West Indies vs New Zealand Match Prediction– Who Will Win Today Match 26? ICC T20 World Cup 2024

The West Indies vs New Zealand T20 World Cup match will be played in Trinidad on June 13, Thursday from 8.30 pm IST. This is the very first game at this venue in this T20 World Cup. The Brian Lara Stadium will host four league games and the first semi-final.

West Indies vs New Zealand Team Analysis

West Indies

The Windies have won their first two games. They were tested against PNG but they came up with a dominant performance against Uganda scoring 173 with the bat and bowling them out for just 39.

The Windies have played 19 games against the Kiwis winning just six and losing 11. However, they won the only game they played against the Windies in T20 World Cups.

New Zealand

New Zealand finds themselves in a must-win situation heading into this game against West Indies. They lost their previous match against Afghanistan by 84 runs chasing 160. They were bowled out for 75 runs and they lost the match by 84 runs. The margin of the defeat affected their NRR.

They will need to win this game by a big margin to cover up for the loss. Another defeat in this match will all but end their World Cup campaign. The Kiwis were loose in the match against Afghanistan.

West Indies vs New Zealand Key Factors

Pitch Conditions

The pitch at the Brian Lara Stadium in Trinidad looks like a batting-friendly one. The average first innings score in seven T20Is at the venue is around 160 The first innings core of 160-270 on the kind of pitches in the West Indies and USA will be a match-winning one. Both teas have good bowlers to restrict the opposition batters.

Form and Fitness

New Zealand did not play any warm-up game heading into their first game in the T20 World Cup. Former cricket experts believed that they lacked game time and thus lost the match due to lack of match practice. Thus form-wise after such a big loss, they will be a bit jittery.

On the other hand, a big win for West Indies against Uganda should give them a lot of confidence heading into this game. There are no injury concerns for both teams.

Tactical Acumen

Rovman Powell leads the West Indies and Kane Williamson leads the Kiwis. Both are pretty experienced captains. Powell being the local player should have a better understanding of the conditions and the test for Williamson will be to manage his troops after such a heartbreaking loss to Afghanistan. This being a must-win game for New Zealand will test Kane Williamson's captaincy.

West Indies vs New Zealand Score Prediction

Recent Venue Records (Brian Lara Stadium Tarouba, Trinidad)

STATS - T20

Total matches 7

Matches won batting first 3

Matches won bowling first 4

Average 1st Inns scores 161

Average 2nd Inns scores 140

Highest total recorded 267/3 (20 Ov) by ENG vs WI

Lowest total recorded 132/10 (19.3 Ov) by ENG vs WI

Highest score chased 156/7 (19.5 Ov) by RSAW vs WIW

Lowest score defended 149/6 (20 Ov) by WI vs IND

Who Will Score Most Runs For West Indies: Branson King / Nicholas Pooran

Who Will Take Most Wickets For West Indies: Akeal Hosein / Andre Russell

Who Will Score Most Runs For New Zealand: Kane Williamson / Devon Conway

Who Will Take Most Wickets For New Zealand: Mitchell Santner / Trent Boult

West Indies vs New Zealand Match Prediction– Who Will Win Today Match 26? ICC T20 World Cup 2024

West Indies on current form are the better of the two teams but the Kiwis have won more games against the Windies in T20I cricket.

Conclusion

A win for West Indies will take them closer to the Super 8 stage while a loss for New Zealand will leave them on the brink of elimination. The Kiwis need a big win.