 Yeah, West Indies having the advantage, buoyed by the stunning test victory over the Aussies. 50-over captain Shay Hope says the winters are ready for the one-day international series down under. Fokker ships to the white-ball phase of the tour, which bowls off on Thursday night. 10.30pm, Jamaica time, 11.30pm, Eastern Caribbean time, live on SportsMax. Hope spoke to the media after the official captain's photoshoot, saying his team is pumped for the challenge. We wanted, as I said before, there's a very inspiring win that they had in the last test. It's a great momentum for us. This is a different format, but if you create signs for us to imagine what happened in the last test, it is all day serious. Like we always say in the dressing room, every game matters. It's not necessarily about a series or an opponent. You have to take every single game as a final. And it's nice to see the guys are already taking to the new system and you can be way with your trying to play a cricket. So yeah, it's just one game at a time and then results will take care of yourself. Yeah, let's remind you of what the West Indies squad looks like for this one day international series against Australia. Three matches in this series. She hoped the captain, Alzare Joseph, the vice captain, Alec Athanez, Teddy Bishop, K-Security, Rostan Chase, Mathieu Ford, Justin Graves, Kevin Hodge, Tevin Imlak, Gudakesh Moti, Kieran Otli, Romaria Shepard, O'Shaen Thomas, and Hayden Walsh Jr. returning to the West Indies fold. Let's get the thoughts of Nikhil Utam-Chandani who is in South Africa but very much following cricket right across the world. Nikhil, it's a pleasure to have you back on the Sports Mag Zone. How are you doing today? Yeah, always happy you and I can return to the zone, especially when you're on as well, Ricardo Chambers. Oh, you say all the right things. That much I can say. What do you have to say about this one day international series between West Indies and Australia? In many ways, a new look West Indies-Kwan, Australia also with a number of changes to their 50-over-setup for this series. How does this one strike you? Yeah, it's going to be definitely a challenge, Ricardo. I find it really interesting to see the amount of media publications and even she opened that little interview there. Talking about this word momentum and don't get me wrong, I think it will take something from that test series. I don't think momentum is the right word though. I would more say confidence. Momentum for me, it tells me as a viewer that that performance in the test series makes a significant impact on the way that series, the one international series, that it goes. The reason I disagree with that is because this is Australia, the world champion. So they're not going to turn up and say, well, look, this is a West Indie scene that beat us in the test series. Now we must concede or we must play these other world champions. However, what I do think it works in favour of is for the West Indies. When it comes to confidence, I think you've got a young group of guys, many of them who are now making who just paid their first one international series against England or in their first couple of series. What I believe that that win does in the test series is give them the confidence to know a lot as dominant as Australia are and have been. We believe that we can defeat them. So I don't know if momentum is the right word, but I think confidence wise, especially given that Australia have a few new guys, a few uncapped players as well. The West Indies will believe that they can compete. Whether they can beat them is another story in these conditions will be difficult, but definitely excited to see the talent on show. Yeah. When you look at the Australia bowling line-up, for example, the likes of Pat Cummins, the captain Steve Smith is now leading this one day international side. Cummins not there. Mitchell Stark, Josh Hazelwood, not there who were brilliant, as usual in the test series. How much does that change the look and the quality of the Australian bowling line-up? Yeah. When I look at that bowling line-up, Ricardo, I think definitely pace is in abundance. Someone like Alan Sommers, who has yet to make his international debut, but if you watch him in the big bash, et cetera, everything is over 145 kilometers per hour, and he's got a really threatening short delivery. They've got someone like Xavier Barlet in the squad. He took 20 wickets in the big bash, but was excellent at the back end of the inning. So even though there's no start, there's no Hazelwood, the fact that they have those seamers who they have sort of been bringing through that domestic setup done well in the Marsh Cup, for example, their List of Day tournament, I think they'll be firing and rearing and ready to go because they've waited so long for an opportunity. Lance Morse has been in the test squad now for a couple of years, and has never gotten that actual call-up. So just on that basis, I think they're going to be hungry. They're going to be ready to display. And they've got Adam Sample, who we all know is one of a world-class leg spinner, and was a big part and reason why they won the World Cup just months ago. Yeah, let's have a quick look at that Australia squad for this series against the West Indies. A 13-man squad to be led by Steve Smith. Of course, no David Warner, who has retired from international cricket. Travis Head is there. Sean Abbott, Xavier Barlet. Jake Fraser-McKirk. Cameron Green. Aaron Hardy. Josh Inglis. Marnus Lamashane. Lance Morse, who you just spoke about. Matt Short. Will Sutherland. And Adam Sample, who