWest Indies have two attacking wicket-keeper batsmen in Shai Hope and Nicholas Pooran. Hope, who had averaged just 35.7 in the format before 2018, has become a force at the top after being pushed to open the innings. He averages 63.9 since 2018 and has five hundreds in this time frame. The in-form West Indian is a must pick in any fantasy side. Pooran, on the other hand, had showcased his skill-set in the IPL and gave a pretty good account of his hitting skills in the previous match against Pakistan, where he made 34 in 19 balls to seal a fairly easy run chase.

Batsmen

Steven Smith, David Warner, Usman KhawajaWhile Chris Gayle is a popular choice in this category, he could be undone by Mitchell Starc's pace. Starc has taken Gayle's wicket once in the 11 deliveries he has bowled at the West Indian in this format while conceding just three runs.

This brings us to the three formidable Australian batsmen in Smith, Warner and Khawaja. While Smith has been in good form since his international comeback, Warner made a hardworking 89 against Afghanistan in Australia's first game of the tournament. Khawaja, meanwhile, has 784 runs in 14 ODIs since the start of 2018 at an average of 56.

All-rounders

Andre Russell and Glenn MaxwellMaxwell's ability to take the game away from the opposition with his attacking batsmanship makes him a good differential in your fantasy side. He strikes at a rate of 116.75 in the format since 2018 and could be a handy option to have in your side for this daily contest.

Russell, meanwhile, is an absolute must-have given his bowling and batting potential. After lambasting top bowlers in the IPL where he made 510 runs at a strike rate of over 200, Russell made his impact felt with the ball in the first game against Pakistan. His pacy short balls were a handful for Pakistan batsmen and given how he enjoyed success with that length, expect him to ruffle a few Australian feathers with a similar strategy.

Bowlers

Oshane Thomas, Pat Cummins, Adam Zampa and Sheldon CottrellOshane Thomas picked up a four-wicket haul in the match against Pakistan and is another hit the deck bowler with good pace. The Windies have a strong bowling attack and you would want to complement Russell with another wicket-taker. Cottrell is another who can swing the ball upfront and the Trent Bridge conditions should encourage that to some degree. His left-arm angle and quirky action should be handy against the Aussies. He is a decent differential in your fantasy team.

Zampa's recent success against Virat Kohli and in the match against Afghanistan makes him a spinner with high fantasy potential. A natural wicket-taker, the leg-break bowler has had a good time in ODIs since 2018, taking 23 wickets in 18 matches including a four-wicket haul. Cummins over Starc is a better choice given his recent form. He is Australia's highest wicket-taker since 2018 in ODIs with 28 wickets. While Starc's strike-rate of 36.83 is nothing to sneeze at, Cummins has a strike-rate of 25.6. In fantasy terms, it translates into a better likelihood for picking up more points.

Captaincy options Best bet: Steven Smith and Andre Russell

Alternatives: David Warner and Oshane Thomas