WI vs AUS | Will need to score close to 320 or 330 to compete against Australia, admits Phil Simmons

2021 started off on a dull note for the Windies, with the ODI side getting whitewashed 0-3 by Bangladesh, but the Kieron Pollard-led unit bounced back in style against Sri Lanka, inflicting a whitewash of their own. The Windies won three tough matches against the Lankans, and it was the batters who led from the front. Shai Hope, Evin Lewis and Darren Bravo all averaged over 60 in the series, and the trio were duly supported by the lower-order, who finished the job off clinically.

Against Australia, though, Windies coach Phil Simmons is aware that his men will have to bat even better. Incidentally, West Indies chased in all three games against Sri Lanka, but Simmons, speaking ahead of the first ODI, insisted that against Australia, the batters would need to post over 320 runs on the board in order to compete.

"We are looking for the way we batted to continue and improvements have to be made in the middle overs from 20-39 in order for us to get from 280-290 to the 320-330 we'll need against Australia. We've been discussing that since the Sri Lanka series so now it's time to put it into action,” Simmons said, reported Cricbuzz.

"It's been great in the last series the top three all got hundreds and what we are asking of them now is one of the top three carry on until the end so we get to that 320-330.”

There will be 30 ODI Super League points at stake, and Simmons said that his side will need no other motivation than ‘World Cup Qualification’ to be pumped up for the series. The West Indies head coach, however, admitted that the visitors will be hungry for revenge, having gotten thrashed in the T20I series last week.

"That's the only motivation you need, it's points and it's leading to World Cup 2023," Simmons said. 

"The Australians are not going to be an easy target and they will be coming stronger after losing the T20 series. Because there are some players from the T20 squad in this one some momentum can be taken over but there are other guys coming in.

“We have to settle and play the way this format needs to be played. A lot more partnerships, bigger partnerships, things like that.”

The 4-1 win in the T20Is was a through-and-through team-effort, with every single member in the squad chipping in with handy contributions, and Simmons expressed delight over the same. Notably, West Indies, in the series, had 4 different individuals win the Man of the Match award.

"The good thing about this series is that in different games different people came out as the ones leading. Dre finished the first game, Bravo took the mantle when he went up to bat, Hetymer had it, Chris had it in one game, Cottrell came back in the last two games and showed what he's capable of. And Fabian , he showed in South Africa games what he can do later in the innings and how his bowling has improved - he's always been dynamite in the field - so they've all played their part."

The ODI series will commence on July 20 at the Kensington Oval in Bridgetown, Barbados