West Indies win toss, elect to bowl first against Australia in first T20I

HOBART: West Indies skipper Rovman Powell won the toss and elected to bowl first in the first T20I of the three-match series against Australia at Bellerive Oval on Friday.

After clean-sweeping the three-match ODI series, Australia is locking horns with West Indies in the T20I series.

David Warner is leading the Baggy Greens in his 100TH T20I as the captain Mitchell Marsh has suffered Covid, however he will play the fixture. Warner became the first Australian to play 100 matches in every format. Powell said that this is an opportunity to express ourselves.

"It looks a pretty good surface. We expected good grass coverage, good carry. The guys have been playing good T20 cricket. It's an opportunity to keep expressing ourselves. That's what we keep telling the guys," Powell asserted at the time of the toss. Warner said that if the encounter took place yesterday that he wouldn't have played the match. "We were going to bowl first as well. Wicket looks nice. Generally in the first six you can give yourself some time. There's some variables with the wind, and one side a bit big. Mitch has taken his mask off today. He's come back alright. If the game was yesterday he wouldn't have been able to play. No Spencer Johnson or Aaron Hardie but it's still six changes from the last T20I Australia played," Warner stated after losing the toss.

Australia (Playing XI): David Warner, Josh Inglis, Mitchell Marsh(c), Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis, Tim David, Matthew Wade(w), Sean Abbott, Adam Zampa, Jason Behrendorff, Josh Hazlewood

West Indies (Playing XI): Brandon King, Johnson Charles, Nicholas Pooran (wk), Shai Hope, Rovman Powell (c), Sherfane Rutherford, Andre Russell, Romario Shepherd, Akeal Hosein, Alzarri Joseph, Jason Holder.