T20I – The 592 Dugout

Mavi impresses on debut as India defend 162

India prevailed in a low-scoring thriller thanks to late runs from Deepak Hooda and Axar Patel, and exceptional seam bowling from an attack missing Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh and Mohammed Shami. The Wankhede pitch was anything but the batting paradise it usually is in T20 cricket: there was grip for spinners, which Sri Lanka used well, before the new ball seamed around for India’s quicks.

Ishan Kishan got India off to a quick start before the spinners pulled them back. Hooda and Axar then added 68 in 5.5 overs to take India to 162. On the same pitch, India found assistance for fast bowlers with Hardik Pandya joining debutant Shivam Mavi, Umran Malik and Harshal Patel in causing damage.

Sri Lanka had a brief recovery from 68 for 5 through captain Dasun Shanaka’s 45 off 27, but Axar managed to defend 12 in a last-over gamble.

Theekshana, Hasaranga slow India down

With all three of KL Rahul, Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma missing, India played only one anchor batter in debutant Shubman Gill. Kishan got them off to a rollicking start, taking 26 off the first two overs, but then the masters went to work. Theekshana hardly bowled anything to pull or drive with his subtle variations causing more jeopardy. Gill picked a carrom ball, but it landed on the leather to skid on with the angle to trap him lbw.

Needing a big sixth over to salvage the powerplay, Suryakumar Yadav, finally getting to bat at No. 3, cue-ended the first ramp he attempted. This seam-up delivery had come on slowly off the surface.

Looking at the grip available, Shanaka cleverly slipped in an over of Dhananjaya de Silva before introducing Hasaranga. In that over, de Silva had Sanju Samson mistiming two slogs, the second of which had him caught at short third man.

Then Hasaranga spun his web during the partnership between Kishan and Pandya. Eventually Kishan, who had gone from 17 off 8 to 36 off 27, felt the need to slog-sweep everything. When that is happening, Hasaranga makes sure he picks up wickets. A wrong’un had Kishan caught at deep midwicket.

When the returning Dilshan Madushanka had Pandya cramped for room and nicking off, India had lost half their side for under 100.

Hooda, Axar give India the finishing kick

It started with the first loose ball from Theekshana. Probably looking to get out of the spell, Theekshana dragged down an attempted wrong’un in the 16th over. Hooda got going with that pulled six. And what do you know, Theekshana then responded with driving length for the first time, and Hooda picked it up over midwicket for another six. Hasaranga had one over at the death, and Hooda managed to pull one six off him too as he went flatter to get out of that over.

Kasun Rajitha and Madushanka closed out well but India managed 34 off the last three. Hooda ended with 41 off 23, Axar 31 off 20.

Fiery start from India

Pandya bowled the first over and found movement off the surface. It then made sense to have Mavi share the new ball because Malik and Harshal don’t often stand the seam up. With his fifth ball in international cricket, Mavi had Pathum Nissanka bowled with seam movement back in. Pandya followed it up with a tight over, and Mavi responded with de Silva’s wicket, caught at mid-on.

Pandya bowled through the powerplay, and Malik kept the pressure up with high pace and accurate radar. Charith Asalanka top-edged a pull, which Kishan ran back to take with a spectacular dive. Harshal was lucky that Kusal Mendis timed a cut so well it carried straight to deep cover. His second wicket was proper deception, though, with Bhanuka Rajapaksa tricked early into a shot.

Shanaka threatens India

Amid all that, it appeared Shanaka was playing on a different surface. Everything he hit came sweetly off the bat. When Hasaranga joined him with two successive slog-swept sixes off Yuzvendra Chahal in the 14th over, Sri Lanka were well and truly back with 56 needed off the last six.

This is when India’s bowling depth came in handy. They could have decided now to bowl no spin at all with 47 off four overs of spin till then. Mavi came back to have Hasaranga caught at mid-off, and Malik returned to have Shanaka caught at extra cover.

