Josh Inglis batted like a man possessed as his breath-taking knock decimated West Indies as Australia went 2-0 up in the 5-match series winning by 8 wickets and 28 balls to spare. Put into bat first, West Indies rode on a half-century from Brandon King alongside a quick 36 off 15 balls from the Farewell Man Andre Russell and 18* off 9 balls from Gudakesh Motie to post 172/8 in 20 overs.
In reply, Australia lost makeshift opener Glenn Maxwell for 12 while captain Mitchell Marsh made 21 off 17 balls. But it was the Josh Inglis show as he scored a breath-taking 78* off 33 balls ably supported by Cameron Green who scored an invaluable 56* off 32 balls. The duo put on an unbroken 131 run stand for the third wicket and crushed West Indies away. The hosts had themselves to blame for the dropped catches they did in Jamaica.
Adam Zampa’s 3-wicket haul restricts West Indies to 172
Put into bat first on Andre Russell’s final game, Brandon King and captain Shai Hope came out to open the innings. King started with a bang hitting a boundary off Kuhnemann to start the innings. King survived a caught behind appeal down the leg side as the Aussies burnt a review. The opening duo gave West Indies a solid start in the powerplay. King survived a close stumping call as well but he was doing most of the scoring in the powerplay.
There were some quiet overs but King from time to time broke the shackles by hitting a six off Dwarshuis. Kuhnemann was also dealt with in the 5th over as King hit him for 2 fours and as many sixes in the over as 20 runs came off that over. At the end of the powerplay, West Indies were off to a solid start at 49/0 with King scoring 41* off 29 balls and Hope on 5* off 7 balls.
Soon, the 50-run stand came up as Cooper Connolly was hit for a maximum by Brandon King. King completed his fifty off 33 balls and it was his 12th in T20Is. But Adam Zampa provided the breakthrough getting rid of King for 51 off 36 balls laced with 3 fours and 4 sixes to his name. Zampa bowled a length ball outside off turned away, King stepped down and looked to go big down the ground. The ball gets the outside edge towards the point region where Cameron Green ran back and took a superb catch over his shoulder. Shimron Hetmyer joined Hope in the middle now.
Soon, Glenn Maxwell came into the attack and struck straightaway getting rid of Shai Hope for 9 off 13 balls. Maxwell bowled full and outside off from over the wicket. Hope bent his back knee and looked to go over long-off and mistimed it straight up in the air. Mitchell Marsh at mid-off ran backward and took a spectacular catch to end the struggling innings of Hope. Roston Chase walked out to bat at 4.
Chase was given a reprieve as Mitchell Marsh dropped a tough chance at short extra cover off Adam Zampa. At the halfway stage when Drinks was taken, West Indies were 72/2 with Australia pegging things back nicely. Hetmyer hit Glenn Maxwell for a maximum in the 11th over while he survived a close LBW call against Maxwell via Umpire’s Call. But Maxwell was not to be denied as he got rid of Hetmyer the very next ball and got his second wicket.
Maxwell bowled a length ball on the leg stump, Hetmyer went deep in his crease and pulled it straight into the hands of Nathan Ellis at deep square leg. The shot was on but the batter failed to get power and elevation on it and departed for 14 off 10 balls with a maximum to his name. Former Captain Rovman Powell came to bat next. Some tight overs followed as both Chase and Powell were trying to rebuild. Chase hit Zampa for a maximum to put pressure on him but Zampa had his revenge the very next ball.
Zampa bowled a fuller length tossed up outside off. It was a leg break that Chase looked to go down the ground again. He managed to get an inside edge that rolled back to hit the off-stump. Chase departed for 16 off 16 balls with 1 six to his name as Sherfane Rutherford came out to bat next. Rutherford lasted two balls and fell to Zampa for a silver duck. Zampa bowled full and tossed up around leg stump, Rutherford cleared his front leg and looked to heave it across the line. He mistimed it and the ball landed straight into the hands of Cameron Green who made no mistake.
Andre Russell walked out to bat in his final match and got off the mark straightaway. Russell made his intentions clear as he smashed the first ball off the 15th over for the maximum to bring up the 100 for West Indies in 14.1 overs and followed it up with another maximum off the next ball. He hit another one off the 4th ball of the over as 19 runs came off Dwarshuis over as Russell was in the mood. West Indies were 118/5 in 15 overs with the death overs to follow.
Even Adam Zampa was not spared as Dre Russ hit him for a boundary and a six off consecutive balls. Zampa was feeling the heat and bowled wide deliveries outside off under pressure as he gave away 15 runs in the over. Nathan Ellis was brought back into the attack and was greeted with a boundary by Russell. Rovman Powell got a reprieve as Cooper Connolly dropped a sitter at deep cover point off Ellis. But soon Ellis silenced the crowd by getting rid of Andre Russell in the 5th ball of the over.
Ellis bowled a full delivery outside off, Russell swung too hard and lost his shape as he looked to go down the ground. Russell got a top edge that went straight up in the air. Inglis called for it and took the catch as Russell got a hug from Tim David, Glenn Maxwell and others as he made his final walk back to the pavilion acknowledged his bat to the crowd who were chanting his name. Jason Holder came into bat next but he too did not last long.
Ben Dwarshuis got the wicket off Holder by bowling full and outside off. Holder looked to clear long-on but failed to time it and ended up chipping straight to Glenn Maxwell who took it without breaking a sweat. Holder departed for 1 off 3 balls as Gudakesh Motie came out to bat next. Powell hit Nathan Ellis for a boundary to start the 19th over but Ellis had his revenge the following ball.
