Australia have created history in the West Indies as they have become the first full member nation to win a 5-match bilateral series 5-0. Australia showed class and dominance throughout the series and in this match had to overcome a few nervy moments to secure a 3-wicket win with 3 overs to spare. Australia won another toss and elected to bowl first and kept West Indies down to 170 thanks to Ben Dwarshuis’ 3-wicket haul.
In reply, Australia put in an all-round batting performance with 30s from Cameron Green, Tim David, and Mitchell Owen apart from a valuable 28* from Aaron Hardie to take their side over the line by 3 wickets in 17 overs. There were some nervy moments due to spirited West Indies bowling, but 170 looked below par looking at the conditions.
Ben Dwarshuis’ 3-wicket haul restricts West Indies to 170
Put into bat by Australia once again, Brandon King and captain Shai Hope walked out to bat for the West Indies. King made his intentions clear by getting a boundary away off Aaron Hardie. Ben Dwarshuis was given an opportunity to bowl the second over and he was greeted by captain Hope with two consecutive boundaries but Dwarshuis had his revenge getting rid of Hope for 9 off 6 balls with 2 boundaries to his name.
Dwarshuis bowled a good length ball at the off-stump, Hope went for an on drive but the ball nips back in a touch and castles the middle stump. Keacy Carty came out to bat next at 3 and got off the mark. King got a lifeline as Glenn Maxwell dropped him at mid-on off Hardie. King added salt to the wounds by flicking through midwicket for a boundary off Hardie. But his luck soon ran out as he was scalped by Dwarshuis for 11 off 9 balls with 2 boundaries to his name.
Dwarshuis bowled a good length delivery at the fourth stump. King got it in his zone and pulled it flat towards the left of midwicket. Tim David didn’t commit the same mistake as Maxwell did as he moved to his left and took the catch. Sherfane Rutherford came out to bat next and got off the mark as well. Rutherford got into the act by smashing consecutive boundaries off Hardie. But Hardie struck back and got rid of Carty for 1 off 8 balls.
Hardie bowled a length ball at off and middle stump. Carty covered his stumps and looked to go over mid-on but mistimed it in the air. Glenn Maxwell moved to his right from mid-on and took the simple catch. Shimron Hetmyer came to the crease and next and got off the mark while Rutherford hit the bowler for another boundary. Sean Abbott was introduced into the attack and he was also taken to by Rutherford. Rutherford hit him for a boundary and also a maximum as the powerplay came to an end.
At the end of the powerplay, West Indies were 49/3 with Nathan Ellis finally getting a chance to bowl. Rutherford was in no mood to let the bowler settle as he hit Ellis for a boundary. He hit another boundary through deep backward square leg to end the over. Glenn Maxwell was then introduced into the attack and he struck for Australia and gave them the breakthrough. Rutherford perished to him for 35 off 17 balls with 6 fours and a six to his name.
Good length delivery from Maxwell aimed at the middle stump, Rutherford missed a straighter delivery as he rocked back to cut it away. The ball goes through him and crashed into the middle stump. Jason Holder walked out to bat next at 6 and got off the mark with a boundary off Maxwell. Hetmyer greeted Abbott with a boundary to start the over.
Adam Zampa was finally introduced into the attack and he was greeted by Hetmyer as the southpaw launched his second ball for the maximum getting hold of the slower ball. There was a direct hit at the striker’s end but Holder made it into his crease.
At the end of 10 overs, West Indies were 84/4 when the umpires called for Drinks. Hetmyer was seeing the ball like a football as he smashed Dwarshuis over deep midwicket for a maximum. Jason Holder joined in the fun by smashing Hardie for the maximum as the 100 came up for West Indies in 11.3 overs. Holder managed to get a streaky boundary away off Hardie. Sean Abbott came back into the attack and broke the budding partnership as he dismissed Holder for 20 off 15 balls with 2 fours and a six to his name.
Abbott bowled a back of a length delivery at middle stump, Holder stayed leg side of it and got beaten by the extra bounce. He failed to punch it through covers and got the outside edge to Josh Inglis behind the stumps. Romario Shepherd came out to bat next. A tight over from Zampa followed which meant that Shepherd broke the shackles by smashing a maximum over deep backward square leg. But Ellis hit back and dismissed Shepherd for 8 off 8 balls with a six to his name.
Ellis bowled the ball on a length just outside off nipping back in a touch, Shepherd looked to heave it away across the line but got beaten on the inside edge and the ball hits the off-stump. Matthew Forde came into bat next and made his intentions clear by hitting a boundary off Ellis to get off the mark. At the completion of 15 overs, West Indies were 128/6.