The final twist

It seemed all over with 29 required off the last two with two wickets in hand, but Harshal bowled an ordinary 19th over to let Sri Lanka back. There was a no-ball, a wide, two full tosses and a half-tracker to let Karunaratne bring it down to 13 needed off the last over.

Two curious events happened around the last ball of the 19th over. Karunaratne took the single off the last ball, which meant Rajitha would be on strike at the start of the next over. Then Pandya, who had an over left but had suffered a cramp earlier, asked Axar to bowl the last over. Karunaratne got an early six in to make it five off three. Axar, though, got a dot with a wide ball and then conceded just singles off the last two balls, not letting the batter get under the ball.

(Story from ESPNcricinfo by Sidharth Monga)

Rampaul & Chase named in West Indies T20 World Cup squad

The Cricket West Indies (CWI) Selection Panel today announced the West Indies squad for the International Cricket Council’s (ICC) Men’s T20 World Cup, 2021. The panel named fifteen (15) players and four (4) travelling reserves for the marquee event which will be played in the United Arab Emirates and Oman from October 17 to November 14, 2021.

West Indies are the defending world champions and only two-time winners of the ICC T20 World Cup, winning in 2012 against Sri Lanka at the Premadasa in Colombo then four years later in 2016 against England in Kolkata. The West Indies now have the opportunity to create further history by becoming the first team to win a hat-trick of ICC T20 World Cup victories.

Experienced bowler Ravi Rampaul, a member of the 2012 winning World Cup squad, has been recalled for the first time since 2015. All-rounder Roston Chase is called up to the West Indies T20I squad for the first time.

Roger Harper, CWI’s Lead Selector said:

“The squad is one with good depth and strength in all departments. There is tremendous T20 experience along with World Cup winning experience which should stand the team in good stead. This squad is made up of many world-beating players who, once knitted into a world-beating team, will be extremely difficult to beat. I expect the team to do very well and with the ‘rub of the green’ I think the team has a good chance of defending the title.”

Harper added:

“Ravi Rampaul is a highly experienced bowler who performed well in the last CG Insurance Super50 Cup and the current Hero CPL to date. He will boost the team’s wicket-taking options in the power-play and the middle phase and will provide another option for the death overs. Roston Chase has shown that he is a very capable T20 player. He performed well in the CPL in 2020 and has been outstanding in the 2021 edition so far. He has shown the ability to knit the innings together while still scoring at a fast rate with a low dot-ball percentage. He will be an excellent foil for the explosive players in the team.”

West Indies have been drawn in Group 1 and will play five group games against England, South Africa and Australia along with the winner of Round 1 Group A (Sri Lanka, Ireland, the Netherlands, and Namibia) and the runner-up from Round 1 Group B (Bangladesh, Scotland, Papua New Guinea, and Oman). West Indies’ first group game will be against England in Dubai on October 23.

The groupings:

Round 1

Group A: Sri Lanka, Ireland, the Netherlands, and Namibia
Group B: Bangladesh, Scotland, Papua New Guinea, and Oman

(Top two teams from each group advance to Super 12s)

Super 12s

Group 1: England, Australia, South Africa, West Indies, A1 and B2.

Group 2: India, Pakistan, New Zealand, Afghanistan, A2 and B1.

(Top two teams from each group advance to the semi-finals)

West Indies Match Schedule

October 23: v England in Dubai (6pm UAE time, 10am Eastern Caribbean/9am Jamaica)

October 26: v South Africa in Dubai (2pm UAE time, 6am Eastern Caribbean/5am Jamaica)

October 29: v B2 in Sharjah (2pm UAE time, 8am Eastern Caribbean/7am Jamaica)

November 4: v A1, in Abu Dhabi (6pm UAE time, 10am Eastern Caribbean/9am Jamaica)

November 6: v Australia in Abu Dhabi (2pm UAE time, 6am Eastern Caribbean/5am Jamaica)

SEMI-FINALS

November 10: Group 1 winner v Group 1 second in Abu Dhabi (6pm UAE time, 10am Eastern Caribbean/9am Jamaica)

