Australia vs West Indies 3rd Test - SCG
The third and final Test match between Australia and the West Indies will commence on Sunday January 3rd at the Sydney Cricket Ground. It’s been an underwhelming series with Australia asserting their absolute dominance over the hapless visitors, and now they’ll be gunning for the clean sweep in Sydney.
What could possibly stop them taking the series 3-0?
Well, it’s not going to be the Windies batsmen that’s for sure. But what about the weather?
There is rain forecast in Sydney on four of the five days. Now we know that Australia won’t need a full five days to beat the Windies, but they did survive for a full four days in Melbourne. You would think that Australia will have to take an aggressive approach into this game if they want a result. That would normally mean sending in the fragile Windies to bat first and try to do some quick damage with their quick bowlers. However due to injuries, Australia are going with two spinners in this match with Steve O’Keefe coming into the replace a sore Peter Siddle. There were also concerns over Josh Hazelwood who will play all six Test matches this summer, so Australia will most definitely want their tweakers bowling last.
The Windies may also play two spinners with Devendra Bishoo seeming an obvious choice for a call up at the expense of one of the quicks. Kemar Roach just doesn’t look to be the same player after coming back from his injuries. He’s down a good 10kph on his best, and it would be a statement to leave him out of the side.
Other than that, the Windies can’t really make any changes that are going to help. Darren Bravo has stood up this series with some gutsy performances but that’s about it. The rest of them will need to do the rain dance.
Verdict: If there’s enough time Australia will win, which is good news for those who followed our tip at the start of the series for a 3-0 whitewash. However, there is the weather to consider here as that may play a big role in this match.
Aus vs WI 3rd Test Bets
Keep an eye on the forecast and if it looks ugly, it might be worth making a play on the Draw at odds of $2.65 at CrownBet.
Usman Khawaja landed us a nice $5.50 winner as Australia’s leading run scorer in the 2nd Test, thanks to a well-timed declaration! I’m happy to stick with him to continue the rich vein of form at $4.25 at CrownBet with the promotion below.
Take note: Any of the tips in this article are simply the author’s opinion, so bet at your own risk and always gamble responsibly. Also be sure to check out the Before You Bet Twitter Page for all our thoughts in the lead up to bets! Happy punting!