Abbott was greeted with a maximum to kickstart the death overs phase of the innings. Ben Dwarshuis bowled a waist-high full toss that was hit by Hetmyer for a boundary and the free hit was dispatched over deep midwicket for the maximum. Hetmyer hit another boundary next ball to complete a well-compiled half-century off 30 balls. But then he fell next ball for 52 off 31 balls with 3 fours and 3 sixes to his name.
Dwarshuis bowled a back of a length wide outside off. Hetmyer flat batted it down the ground and mistimed it to Sean Abbott who took a good catch diving forward from long-off. Alzarri Joseph came out to bat next and got off the mark with a single. Nathan Ellis got into the act and picked up his 200th wicket in T20 cricket by dismissing Matthew Forde for 15 off 10 balls with a boundary and a maximum to his name.
Ellis bowled a full and wide delivery outside off from around the wicket. Forde looked to go big down the ground but got a top edge and it went high up in the air. Captain Mitchell Marsh settled underneath it and took a good catch at mid-off. Akeal Hosein walked out to bat next as West Indies were 8 down with 2 overs to go. Adam Zampa got into the wicket-taking act as he got his first wicket dismissing Alzarri Joseph for 3 off 4 balls.
Zampa bowled from over the wicket full and tossed up around off, Joseph backed away and looked to go big down the ground but missed it. He got beaten on the outside edge and lost his off-stump as Zampa picked up a wicket in his 100th T20I. Jediah Blades came out to bat next and got off the mark. Hosein managed to get a boundary away off Zampa. At the end of 19 overs, West Indies were 165/9.
Nathan Ellis was greeted with a boundary from Akeal Hosein to start the final over. There was a run out to end the innings as the two batters wanted to steal a run and Ellis did well to dive from his follow through and hit the stumps at the striker’s end with Hosein short of his crease falling for 11 off 9 balls with 2 boundaries to his name. West Indies were bowled out for 170 in 19.4 overs. Just 4 extras conceded by Australia.
The bowlers of Australia did well to keep West Indies down to 170. Ben Dwarshuis was the pick of them finishing with 3/41 in 4 overs. Nathan Ellis supported him well and finished with 2/32 in 3.4 overs including a run out at the end. Aaron Hardie got a wicket in his 1/39 in 4 overs. Sean Abbott bowled a decent spell for his 1/30 in 4 overs. Glenn Maxwell bowled a solitary over giving away 6 runs and picking up a wicket. Adam Zampa in his 100th T20I finished with 1/20 in 3 overs. It meant Australia needed 171 to win the match and complete the series whitewash 5-0.
All-round batting display helps Australia complete the whitewash.
Chasing 171 for the win, captain Mitchell Marsh and Glenn Maxwell came out to open the batting for Australia. Marsh made his intentions clear by smashing 3 boundaries off 4 balls against Jediah Blades. But it was a horror show from Glenn Maxwell as he fell for a golden duck to Jason Holder.
Holder bowled from over the wicket good length shaping away from outside off, Maxwell poked at it well away from his body and got an outside edge down to short third. Jediah Blades juggled it around before completing the catch on the second attempt. The TV umpire was summoned to look at the clean catch but it was and OUT loaded on the screen. Josh Inglis came out to bat next and made his intentions clear by striking a boundary off the third ball he faced. He followed that up with another one before Holder hit back and got rid of Inglis for 10 off 5 balls with 2 fours to his name.
Holder kept it full on the middle stump nipping back in, Inglis presented the full face of the bat and chipped it to the left of mid-on where Forde moved to his left swiftly and take a sharp low catch just inches above the ground. Cameron Green came out to bat at 4. Alzarri Joseph came into the attack and got rid of the Australian captain Mitchell Marsh for 14 off 8 balls with 3 boundaries to his name.
Joseph bowled it on a hard length outside off nipping back in sharply off the surface. Marsh looked to defend from the crease but got beaten on the inside edge as the ball hit the top of off-stump. Tim David walked out to bat next. Green got a boundary away to get himself off the mark off Joseph. Tim David decided to unlock his beast mode once again as he smashed Jason Holder for a boundary and two maximums in the same over as he made his intentions pretty clear.
Joseph was not spared either as David hit him for 2 sixes in 3 balls before the bowler roared back and dismissed David for 30 off 12 balls with a boundary and 4 sixes to his name. Fuller length delivery on the leg stump from Joseph, David cleared his front leg and heaved it across the line. Hetmyer ran to his right from deep backward square leg to dive full length and completed a stunning catch. Mitchell Owen came out to bat next at 6 and got off the mark.