November 11: Group B winner v Group A second in Dubai (6pm UAE time, 10am Eastern Caribbean/9am Jamaica)

FINAL

November14: Final in Dubai (6pm UAE time, 10am Eastern Caribbean/9am Jamaica)

Tickets for Windies vs Pakistan matches in Guyana go on sale from Wednesday

The West Indies returns to Guyana and fully vaccinated fans will be able to see the T20 team in action as they continue preparations for the ICC T20 World Cup slated for October later this year. The reigning T20 World Champions will face-off against Pakistan at the Guyana National Stadium in the final three matches of the Osaka Presents PSO Cup on Saturday (July 31), Sunday (August 1) and Tuesday (August 3).

First ball bowls off at 11am (10am Jamaica Time) on each match day. These are the final three T20I matches that the West Indies play in the Caribbean in 2021 prior to selecting the squad for the ICC T20 World Cup.

The Government of the Cooperative Republic of Guyana and the Guyana Cricket Board (GCB) in partnership with Cricket West Indies (CWI) have come together to ensure that fully vaccinated fans can be in attendance. Fully vaccinated fans are those who have received their second dose of COVID-19 vaccine at least one (1) week before the date of the match they will be attending. Also, spectators will need to wear facemasks to gain entry to the matches and will be required to keep wearing their masks throughout. Fans will also need to remain socially distanced at all times.

Johnny Grave, CEO of CWI said: “As we make a welcome return to Guyana there is great anticipation and expectation as our passionate loyal supporters will get a chance to see the West Indies in action. This is great news for our fans who we know will be eager to attend the three Osaka Presents PSO Cup West Indies vs Pakistan T20Is at the National Stadium at Providence. In the build-up to the matches, we have worked with our colleagues at the GCB and the Government to make sure all the necessary protocols are in place and all requirements are met to ensure the safety of players, officials, and spectators. Our T20 team has been in superb form and we hope to see them continue in this vein and give the people of Guyana and the whole of the West Indies plenty to shout about.”

Tickets prices are $4,000(GYD) for each match. There are three locations where fans can make ticket purchases: GCB office-Regent Road, Bourda, Imran & Son -73 ‘A’ Rosehall Town, Berbice, and at Imam Bacchus & Sons -Affiance, Essequibo Coast. Ticket sales will start on Wednesday. July 28,2021 and will be available every day from 9:00am- 5:00pm.

For fans to get a ticket and gain access to the stadium, the following steps must be taken to meet COVID-19 match protocols:

Ticket office location is at the main entrance to Guyana National Stadium.
Ministry of Health officials will be on hand to validate vaccination documentation and check tickets and ID.
Fans will need to present their ID, cricket ticket and vaccination documentation to be allowed entry.
Fans will need to wear face masks at all times and social distance in the stadium.
Fans will be accommodated in all stands but will not be admitted to the grass mound.
No re-entry allowed if fans leave the venue.
Under-18s will not be allowed entry.
Fans will be able to purchase tickets for themselves, friends and family members
Tickets will be available from 9:00am to 5:00pm on non-match days and 7:00am to 11:00am on match days.

Additionally, with vendors not available in the stadium, fans will be allowed to bring their own food and non-alcoholic drinks. The following list of restrictions must be adhered to for entry into the ground on match day:

Fans can bring in coolers of a size that can fit under their seat (12x12x12).
Any ice in coolers must remain bagged to allow security inspection of coolers.
Glass bottles of any kind are not allowed.
Alcohol of any kind is not allowed.
No knives, sharp metal objects, or firearms

Windies & Pakistan to play revised 4-match T20I series, 40% capacity crowd for Guyana matches

Cricket West Indies (CWI) and the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) today announced a revised match schedule for the upcoming “Osaka Presents PSO Carient T20 Cup” between the West Indies and Pakistan in the Caribbean. Additionally, the Government of Guyana will be allowing 40% capacity for fully vaccinated fans to attend the matches slated for July 31, August 1 and 3 at the National Stadium, Providence.