you spoke about as well. I want us to zone in quickly on McKirk, because he has been producing a lot of quick runs. You spoke about Australia's domestic 50-over tournament. Scored a world record century in that tournament last October, coming off 29 deliveries. And amazingly, the second 50, coming in only 11 deliveries. It is clear that this man can really strike the ball. How much of a danger you think he's going to be if he gets the opportunity to play to this West Indies bowling attack? Yeah, he's a superstar, Ricardo. I think the world has seen enough. You look at that big-bash season, following up the domestic tournament that he had that you mentioned. He scored up 257 runs. 42% of the runs were in sixes. He is just a genuine, natural six-hitter. It's the way he strikes the ball. The mentality at which he sort of occupies the crease with is just ruthless. What I want to see is, now when he makes that step up to the international level, where guys are of a certain caliber, they will work you out. They will try to find your weaknesses. Can he sustain that fearless approach, especially in the 50-over format? But in terms of talent, in terms of potential, and just the fearlessness of the younger generation coming through a cricket now, this man is right part and parcel as to what you think white ball cricket is becoming. And he is just extraordinary. When you watch the shots that he plays, as I mentioned, that 250 runs that he scored in the big-bash, it came at a straight rate of 160. And he's not opening the batting and batting consistently in the power of play. So it was really great to see, and it'll be interesting to see how the Westinies can counter that as well, because he will come at them. So it does give them the opportunity to get him out. But if he comes off, he can really attack you in those middle-overs where the Westinies have struggled with the ball in the past. Again, speaking about struggling with the ball, Shay Hope was also asked about his vice-captain, Alzari Joseph. And Alzari has had a fairly good test series. He now moves from that performance, and he has to, of course, get ready for the white ball competition. Talk to me, Nikhil, about your assessment of Alzari and how do you think he's going to suit up and fare for this ODI series? What I think, Maref, is one thing that we know about Alzari Joseph, is that he's a competitor. You look at his face, all through the test series, whether to take a wicket, whether he gets it for a boundary, it is just serious business all around. And he'll be really up for a challenge like this. I think it's also why he hasn't taken the route of other guys who have gone to play the T20 tournaments. Let's be real, Alzari Joseph, with that pace, can play in any T20 tournament he wants. But he has opted to not only play the test series, play the one international series and the T20 international series, because he has a point to prove. He understands legacy and understands how important it is, especially against teams like Australia, in these conditions to do well. And I think as the leader of the attack, he has matured so much and his test results is the biggest highlight for that because he started the test format inconsistently, never really developed a rhythm. Whereas now, I think he's really found what works for him. That length has become a lot more consistent when he can hit that good length, that pace. And then we all know when he goes to the short, well, he's got the Yorker now. So for me, it's a legacy-building series for him, especially the 50-over format, because of the fact that he's now officially the leader of the attack in all three formats, I would say. Yeah, well, Batten, it's no secret that once it fires, we do well, but it has been a topic of discussion or batting, struggling for quite some time. How important is it that our skipper, Shay Hope, steps up and, of course, leads from the front? Yeah, well, I don't even need to say it. Everyone knows that you look at the West Sea's performances last two years. It's been very Shay Hope-based. What I want to see in this series more is who can be with him at the crease, who can spend time with him, but also take some of the burden off of him, because it's clear that against any opposition in any conditions, we know he will perform. But look, guys have runs of bad series or, I mean, it's cricket. So every single game, we can't depend on Shay Hope to score 50 or 100 to get us over the line. Ken, adjusting Graves who scored over 400 in the regional, 400 runs in the regional tournament, got injured for that England series. Then he stepped into that opening slot alongside Ali afternays and takes some of the weight off of Shay Hope's shoulders. Pettie Bishop, no sure if anybody would have heard in this series. The way that he batted in Super 50, I'm looking forward to seeing him if he does get a chance at five or six to come in and play that same aggressive brand of cricket. Come in the middle overs and shot teams, counterattack with the oppressive stroke play. I'll never forget that 95 knot-up he made at Taruba. I think it was in 70 odd balls. And it just showed that he can really find the boundary at will in the middle overs. We've missed players like that. So can a young guy like him, Imlak, Kevin Hodge, who are yet to really make an impact into international cricket, can one of them step up and say, Shay, we understand your greatness, but we are here to support. And if you get runs in Australia, it goes a long way, not only in international cricket, the franchise circuit, and just your overall record, I would say. So it's a huge opportunity. Yeah, I