Matthew Forde was introduced into the attack to bowl the final over of powerplay and he bowled a relatively tight over. At the end of an action-packed powerplay, Australia were 67/4. Romario Shepherd came into the attack next and was hit for a boundary initially by Mitchell Owen and then by Cameron Green. Green then hit Matthew Forde for a boundary before going to the other end. Owen then decided to cut loose as he hit a boundary followed by two consecutive sixes as the 100 came up for Australia in 8 overs.
Green managed to hit Blades down the ground for a boundary before Owen came on strike and hit him for a boundary through deep midwicket and long-on before launching a maximum straight onto the roof of the stadium. Akeal Hosein was finally introduced into the attack after 9 overs and he struck straightaway getting rid of Mitchell Owen for 37 off 17 balls with 3 fours and 3 sixes to his name.
Hosein bowled it full and tossed up wide outside off getting it to grip and turn off the surface. Owen got down on one knee and went for the slog but got an outside edge that was taken by Alzarri Joseph at short third man. Aaron Hardie came out to bat next and got off the mark with a single. Australia at the end of 10 overs at the halfway stage of the chase were 124/5 with 47 more needed off 60 balls to complete the whitewash.
Alzarri Joseph after bowling one ball in his third over walked off the field injured due to hamstring issues. Romario Shepherd came to complete the over and was dispatched by Hardie for the maximum before Cameron Green hit the last ball of the over for a boundary hammering it down the ground. Akeal Hosein struck again in his second over as he got rid of the ever-reliable Cameron Green for 32 off 18 balls with 5 boundaries to the fence.
Hosein bowled it full and outside off. Green got down on one knee and looked to smash it down the ground. He didn’t get the timing right and it went straight up in the air. Two fielders converged for it but the short cover bailed out at the last moment. Forde, ran in from long-off kept his eyes on the ball and took a good catch. The ball popped out at the first attempt, but he managed to hold onto the catch. Ben Dwarshuis came out to bat next.
Hardie managed to get a boundary away off Holder through the gap between deep midwicket and long-on. Australia were playing out Akeal Hosein as the required rate was very much under control. Blades also bowled a tight over, but Australia did not mind it at this stage. Hardie then played a reverse sweep and got it away for a boundary to bring Australia closer to the win. Hosein was not to be denied another wicket as he got rid of Dwarshuis for 9 off 14 balls.
Hosein bowled a fuller length delivery on the leg stump, Dwarshuis looked to heave it away across the line and got a top edge that went high in the air. Jewel Andrew the substitute fielder settled underneath it at covers and took a good catch. Sean Abbott came out to bat next.
Runs came in singles in the first five balls off the 17th over before Abbott decided enough is enough and finished things off for Australia with a boundary as he hit the fuller length on the stumps delivery through deep midwicket for a boundary and completed the clean sweep. Abbott remained unbeaten on 5 off 3 balls with a boundary to his name while Hardie remained unbeaten on 28 off 25 balls with 2 fours and a six to his name. 8 extras conceded by West Indies as Australia got over the line in 17 overs with 3 wickets and as many overs to spare.
Akeal Hosein who was introduced very late by the West Indies was the pick of the bowlers with figures of 3/17 in 4 overs. Jason Holder picked up 2/36 in 3 overs while Alzarri Joseph could bowl only 2.1 overs before going off the field with hamstring injury. He finished with 2/21 in 2.1 overs. The others went wicketless and went for loads of runs. So, Australia win by 3 wickets with 3 overs to spare. The Player of the Match Award went to Ben Dwarshuis while the Player of the Series Award went to the ever-consistent Cameron Green.
What Lies Ahead
The West Indies-Australia series is over with Australia whitewashing them in both Tests and T20Is winning 8 matches out of 8 showing their dominance in the Caribbean and becoming the first full member nation to achieve this feat. West Indies have little time to breathe as they will host Pakistan for 3 T20IS and 3 ODIS. The T20I series starts in Florida on August 1st IST
Australia, on the other hand, will go back home and host South Africa soon in white ball engagements in August. So, a lot to look forward to for both teams. Australia building nicely for the T20 World Cup next year while West Indies with multiple issues to address ahead of the big event. Lots of cricketing actions awaits both teams going forward in August.
Also Read: WI vs AUS: Cameron Green’s Unbeaten 50 Leads Australia To Fourth Consecutive Win In Series