The National Stadium has a capacity of approximately 15,000 which means just about 6,000 fans will be allowed entry. Fans who have received their second dose of COVID-19 vaccine two weeks before the date of the matches are eligible to attend the matches.

In addition facemasks must be worn by persons at all times, and they must present their national identification card and vaccination documentation for admission to the venue.

A four-match T20 International (T20I) series, has been agreed, scheduled to start on Wednesday, July 28 at Kensington Oval, Barbados. The first ball is 10am (9am Jamaica Time) for the first match, with the final three to be played at the Guyana National Stadium on Saturday, July 31; Sunday, August 1 and Tuesday, August 3 at 11am (10am Jamaica Time).

The adjustment to the Osaka Presents PSO Carient T20 Cup schedule was necessary due to the changes to the fixtures for the ongoing CG Insurance One-Day International (ODI) Series between West Indies and Australia, which are part of the International Cricket Council’s ODI Super League, which concludes on Monday, July 26.

Ricky Skerritt, CWI President said: “Together with the PCB, CWI have examined various scenarios, and we jointly agreed that the best solution in the present circumstances is to cancel the first T20I and play a four-match T20I series starting on Wednesday and keep the rest of the tour schedule unchanged. We want to express our gratitude to the PCB Chairman, Ehsan Mani and CEO, Wasim Khan and the Pakistan team for their understanding in this situation and for agreeing to the revised match schedule. Both teams are in the final stages of preparing for the ICC T20 World Cup, so we anticipate an exciting and entertaining series of games as both teams compete for Osaka Presents PSO Carient T20 Cup.”

West Indies, the two-time World Champions (2012 and 2016), are using this series as part of their build-up to the next ICC T20 World Cup which will be played from October 17 to November 14 in the United Arab Emirates and Oman. They enter the series on the back of a 4-1 triumph over Australia in the recent CG Insurance T20Is at the Daren Sammy Cricket Ground in Saint Lucia. Pakistan won the ICC T20 World Cup in 2009.

Following the Osaka Presents PSO Carient T20 Cup, West Indies and Pakistan will then play two Betway Test matches at Sabina Park in Jamaica from August 12-16 and then from August 20-24. This is the first Test Series for the West Indies in the new 2021-2023 ICC World Test Championship.

FULL MATCH SCHEDULE

July 27: 1st Osaka Presents PSO Carient T20 Cup match at Kensington Oval – 10am local (9am Jamaica Time)

July 31: 2nd Osaka Presents PSO Carient T20 Cup match at Guyana National Stadium – 11am local (10am Jamaica)

August 1: 3rd Osaka Presents PSO Carient T20 Cup match at Guyana National Stadium – 11am local (10am Jamaica)

August 3: 4th Osaka Presents PSO Carient T20 Cup match at Guyana National Stadium – 11am local (10am Jamaica)

August 12-16: 1st Betway Test at Sabina Park – 10am Jamaica Time (11am Eastern Caribbean)

August 20-24: 2nd Betway Test at Sabina Park – 10am Jamaica Time (11am Eastern Caribbean)

Pooran, Holder half-centuries hands WI series leveling 4 wicket victory

A magnificent partnership between Jason Holder and Nicholas Pooran carried West Indies to a spectacular win in the second CG Insurance T20 International on Saturday night.

Holder made 52 on his home soil with a number of stunning shots – including a massive pull over square leg for six. Pooran saw the team to victory and ended on 59 not out – which included two huge sixes off spinner Ashton Turner – the first which cleared the boundary at the Malcolm Marshall End and the second which sailed over extra-cover and way beyond the boundary rope.

***Akeal Hosein returned excellent figures of 3-30 (10 overs).***

In the process the left-hander became the third fastest West Indian in history to reach 1,000 runs in ODI cricket in his 27th innings. The home side made 191-6 off 38 overs to win with 72 balls to spare and level the series 1 -1. This has set up a series-decider on Monday at the same venue.

