Australia Search for Better Showing

Perth: Australia will be out to bounce back from their indifferent limited-overs form against Sri Lanka when they take on the West Indies in the first one-day international at the WACA on Friday.

After trouncing the Sri Lankans 3-0 in the Test arena, the Australians were lucky to escape with a 2-2 draw in the five-match ODI series - with Sri Lanka denied by rain in Sydney in Game 4, when they were set a modest target of 223 to win.

The Aussies were then beaten in both Twenty20 games against their sub-continental opponents, and will be keen to get back to winning ways in Perth.

The last time these two sides clashed in one-day cricket, they played out a 2-2 draw in the Caribbean last March - including that thrilling tie in Kingstown - meaning that although Australia will enter hot favourites, the Windies should not be underestimated.

Between November 2006 and March 2012, the West Indies failed to beat Australia in 14 ODIs, with 13 wins to the Aussies and one no result - but they have won two, and tied one, of the past four meetings between the countries.

Darren Sammy's team will also be keen to get back into some type of form, after their embarrassing 3-2 ODI series defeat to Bangladesh in December.

In a blow for the Australians, explosive batsman David Warner will almost certainly miss the whole series after fracturing a thumb in the WACA nets while facing Mitchell Johnson this week.

Phil Hughes was a shining light for Australia with the bat during the Sri Lanka matches, cracking a century on debut and following that up with an unbeaten 138 in the fifth game in Hobart, in which Australia levelled the series.

Kieran Powell shone for the tourists in their 23-run loss to a Prime Minister's XI in Canberra on Tuesday, cracking 92 off 97 balls while Ramnaresh Sarwan scored 63 off 83.

But the real star of the show was all-rounder Andre Russell, who stamped himself as someone to watch during the series with a blistering 54 off just 24 balls, and with Chris Gayle returning to international cricket last year, there is no shortage of firepower in the Windies ranks.

The Australians are third in the ICC one-day rankings, and will be keen to close the gap on England and leaders India with a strong showing against the seventh-ranked West Indies

Clarke left Xavier Doherty out of his final XI for the opening ODI. David Warner's thumb fracture means Usman Khawaja will slot somewhere into the top four, while James Faulkner's debut will give Australia no fewer than three left-arm pacemen.

Team

Australia: Phillip Hughes, Aaron Finch, Michael Clarke (capt), Usman Khawaja, George Bailey, Matthew Wade (wk), Glenn Maxwell, James Faulkner, Mitchell Johnson, Mitchell Starc, Clint McKay.

West Indies (from): Darren Sammy (captain), Darren Bravo, Tino Best, Dwayne Bravo, Johnson Charles (wk), Narsingh Deonarine, Chris Gayle, J Holder, Sunil Narine, Kieron Pollard, Kieron Powell, Kemar Roach, Andre Russell, Ramnaresh Sarwan, Devon Thomas (wk)

Pitch and conditions
Perth's forecast is for a hot, dry day peaking at 37C. The WACA pitch is expected to be speedy, as evidenced by Australia's omission of Doherty.

Stats & trivia

• West Indies have won 10 of 17 ODIs they have played at the WACA ground, and only once have they lost to Australia, in February 1984.
• Among current players, Michael Clarke is the most prolific run scorer in matches between the teams, sitting 21st on the overall list with 707 at 41.58

Match facts
February 1, 2013 (day/nigyt)
Start time 1120 local (0320 GMT)