Daijiworld Media Network

Dhaka, Mar 28 : We will bring you the toss and team updates shortly. Do stay with us. Hogg looked out of sorts in Australia's opening fixture. It will be quite interesting to view if young leggie, James Muirhead gets a look in.

Shrugging off their loss against India, Sammy's soldiers got their defence up and revving with an emphatic triumph over Bangladesh. The spin twins, Sunil Narine and Samuel Badree, will have to continue playing pivotal roles if the Caribbean boys are to choke the power-packed Aussies and inch closer to the final four. India, who currently sit at the top of Group 2, lock horns with hosts,

Bangladesh, later in the night. A warm welcome to the first game of the double-header today. A marquee contest is brewing up here at Dhaka.

The race towards the semi-finals is hotting up, more so in this Group of death. Australia, who faltered against Ajmal and Gul, despite Maxwell's brilliance, will strive to remain alive in the tournament. James Faulkner may be out with an injury but he had fired verbal volleys, saying, he doesn't like the West Indies in a rather spiced up build up to this clash.

Australia have won the toss and have opted to bat

Pitch report: 'It's a very hot day today. This pitch is being used for the first time in the tournament. The boundary on the off-side is very short, about 59 metres. It is nice and hard, no grass whatsoever. It has a dryish look to it. There will be good carry for the bowlers early on. Then, the ball will come onto the bat nicely. The spinners will have to give it a tweak to get something out of it. The team that wins the toss must bat first and then restrict the opposition', reckons Ravi Shastri

Sammy: 'I think it is a combination of mental and technical skills. Some of the guys have been talking. Cricket is about action. We were looking to bat first as well. We have some skillful bowlers. Hopefully, Badree and Santokie can take early wickets, Narine and the other guys can follow. Hopefully, we can have an exciting game, where the West Indies come out on top. 150 is the target we are looking for. We are all pumped up. We play the same team.'

Bailey: 'I think we have played spin well. Obviously, spin will play a big part here. We want to have a hit first. We want to put runs on the board. We have a couple of changes. James Faulkner comes in for Coulter-Nile. Muirhead replaces Hogg.'

Teams:

West Indies (Playing XI): Dwayne Smith, Chris Gayle, Marlon Samuels, Lendl Simmons, Dwayne Bravo, Darren Sammy(c), Andre Russell, Denesh Ramdin(w), Sunil Narine, Samuel Badree, Krishmar Santokie

Australia (Playing XI): David Warner, Aaron Finch, Shane Watson, Glenn Maxwell, George Bailey(c), Brad Hodge, James Faulkner, Brad Haddin(w), Mitchell Starc, James Muirhead, Doug Bollinger

Match Preview

West Indies: Having stormed back into the reckoning with a thumping win over hosts Bangladesh, the West Indies will be keen on going one better and putting themselves closer to the semi-final spot. India top Group Two having won the first two matches and hope to consolidate their position with a victory against struggling hosts Bangladesh on Friday that would virtually secure them one of the two semi-final spots from the group. West Indies are second, having beaten Bangladesh to bounce back after their loss against India, while Australia are fourth having lost their first match to Pakistan.

West Indies' power-packed batting line-up finally showed its ability as Dwayne Smith and Chris Gayle both found their touch and helped their side to a competetive score against Bangladesh. They will however be wary of exposing the middle order which hasn't done much so far.

Things on the bowling front look much more rosy as Samuel Badree, Krishmar Santokie and Sunil Narine all sparkled to bowl Bangladesh out for a paltry score. Sammy must be pleased with his bowlers and another simialr performance against the Aussies will go a long way in easing the nerves after their setback in the first game.

Key to success: West Indies' spinners Sunil Narine, Samuel Badree and Marlon Samuels will all have a huge role to play on a pitch that would give them some support. Add to that, Australia discomfort against slow bowling and their roles will garner even more prominence.

Australia: The match against West Indies will likely decide whether either team has a chance to progress to the semi-finals. A loss for Australia could spell the end to their chances and would leave them hoping for a series of results to go their way. George Bailey's Australians, seeking a maiden T20 WC title after winning the 50-over World Cups four times, were beaten by Pakistan in their only match so far in the tournament. Australia have three matches in hand and the West Indies two, but neither side can afford to lose the opening game of Friday's double-header at the Sher-e-Bangla stadium.

Their task will be cut out against a resurgent West Indies team who not only have a batting line-up that can tear into the opposition but also bowlers who would pose problems to the best. The Windies have masterblasters in Chris Gayle and Dwayne Smith, but Bailey's side will also have to contend with the most unlikely of West Indian attacks that hardly has a recognised paceman and is stacked with quirky spin bowlers.

Aaron Finch and Glenn Maxwell were in superb form in their last game against Pakistan, but the Aussies will hope players like David Warner, Shane Watson and George Bailey also come good. Australia's bowlers blew hot and cold in their first game. Doug Bollinger was the best bowler on offer in the opening game, but with a fine array of bowlers, they will want the likes of Mitchell Starc and Nathan Coulter-Nile among others to hit top form.

Key to success: Australia's success in the game will be the ability to handle WI's slower bowlers. In Sunil Narine, Badree, Samuels and Krishmar Santokie WI have a number of slow-bowling options. Australia have to be able to counter this if they are to notch up their first win.

Quotes:

I think we have seen for a long time that Chris Gayle is one of the most destructive batsmen along with Shane Watson in this form of the game. The earlier you get guys like him, the longer you go in terms of winning the game: Brad Haddin.

So far in the tournament we've not played to our full potential. Once we do that, we'd be very destructive and we were destructive in that semi-final (in the) last World Cup: Darren Sammy.