The pair came together with the home side on 72-5 in the 15th over and added 93 in 20 overs to dominate the contest after Australia were bowled out for 189. The match ended in sensational fashion when Alzarri Joseph hoisted a flighted delivery from Turner over square leg for the winning boundary.

Earlier, Australia were in dire straits at 45-6 when left-arm spinner Akeal Hosein bowled a penetrative spell of 10-0-30-3. He triggered the slide when he had Moises Henriques caught at slip by Jason Holder, then cleaned bowled left-hander Alex Carey and Turner which perfectly pithed deliveries.

Joseph was also on the ball and had excellent figures of 8.1-0-39-3 including Wes Agar, who top scored with 41 before he was last man out.

West Indies vs Australia ODI series to resume today following negative PCR tests

Following meetings between Cricket West Indies (CWI) and Cricket Australia (CA) on Friday evening, after earlier discussions with the Barbados Cricket Association (BCA) and the Government of Barbados medical officials, CWI is pleased to announce that the CG Insurance One-Day International (ODI) Series will resume on Saturday and conclude on Monday.

The second ODI was suspended on Thursday and will now continue at 2:30pm (local time) on Saturday, with Australia having won the toss and elected to bat at Kensington Oval.

Ricky Skerritt, CWI President confirmed:

“We are happy to be able to announce the restart of the CG Insurance ODI series at Kensington Oval tomorrow. We want to thank our counterparts at CA for their co-operation in this matter as we look to get the games going again. Special thanks to our CEO Johnny Grave, Chairman of Cricket Australia, Earl Eddings, his CEO Nick Hockley along with our respective medical and operations teams. I appreciate the crucial role of the BCA and the Government of Barbados for working closely with CWI to ensure everything is in place for resuming the series. “
“It has been a challenging two days and we have worked very swiftly and safely, following all the established medical protocols, to make sure that all necessary precautions are in place to ensure that we can go-ahead to resume play safely, tomorrow. We will continue to monitor the situation and respond accordingly.”
On Thursday, the second CG Insurance ODI between West Indies and Australia was suspended after the toss, due to a positive COVID-19 test result from a non-playing member of the West Indies squad and discussions between local health officials and the CWI and CA Medical Teams before the start of play.

All members of the West Indies and Australia teams and coaching staff, as well as match officials, event staff and TV production crew were immediately tested for COVID-19 back at the hotel with everyone isolated in their rooms until all 152 persons returned negative results. The CG Insurance ODI Series forms part of the International Cricket Council’s (ICC) ODI Super League where both teams are aiming to win points towards securing automatic qualification for the 2023 ICC Cricket World Cup in India.

Following the CG Insurance ODI Series, West Indies are scheduled to face Pakistan in five (5) T20 Internationals and two (2) Test Matches. CWI will meet with the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) in the coming days to discuss any necessary changes to the match schedule.

CWI has been working closely with Local Ministries of Health to operate strict bio-secure bubbles successfully during the past year, and will continue to prioritize the health, safety and wellbeing for all concerned.

Lewis stars with the bat, WI fielders wrap up 4-1 series win

In what should prove a confidence-boosting performance for West Indies ahead of the ICC T20 World Cup, the victory sealed a 4-1 series win against their Super 12 group opponents.

Electing to bat, West Indies set Australia a target of 200 to win thanks to a 34-ball 79 from Lewis and held the tourists to 183/9, with an incredible Fabian Allen catch triggering Australia’s demise with the bat.

The hosts raced out of the blocks, scoring 40 runs in the first four overs before Adam Zampa (2/30) bowled Andre Fletcher for 12.

That was the leggie’s first delivery of the match, but his day quickly took an ugly turn as Chris Gayle collected 20 runs from the first five balls he faced, hitting Zampa for two fours and two sixes.

Lewis, who had already hit three sixes and a four by that stage, then hit two more sixes and two more fours in a single 21-run over from Jason Behrendorff (0/46).

