Australia beat West Indies, secure T20I series win: Key stats
What's the story
Australia sealed the five-match T20I series against West Indies with a victory in the fourth match at Warner Park, Basseterre. The Australian team chased down a target of 206 runs in the final over, thanks to Cameron Green's unbeaten half-century and explosive batting from Glenn Maxwell. Josh Inglis also slammed a 30-ball 51. This marked Australia's fourth successive win in the series.
Match
How the match panned out
WI had a flying start after Australia elected to field. However, they were reduced to 42/3 in the Powerplay. Contributions from Sherfane Rutherford, Rovman Powell, Shimron Hetmyer, Romario Shepherd, and Jason Holder powered WI past 200 (205/9). Australia lost Mitchell Marsh in the first over, but a 66-run stand between Maxwell and Inglis drove Australia. Green took the onus thereafter. Australia lost quick wickets after the 10th over, Green got them home in 19.2 overs.
Opening partnership
Inglis, Maxwell set tone for Australia's chase
As mentioned, the chase was set up by Inglis, who scored a quickfire 51 off 30 balls (10 fours and 1 six). It was his second half-century of the series. Inglis raced to 868 T20I runs with a strike rate of 164.70. He was well supported by Maxwell, who smashed an explosive 47 off just 18 deliveries (1 four and 6 sixes). The Aussie batter now owns 2,754 runs with a strike rate of 156.12.
Match-winning knock
Green's match-winning 50 helps Australia seal series
Despite a middle-order collapse, Green's unbeaten 55 off 35 balls steered Australia to victory. He held his nerve and guided his team home with three wickets in hand. Notably, Green raced to his third half-century in the ongoing series. His scores read 55*, 11, 56*, and 51. Overall, Green completed his sixth T20I fifty. In 17 T20Is, he owns 436 runs with a strike rate of 156.27.
Bowling brilliance
A look at Australia's bowling performance
Australia's bowling attack was on point, with Aaron Hardie and Xavier Bartlett making the most of their chances. They took two wickets each. Meanwhile, Nathan Ellis was sensational, conceding just 21 runs in four overs. Adam Zampa and Sean Abbott also contributed to West Indies's struggles with the bat, taking five wickets between them. However, the latter conceded 61 runs in four overs.s
Information
Unwanted record for WI
As per ESPNcricinfo, West Indies became the first team in T20I history to score 200 runs without any player scoring over 34. Notably, Rutherford was the top scorer with 31 runs. He slammed 4 fours and 2 sixes in his 15-ball stay.