Ellis bowled the short ball outside off with pace off the ball, Powell looked to drag it into the leg side and mistimed the pull shot high in the air to the left of deep square leg. Cameron Green moved to his left and took it comfortably in the end. Alzarri Joseph was the next batter to walk in and got off the mark straightaway. Motie decided to cut loose and hit a six and a boundary off consecutive deliveries to propel the score higher. West Indies were 160/8 in 19 overs.
Alzarri Joseph was given a reprieve off the 4th ball off the final over as Dwarshuis dropped the catch off Mitchell Owen at deep third man. Motie cleared the ropes once again in the following ball and ran through for a bye as West Indies ended up with 172/8 in 20 overs. 13 extras were conceded by the Australian bowlers.
From Australia’s point of view, Adam Zampa was the pick of the bowlers with figures of 3/29 in 4 overs. He was ably supported by Glenn Maxwell who finished with 2/15 in 2 overs. Nathan Ellis bowled well for his 2/34 in 4 overs. Ben Dwarshuis picked up a wicket as well as he finished with 1/37 in 4 overs. No wickets for Matthew Kuhnemann, Cooper Connolly, and Mitchell Owen. That meant a target of 173 for Australia to win the match and take a 2-0 lead in the 5-match series.
Josh Inglis and Cameron Green leads Australia to clinical win.
Captain Mitchell Marsh walked out to bat with makeshift opening batter Glenn Maxwell and Maxwell took first strike. Maxwell began with a bang hitting Akeal Hosein for a boundary and maximum off consecutive deliveries in the first over. But Maxwell’s innings was cut short by Jason Holder for 12 off 10 balls. Holder bowled a good length delivery pitching around off and shaping away from the batter. Maxwell followed the line of the ball and looked to play with a slightly open-faced bat. He ended up getting a thick outside edge to the keeper as Hope takes the catch.
Josh Inglis joined Mitchell Marsh at the crease at 13/1 in 2 overs. Marsh hit a boundary off Hosein in the next over. Marsh was looking to dominate proceedings as he hit Holder for a maximum. Josh Inglis then joined the party as he hit Hosein for another boundary. Russell then put down a tough chance off Mitchell Marsh at cover point putting in the dive but unable to hold on. Hosein was the bowler. Alzarri Joseph was greeted with the maximum by Marsh but Joseph had the last laugh over the Australian captain in the end.
Joseph bowled a good length delivery angled into the middle stump, Marsh stayed back and looked to whack across the line using his wrists but got a thick top edge on it. The ball ballooned up in the air where Hope ran to his left to take the catch safely. Marsh had to depart for 21 off 17 balls with one four and a six to his name. Cameron Green came out to bat at 4 to join Josh Inglis as Australia ended the powerplay at 45/2 in 6 overs.
The big moments in the match came in the very next over after powerplay off the bowling off Gudakesh Motie. First Inglis was dropped by Russell running back from cover point and made a mess of it. Then in the very next ball, Cameron Green was dropped by Motie off his own bowling. A tough chance as the bowler hurt his finger as well. These two moments really came back to haunt the West Indies as catches win matches at the end of the day. Green was again dropped by keeper Hope off Motie off the same over and Green added insult to injury by hitting a boundary off the last ball of the over.
Runs started to flow for Australia from here on as Alzarri Joseph was hit for a maximum by Inglis off the first ball and followed it up with consecutive boundaries off the last two balls of the 8th over. Inglis was in no mood to let up while Green was playing slowly as he hit Motie for the maximum and a boundary in the next over as runs were coming like a rampaging river for the Aussies. Roston Chase was also greeted by a maximum this time by Cameron Green who joined in the fun. At the halfway stage of the chase, Australia were well-placed at 95/2 in 10 overs needing a further 78 runs from the last 60 balls.
Soon, the 100 came up for Australia in 10.4 overs as Hosein bowled a tight over and finished his spell. Andre Russell in his final game came onto bowl and he was welcomed with a gigantic maximum as Inglis got to his fifty off just 22 balls. He followed that up with a boundary next ball and another boundary after that as 16 came off that over. Cameron Green switched his tempo and hit a maximum and a boundary in the 13th over.
Another chance went begging when Jason Holder dropped Inglis running back from his follow through as the ball evaded him. Green then hit a maximum off Holder the very next ball before Inglis came back on strike and hit Holder for a maximum and a boundary as Australia were rattling along now. Cameron Green then hit Alzarri Joseph for a maximum and a boundary to complete his fifty off 28 balls, his second consecutive fifty in this series. Inglis also hit another maximum off Joseph as he was massacred on the day. He went for 50 in 3 overs.
Soon, the winning moment came when Cameron Green hit a couple of 2s in the 16th over and hit the winning runs as Australia got over the line with 8 wickets and 28 balls to spare. Josh Inglis finished with 78* off 33 balls laced with 7 fours and 5 sixes while Cameron Green finished with 56* off 32 balls laced with 3 fours and 4 sixes. 6 extras conceded by the West Indies.
Just two wickets taken by the West Indies. They were Jason Holder and Alzarri Joseph who also went for 50 in his 3 overs. The rest were wicketless and were taken to the cleaners as no one was spared by this Inglis-Green duo who put on a record-breaking 131-run stand off 59 balls for the third wicket. For his explosive batting, Josh Inglis was awarded the Player of the Match award.
What Lies Ahead
The caravan will now move to Warner Park in St. Kitts for the remaining T20IS. The third one will be on Saturday morning IST with the Aussies already up 2-0 and looking to seal the series in the third match itself. Can the West Indies fight back and keep the series alive? Only time will tell.
The first two matches has been enjoyable and good to watch and we expect more of the same in St. Kitts when action resumes over the weekend.
Also Read: WI vs AUS: 3 Reasons For West Indies’ Nerve-Wrecking Defeat Against Australia