Mitchell Swepson’s (1/41) introduction brought an end to Gayle’s innings on 21, but there was no stopping Lewis, who reached his half-century in 23 balls in the eighth over. He celebrated the fifty by hitting four consecutive sixes across two overs from Andrew Tye (3/37) and Swepson.

Needing to change something to stem the flow of runs, Aaron Finch turned to his most reliable performer in the series, and Mitchell Marsh (2/12) delivered by removing Lewis in the 11th over.

The opener departed having hit four fours and nine sixes to become the seventh batter to ever hit 100 T20I sixes.

Marsh struck again in the 15th over to dismiss Lendl Simmons (21) but the man Australia needed to remove was Nicholas Pooran, who had carried on where Lewis had left off.

The West Indies captain was sitting on 27 off 13 going into the final four overs, with West Indies 173/5 and eying a total well in excess of 200.

Instead, the Australians managed to stop the damage, with Pooran eventually out for 31 in the 18th and West Indies held to 199/8 from their 20 overs.

Despite the early loss of Josh Philippe (0) and Marsh (30), the Australians looked on course in the 10th over, with a 49-run stand between Finch (34) and Moises Henriques (21) taking them to 95/2.

Two wickets in the same over proved the game’s decisive moment. The first man out was Finch, caught incredibly by Allen for 34. Muscling a full toss from Hayden Walsh Jr (1/43) to long-on, Finch could only watch on as Allen ran at full tilt to his left, dived and held onto a ridiculous grab with his left hand.

Two balls later, Pooran produced another impressive effort in the field, sprinting from his position as keeper to short midwicket before throwing down the striker’s stumps with a direct hit to remove Henriques for 21.

The Australian innings failed to get going from there as regular wickets repeatedly stalled momentum, with Josh Hazlewood’s five-ball 13 not out required to bring the margin of defeat under 20 runs.

Having completed their five-match T20I series, the two teams will now turn their attention to the 50-over format, with the ODI series commencing on Tuesday.

(Story & Photos from ICC)

WI’s Hetmyer & McCoy out with injuries, Sinclair & Hosein in for 4th & 5th CGI T20s

The Cricket West Indies Selection Panel has announced the 14-member squad for the fourth and fifth matches of the CG Insurance T20 International (T20I) Series against Australia. The matches will be played under lights at the Daren Sammy Cricket Stadium (DSCG) on Wednesday, July 14 and Friday, July 16 with the first ball at 7:30pm (6:30pm Jamaica Time).

Left-arm spinner Akeal Hosein and off-spinner Kevin Sinclair have been named in the match-day squad as replacements for Shimron Hetmyer and Obed McCoy – who have minor injuries.

West Indies have an unassailable 3-0 lead in the five-match CG Insurance Series. West Indies clinched the Series with a six-wicket victory on Monday night, after a superb win by 18 runs last Friday night followed by an impressive 56-run triumph on Saturday night.

If Evin Lewis is fit again he could have a chance of replacing Andre Fletcher. They could also pick an extra spinner in Sinclair as both Allen and Walsh turn the ball away from right-handers, and Australia have two left-hand batters in the top seven.
West Indies (possible): 1 Lendl Simmons, 2 Andre Fletcher/Evin Lewis, 3 Chris Gayle, 4 Nicholas Pooran (capt & wk), 5 Dwayne Bravo, 6 Andre Russell, 7 Fabian Allen, 8 Hayden Walsh Jr, 9 Oshane Thomas, 10 Sheldon Cottrell, 11 Kevin Sinclair

Ben McDermott and Ashton Agar missed the third game with minor injuries. A decision on their availability will be taken shortly before the match. With the series gone there could be a chance to look at some of the other bowling options.
Australia (possible): 1 Aaron Finch, 2 Matthew Wade (wk), 3 Mitchell Marsh, 4 Alex Carey, 5 Moises Henrqiues, 6 Ashton Turner, 7 Dan Christian, 8 Mitchell Starc, 9 Riley Meredith, 10 Adam Zampa, 11 Josh Hazlewood

Gayle storm & Walsh Jr lead Windies to series victory against Aussies in 3rd CGI T20

A vintage Chris Gayle performance has blown away Australia and consigned them to a series-sealing defeat as the West Indies dominated their opponents in the third T20 International in St Lucia.