want to build on that and I want to ask your question, Nikhil, about Shay Hope and what the Aussies may plan for him. But Atenez, because he has so much quality, as far as I'm concerned, and didn't do very well in the test series, how much do you think he will or will he be more comfortable in this ODI series than he may have been in the test series? I think definitely, Lance. When you look at the way Atenez has come through, going all the way back to the 2019 World Cup, he's always excelled in the white ball format and I think he's going to have a very long career in the test format. But why I think I've seen enough for him to do well in this series is because when I look at that England series of him opening the batting, a new role for him, yes, he's done it domestically, but to do it in international cricket is quite new. And still, yes, he didn't really convert any of those starts into big hundreds, but I've seen enough against high quality pace bowling Reese Topley, who's in one of the best white ball bowlers right now in the world when he's fit. And some of the other England seamers at times on challenging decks, I think Atenez is very good against pace as well because of how strong he is square of the wicket. So I think on these pitches, and yes, he didn't have the most illustrious test series, but I also think the fact that there's no Hazelwood, no Stark, no Cummins helps him in this one international series for sure. And just because of how good he is against pace, as we've seen in the Caribbean, I expect him to come good and he'll know, he'll know that he's been under some pressure and hasn't really been able to contribute to winning as much as he would like. So I definitely think he'll be ready for the series and yeah, just the fact that he's so good against pace, I think he'll come good. Yeah, Nikhil, you were so good during the Caribbean Premier League with your predictions and subsequent to that as well in the soup of 50 last year. So it's a new year, and I don't suspect that the quality has left you to make these predictions. So how is this series going to go? Yeah, unfortunately, Ricardo, as much as I want to say with the West Indies in the one day international series, I think they're going to win a game. Don't get me wrong, I think I like them to win one game and challenge Australia, but I think that side just because they're playing at home and even the newcomers that they have have been in and around that Aussie setup for a while so I'm going to go Australia to one. Yeah, I wonder what you would have said for the test series, but I guess we'll never know. Nikhil, we'll chat. I don't think anybody would have. Lance and Mariah, this is going to be another intriguing series following the test campaign where the West Indies team shocked just about everyone with their performances, especially in that second test. This one day international series provides another opportunity for a few of the young players to step up and perform and make a name for themselves. Yeah, I think the confidence from the test, the fact that they would have been there having the conversations with the players that I'd say created history during that test performance, I think they're going to be coming out with that same sort of energy. They're going to be having the conversations so that they too can feel that it's possible for them to go against an Australian team and of course dominate. So like Nikhil, Nikhil says he thinks they'll win one match. I'm giving them the opportunity to win two. I think West Indies is not going to be a push-over. Based on the confidence that they have, their brothers have already won that test match, that second test match. They're not going to be a push-over. So you think West Indies will win the series? No, I didn't say that. They're going to win how many is it in total? It's three. No, you're in a spot. You're backed up by some really quick-paced bowling here. What does Ramarat do, Lance? Can she fend it off? She suggested they would win two matches. But she said it because she thought it was five. Five, yes. The T20s. So no, you think it's just one win that the West Indies will get in the ODI series? Yeah, I don't think Australia is going to be pushed over. But what about you? You have to speak. Well, I think the Australians will win the series. There was a reason why I asked them about Alec Athenez just now, because I expect Athenez to do better in the ODIs than he did in the test series. Field placings and so on are different in white ball cricket than they are in test cricket. And I like Athenez to perform well here. It's important to note that there is only one batsman in this entire series that has a World Top 10 ranking at the moment. And that's Shay Hope. David Warner is in the Top 10, but he's in playing. So I think the Aussies will target Shay Hope because of how prolific he is. And they will be specifically aggressive with him because they see him as a team leader not only from the strategic standpoint as a captain, but the most prolific batsman that the West Indies has. So I think the Australians will pay a lot of attention to them. I'm not concerned from an Australian standpoint about the newcomers, because the Australian depth in their cricket is so wide that I think the new players will be just as potent or maybe not just as potent, but I don't think they should be underestimated. So there's no Josh Hayeswood in company. I don't think that's so much of a setback for the Aussies. Well, well, well, Lance Whitaker strategizing for his favourite team, Australia. Let's go to a break. We'll go back with more on the sports max.