HOBART, Australia, CMC – West Indies squandered a high-octane half-century opening stand to crash to an 11-run defeat to Australia in the opening Twenty20 International of the three-match series here yesterday.
With the Caribbean side in pursuit of a challenging 214 at Bellerive Oval, Brandon King lashed 53 off 37 and his opening partner Johnson Charles, a pulsating 42 off 25 deliveries, the pair putting their side in command of the contest in a stand of 89 off 51 balls.
However, once both perished within the space of 14 balls with 11 runs added, West Indies lost wickets and ultimately momentum, Jason Holder’s 18-ball 34 at number nine overshadowed by a burdensome asking rate of 17 off the last three overs.
“In the middle we struggled to get a partnership but it was still a good game of cricket. We’ve just got to back ourselves a little bit more,” said captain Rovman Powell.
Veteran left-hander David Warner had earlier top-scored with 70 off 36 deliveries in his 100th T20 International as Australia piled up 213 for seven off their 20 overs, after being sent in.
The 37-year-old struck a dozen fours and a six, laying the foundation for the hosts’ total in a 93-run, opening stand with Josh Inglish, who counted five fours and a six in a 25-ball knock. Like West Indies, once the pair departed, the innings fell away somewhat, with only Tim David counter-punching with a 17-ball unbeaten 37, which included four fours and two sixes. Seamer Holder broke the opening stand in the eighth over when he got Inglis to hole out to mid off and Warner added a further 36 for the second wicket with Mitchell Marsh (16) before becoming one of four wickets to tumble for 30 runs, leaving the innings stumbling on 159 for five in the 16th over. Warner was third out, gloving a leg-side pull to wicketkeeper Nicholas Pooran in the 13th over, off Joseph (2-46).
David then propped up the innings in a sixth wicket partnership, posting exactly 50 off 24 balls with Matthew Wade (21).
Medium-fast Andre Russell grabbed three for 43, two of his wickets coming in the final over as West Indies managed to limit the Aussie scoring to 61 runs from the last five overs.
In reply, King and Charles put the hosts’ bowling to the sword, West Indies galloping to 74 without loss off the first power-play.
King belted seven fours and a six in his ninth T20I fifty while Charles carved out half-dozen fours and a six before picking out Warner on the ropes at deep cover in the ninth over.
King followed soon after, pulling medium pacer Marcus Stoinis (2-20) to Sean Abbott on the ropes at deep square and when Powell (14) holed out to deep cover off off-spinner Glenn Maxwell, West Indies were stuttering at 115 for three at the end of the 12th. Former captain Pooran (18) and One-Day skipper Shai Hope (16) tried to revive the chase in a 26-run, fourth wicket stand but Stoinis struck again in the 15th, getting Hope to sky to backward square – the right-hander becoming one of five wickets to tumble for 22 runs as leg-spinner Adam Zampa (3-26) ripped through the middle.
With his side stalling on 163 for eight in the 18th over, Holder flexed his shoulders to clobber three fours and two sixes in a 44-run, unbroken ninth wicket partnership with Akeal Hosein (seven not out), but the 27 runs required from the final over proved out of reach.