Gayle, months away from his 42nd birthday, emerged from a form slump to recapture his magnificent best in brutal onslaught featuring seven sixes that ensured the Windies snagged an unassailable 3-0 series lead at the Daren Sammy Cricket Ground.

The Aussies made three changes to their side but their batters misfired for a third consecutive match as a suffocating bowling performance from the Windies, led once again by leg-spinner Hayden Walsh Jr. (2-18 off four overs), restricted them to 6-141.

***Hayden Walsh Jr took 2-18 (4 Overs) to lead the West Indies bowling attack once again.***

Recalled speedster Riley Meredith was expensive but otherwise made an encouraging return, bowling with venom and bouncing back from Gayle hitting him for back-to-back sixes (including the biggest of the night that went over the Johnson Charles stand) to dismiss the Windies No.3.

By that point Gayle had hit 67 off just 38 deliveries, allowing stand-in captain Nicholas Pooran (32no off 27) to win it with the Windies’ ninth six to seal a six-wicket win with 31 balls to spare.

Coming into Monday evening’s clash Gayle had averaged just 12.75 in nine innings since returning to the Windies T20 side earlier this year, but he delivered a statement innings to suggest he can still be a force at the highest level.

***Stand in captain Nicholas Pooran celebrates victory with Andre Russell.***

After crashing Josh Hazlewood for 19 runs in an electrifying start to the Windies innings, the veteran left-hander hit four sixes off Australia’s only spinner Adam Zampa, including three in a row to bring up a 33-ball half-century.

He became the first man to pass 14,000 T20 runs along the way and looks odd on to play in yet another T20 World Cup.

Only Mitchell Starc was able to curtail the Windies batters, taking 1-15 from his four overs after going wicketless in the first two games.

Hazlewood (0-33 off four), Zampa (0-34 off three) and Meredith were all expensive.

Australia shuffled their middle-order, bringing Alex Carey and Ashton Turner in for dropped Josh Philippe and the injured Ben McDermott, but it was largely the same story as the first two matches as the Windies delivered a clever bowling performance.

Aaron Finch, now with 40 runs in three innings at a strike-rate of 90.90 for the series, looked to be finding his groove but he was out to a match-turning catch by Fabian Allen in the deep.

Bravo fumbled the skied chance on the mid-wicket boundary but Allen had sprinted around from long-on to be front and centre to dive for the rebound off his teammate’s leg.

Top-scorer Moises Henriques (33 off 29) was the only Australian to hit a six, doing so twice, in an Aussie total he admitted was at least 20 runs short of par.

Series leading wicket-taker Allen continued his hold over the Aussies, with the leg-spinner taking 2-18 from four overs and was unlucky not to have a third victim when Pooran fluffed a stumping opportunity off Henriques.

Allen, the former USA player who was once a net bowler for the Aussies, now has eight wickets at 8.75 with an economy rate of 5.83.

After Finch won his third consecutive toss and, unlike Friday and Saturday’s games, elected to bat. Australia’s openers got off to their best start of the tour with Matthew Wade (23 off 14) finding the boundary four times including off Sheldon Cottrell’s first ball of the innings.

But from 0-41 in the fifth over, the familiar middle-overs struggles began as the in-form Mitch Marsh (9 off 12) and the recalled Alex Carey (13 off 9) both failed to make meaningful contributions.

A suffocating death bowling effort from the experienced Windies meant the 59-run stand between Moises Henriques (33 off 29) and Ashton Turner (24 off 22 in his first game of the series) came off a sluggish 44 balls.

Canny veteran Bravo (1-17 off three overs) delivered a terrific two-wicket final over that went for only four runs, wagging his finger at Turner and Dan Christian when he pulled off a last-ball run out following a pinpoint yorker.

