Australia surged to a commanding six-wicket win over the West Indies yesterday after their spinners strangled the home team’s batters in a lop-sided affair at the Providence National Stadium.
It was the Australian’s first match of the 2016 Day/Night Tri-Nations series.
After comfortably beating South Africa in the opening game, the hosts never looked into it and were gunned down in 32.3 overs for a measly 116, thanks mainly to Man-of-the-match off-spinner Nathan Lyon (3-39) and leg-spinner Adam Zampa (3-16) who spun webs around the batting line-up. Left-arm seamer Mitchell Starc bowled brilliantly upon return to international cricket, ending with 2-37. Johnson Charles (22) and Brathwaite (21) were the top-scorers for the home team.
In the end, opener David Warner saw his team home comfortably with an unbeaten, run-a-ball 55 his 15th One Day International (ODI)
half-century which piloted the visitors to 117-4 in 25.4 overs.
Off-spinner Sunil Narine claimed 2-36 and skipper Jason Holder and
left-arm spinner Sulieman chipped in with a wicket each for 21 runs.
Aaron Finch (19) and Warner played their natural aggressive game, carving the new-ball pair of Narine and Taylor for three fours apiece
as they took the total to 37 after the first six overs ended. The West Indies skipper struck in the 8th over, pinning the right-handed Finch
which left Australia 44-1.
Usman Khawaja struck five fours in his 27 and got his first set of runs in Guyana with a flick down fine-leg for four off Holder which
was complemented shortly after with a well-timed punch through the covers, taking the score to 54-1 at lunch.
When play resumed, the runs continued to flow but Benn’s knack of taking wickets came into effect again when he had the left-handed Khawaja caught square of the wicket by Holder, ending his 38-ball stay in the middle.
Narine landed a double blow to the Aussies, removing both Steven Smith (09) and the “Big Show” Glenn Maxwell (00) both leg before wicket (LBW) as the Caribbean side looked to claw their way back in the game. However, Warner would reach his fifty and the match ended shortly after as the visitors walked off the field with 146 balls to spare.
After losing the toss and being sent in to bat, the West Indies lost Andre Fletcher (4) who hit Starc for a four before holding out to Maxwell at cover. Hazelwood would have gotten another breakthrough but Smith made a mess of a catch in slip giving Johnson Charles (22) a life.
He soon after smacked Lyon for the first six of his team’s innings while Darren Bravo (19) flourished, hitting Starc for a couple of fours through cover before viciously pulling Hazelwood for a boundary to take the West Indies into the 30’s at the end of the powerplay.
The 11th over bowled by Marsh (1-5) saw the hosts bringing up their 50 but lost Bravo, who picked out Zampa at extra cover, a few overs after almost being caught in the same area, playing the same drive.
Shortly after, Starc during his second spell, bowled Charles with a beautiful in-swinging Yorker which Lyon followed up with a successful LBW shout to remove Marlon Samuels for 10.
Pollard, who took his team home in the first match with an unbeaten fifty, fell for a golden duck, playing a needless shot over long-on which was comfortably taken by Warner while the move to bring on Maxwell (1-3) in the 23rd over paid off as he trapped Denesh Ramdin leg before wicket for 12.
Zampa bowled Holder for one and Benn was caught and bowled by Lyon for three as the West Indies slipped to 91-8. Narine opened his account with a four off Lyon which was the first boundary for his team since the ninth over before Wade executed a good piece of stumping off Zampa to remove him for 12 while Brathwaite, who had already faced 48 balls was the last to go, caught by Finch in the deep after mistiming a shot off Zampa.
Match three will be played tomorrow with South African looking to register their first win against Australia.
Scoreboard
West Indies Innings
J Charles b Starc 22
A Fletcher c Maxwell b Starc 04
D Bravo c Zampa b Marsh 19
M Samuels b lbw Lyon 10
D Ramdin b lbw Maxwell 12
K Pollard c Warner b Lyon 00
C Brathwaite c Finch b Zampa 21
J Holder* b Zampa 01
S Benn c&b Lyon 03
S Narine stmp wkp Wade b Zampa 05
J Taylor not out 05
FOW:1-6, 2-50, 3-59, 4-70, 5-70, 6-85, 7-88, 8-91, 9-111, 10-116
Extras: (lb-3, w-9, nb-2) 14
Total: (all out 32.3 overs) 116
Bowling: Starc 9-0-37-2, Hazelwood 3-0-13 -0, Lyon 10-2-39-3, Marsh
3-1-5-1, Zampa 5.3-0-16-3, Maxwell 2-1-3-1
Australia Innings
D Warner not out 55
A Finch lbw b Holder 19
U Khawaja c Holder b Benn 27
S Smith* lbw b Narine 06
G Maxwell b 00
M Marsh not out 09
FOW: 1-44, 2-85, 3-92, 4-92
Extras: (lb-1) 1
Total: (4 wickets) 117
Bowling: Narine 10-2-36-2, Taylor 3-0-20-0, Benn 6-0-21-1, Holder
3-0-21-1, Brathwaite 3-0-14-0, Fletcher 0.4-0-4-0
