West Indies took an unassailable 3-0 lead over Australia in the ongoing five-match T20I series this Monday in St Lucia with star performances from spin twins Fabian Allen, Hayden Walsh and the mighty Chris Gayle.
The duo of Allen and Walsh put the breaks on Australia through their quota of four overs each and shared three wickets between them, ending with fantastic figures of 1/26 and 2/18, respectively.
Experienced all-rounder Dwayne Bravo (1/17) also chipped in with a breakthrough during his economic spell. Australia could manage only a modest total of 141/6 after opting to bat upon losing the toss.
Lack of clarity and execution with the bat held back the visitors once again. While opening batsman Matthew Wade (23 off 16) got them off to a bit of a flier, the rest couldn’t get going as they needed to against an opposition known for its power-hitting.
Captain Aaron Finch made a painstaking 30 off 31 balls to perhaps sum up Australia’s misery, while Moises Henriques‘ 33 off 29 balls and Ashton Turner’s 24 off 22 balls were the other contributions of any note.
For West Indies, if they were to get one wish fulfilled at the start of the run-chase, it would’ve been to see Chris Gayle back in form. The giant left-hand batsman had endured a difficult period since his return to the West Indies colours earlier in the season against South Africa and needed an innings to reinforce the value he brings to the table.
And that’s what transpired as he blazed his willow for a superlative knock of 67 off 38 balls after Windies had a quiet beginning to their quest to reach the 147-run target. The hosts lost their openers Andre Fletcher (4) and Lendl Simmons (15) without troubling the scorers much, but Gayle ensured that early hiccups don’t swing the momentum back in Australia’s favour.
He characteristically struck 7 sixes during his innings, including also 4 fours, and had nearly sealed the game West Indies’ way when he was dismissed in the 12th over of the chase.
One other positive on the batting front for the Calypso Kings will be the signs that stand-in captain Nicholas Pooran showed with the bat after looking out of form this season. Pooran, taking his time while batting alongside Gayle, eventually got into his zone and saw his team through with an unbeaten 32 off 27 deliveries.
Left-arm quick Mitchell Starc was the only in-control bowler for the Aussies, ending with figures of 1/15 off his 4 overs. Even though right-arm pacer Riley Meredith took three wickets, he conceded as many as 48 runs for those facing up to the Gayle force.
Perhaps the big difference for West Indies from the South Africa series to this one has been the ability of their spinners to outbowl the likes of Adam Zampa, unlike Proteas’ Tabraiz Shamsi. Zampa delivered another expensive spell of 0/34. He is yet to pick up a wicket in the series and has gone for 9.30 runs per over.
Brief scores
Australia 141/6 in 20 overs (Moises Henriques 33, Aaron Finch 30; Hayden Walsh 2/18) lost to West Indies 142/4 in 14.5 overs (Chris Gayle 67, Nicholas Pooran 32; Riley Meredith 3/48) by six wickets