(Story from cricket.com.au by Louis Cameron)

McCoy, Walsh Jr bowl WI to 18 run win over Aussies in opening CGI T20

An inexplicable Australian batting collapse has seen the West Indies draw first blood in the T20I series-opener with the hosts recoding a remarkable comeback victory following a jaw-dropping Andre Russell cameo.

Left-arm quick Obed McCoy’s somersaulting catch off his own bowling was the highlight in a stunning implosion of 7-38 from the visitors that handed the Windies an 18-run victory.

Russell (51 off 28) hit fives sixes including two out of the Daren Sammy Cricket Ground in an incredible display of power-hitting that singlehandedly turned an otherwise lacklustre Windies batting effort into a competitive score of 6-145.

A career-best 51 off 31 from Mitch Marsh on the back of Matthew Wade’s quick-fire 33 off 14 (including three sixes) had the visitors flying at over 10 runs per over early in the chase.

**WI skipper Nicholas Pooran celebrates the dismissal of his opposite number Aaron Finch (Photo: Getty Images)**

But the loss of regular wickets left their tail with too much to do, with the new-look middle-order quartet of Josh Philippe (1), Moises Henriques (16 off 8), Ben McDermott (2 off 6) and Dan Christian (10 off 12) all failing to stay the course.

McCoy’s astonishing caught-and-bowled off Ashton Agar (1) all but sealed the Windies win, with leg-spinner Hayden Walsh (3-23) also instrumental in the comeback cheered vociferously under lights by the modest crowd allowed to attend.

Having been 3-70 at the end of the six-over Powerplay, the Australians lost their last six wickets for just 19 runs, including their last five in just 21 balls, to be bowled out for 127.

After his first over had cost 17, McCoy took the game-sealing wicket of Hazlewood to spark rapturous celebrations.

Armed with the knowledge seven of the last eight T20Is at this ground had been won by the team batting second, Australia smashed five sixes and lost three wickets inside the first six overs in an action-packed start to their innings.

After Aaron Finch was caught at cover for just four, Wade popped Russell over backward square twice in a 14-run first over for the allrounder before the Jamaican had the last laugh by having Wade caught on the deep-point boundary.

Henriques carted his first two balls for six off McCoy as Marsh continued the fireworks, but the Western Australian’s exit to Walsh to leave the score 6-117 was the first sign of the carnage to follow.

It was far cry from Australia’s earlier dominance after Finch elected to bowl first.

Josh Hazlewood exploited variable bounce in a terrific new-ball burst to claim the wickets of Evin Lewis (second-ball duck) and Chris Gayle as he conceded just three runs from his opening three overs.

Even conceding after a last-ball six from Dwayne Bravo, Hazlewood returned the equal sixth most economical four-over spell in T20Is by an Australian.

Dropped on five by Henriques, Russell made the Aussies pay by blasting five sixes in a breathtaking knock that was, surprisingly, just his first T20 International half-century.

His teammates offered little support as Lendl Simmons (27 off 28), Shimron Hetmyer (20 off 25) and Gayle (four off 10) all struggled against a tight bowling effort led by Hazlewood, Mitch Marsh (2-26 off four) and recalled veteran Dan Christian (0-10 off two overs).

Missing skipper Kieron Pollard due to a hamstring concern, the Windies’ woes were summed up by the stand-in captain Nicholas Pooran’s run out.

A strong lbw shout from Starc against Shimron Hetmyer caused confusion, with non-striker Pooran backing up too far and Josh Philippe swooping in with a direct hit.

The third umpire confirmed Pooran’s fate, but he had to wait while the lbw was considered given Finch had also signalled for a review.

Gayle’s lean run since returning to international cricket continued as Hazlewood worked him over, the Australian securing the wicket via a top-edged pull shot after the left-hander had scored from just one of his 10 deliveries.

The regular opener who is now batting at No.3 has 89 runs at 12.71 from eight T20I innings this year, and his strike-rate of 94.68 in that time is giving the Windies’ middle order a significant handicap.

(Story from cricket.com.au by Louis Cameron)