Tag: Australia vs West Indies

JAMAICA: Andre Russell struck a sparkling 36 off 15 balls in his final innings before retirement on Tuesday, but could not save the West Indies from losing the second T20I against Australia.

The 37-year-old all-rounder was unable to script a fairytale farewell to his glittering T20 career, but departed to a standing ovation on his home Sabina Park ground after hitting four trademark sixes and two fours.

Batting at number seven in his 85th and last T20 international, Russell’s cameo, plus a late flurry from Gudakesh Motie (18 off nine balls), added to 51 from opener Brandon King, enabled the hosts to score 172-8 off their 20 overs.

But a record 131-run stand by Josh Inglis, who made 78 not out, and Cameron Green (56 not out) saw Australia race to an eight-wicket win with more than four overs to spare.

It was the highest third-wicket partnership for Australia in T20Is and, aided by six dropped catches by West Indies fielders, gave the visitors a 2-0 lead in the five-match series.

Inglis hit seven fours and five sixes while Green was barely more sedate, clearing the ropes four times and stroking three fours in his second consecutive fifty.

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“I didn’t want to finish on a losing note,” said Russell, whose spectacular final knock had briefly thrilled his hometown crowd. “I enjoy seeing the ball go over the ropes.”

“As a kid, you dream about playing here. Thanks to all the fans who came out to support me.”

Andre Russell, who was given a guard of honour before the match by the West Indies and Australia players, played just one Test match.

It was as a Twenty20 specialist that he made his name, winning the T20 World Cup twice with the West Indies in 2012 and 2016.

A more than lively seam bowler, Russell’s free-scoring late-order batting and athletic fielding saw him sought after by T20 leagues around the world.

He has been with Kolkata Knight Riders in the IPL since 2014, scoring more than 2,400 runs.

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Pakistan fast bowling legend Wasim Akram on Saturday hailed Australia’s Mitchell Starc as a “modern-day great” for reaching 100 Test appearances.

Starc, who draws comparisons with fellow left-arm quick Akram, will reach the milestone later Saturday when the third Test against the West Indies begins in Jamaica.

“It is a big deal in this day and age to reach 100 Tests, congratulations to Starc,” Akram told AFP. “That shows the quality and resolve of the man.”

The 35-year-old becomes the 83rd player and 16th Australian to play 100 Tests, and only the second Australian fast bowler after Glenn McGrath.

“To play 100 Tests shows how consistent Starc has been and also shows where his priorities lie; that is to play red-ball cricket,” said Wasim Akram.

“He has also played Twenty20 and league cricket, but his career in Test cricket is way ahead, and to me he is a modern-day great.”

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Mitchell Starc stands on 395 Test wickets, so he has the tantalising prospect of taking his landmark 400th wicket during his 100th Test.

His strike rate is remarkably similar to Wasim Akram, who retired in 2002 after taking 414 wickets in 104 Tests.

Both players, said Akram, had suffered injuries to “every joint, every part of the body” during their careers.

“People often compare us, but we have played in different eras,” said Akram. “He’s got the pace, he’s got the swing and he’s bowling very intelligently to the new batter, especially with the new ball.”

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Australia on Friday dropped Marnus Labuschagne for the opening match of their three-Test tour of the West Indies after a poor run of form, while Steve Smith is out injured.

Teenager Sam Konstas and Josh Inglis come into the starting XI for the opening match in Barbados starting on Wednesday.

Labuschagne opened the batting in the World Test Championship final loss to South Africa last week but managed scores of only 17 and 22 on a challenging Lord’s pitch.

His last hundred for Australia in Test matches was in July 2023, against England at Manchester. Since then, Labuschagne has averaged 24.7 with the bat, in 16 matches.

“Marnus at his best can be a really important member of this team,” chair of selectors George Bailey said.

“He understands his output hasn’t been at the level we, or he, expects.

“We will continue working with him on the areas of his game we feel he needs to rediscover. We continue to value his skill and expect him to work through the challenge positively.”

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Meanwhile, Steve Smith injured his finger while fielding in the slips at Lord’s. He left the field and did not return, watching South Africa’s winning run chase from the pavilion.

“Steve needs more time for the wound to heal, so we’ll give him another week’s rest and assess his functionality after that,” Bailey said.

The 19-year-old Konstas will earn his third cap for Australia during the Test against the West Indies, and his first since January.

He made a blistering debut against India in December, blasting 60 from just 65 balls opening the batting and playing a number of audacious scoop shots against Jasprit Bumrah.

Konstas managed only 53 runs in his next three innings, but the teenager’s raw talent has selectors excited.

Inglis will also make his third appearance in Test cricket, having made 102 on debut against Sri Lanka in January.

Bailey said the batting order and final team would be determined closer to the first Test.

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Andre Russell and Sherfane Rutherford put on the biggest sixth-wicket partnership in a T20I to steer the West Indies past Australia by 37 runs in their third and final clash on Tuesday.  

Both men crunched quickfire half-centuries to propel the visitors to 220-6 in Perth with Australia managing just 183-5 in reply, David Warner top-scoring on 81 in his last appearance for Australia at home.

The hosts won the first match in Hobart by 11 runs and sealed the series with a 34-run victory at Adelaide.

The West Indies made a horror start after winning the toss and opting to bat, losing three wickets in the opening three overs.

But Russell (71 off 29 balls) and Rutherford (unbeaten 67 off 40) led the fightback, with both posting their highest T20 scores in a 139-run sixth-wicket partnership that set a new standard.

Spinner Adam Zampa went for 1-65 off four overs — his most expensive in the format.

“I was just happy I could contribute tonight,” said Russell. “I think it’s just the nature of this team, we are never out of it. Five wickets down, but there wasn’t any panic in the change rooms.

“I’m happy we came together as a team and we were definitely playing as a unit tonight.”

Australia started well with Warner and captain Mitchell Marsh reaching 61 without loss after the six-over powerplay.

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Warner clocked his 3,000th run as he brought up a 26th half-century off 25 balls before Marsh departed for 17, skying a catch to Jason Holder off Akeal Hosein.

Australia reached 98-1 at the halfway mark but were pegged back by tight bowling from the West Indies.

The match turned when Australia lost three wickets for three runs. Roston Chase bagged two of them, including Warner and Josh Inglis (one), while Romario Shepherd bowled Aaron Hardie (16).

Glenn Maxwell blasted an unbeaten 120 in Adelaide but, with 96 needed off the final five overs, it was a bridge too far even for him and he fell for 12 as the chase fizzled despite Tim David cracking a lightening 41.

“We knew they’d come into this series, they’re a really good team with some amazing cricketers, so fair play to the West Indies,” Marsh said.

With Australian pace spearhead Josh Hazlewood rested, Xavier Bartlett earned a debut and Johnson Charles nicked to wicketkeeper Matthew Wade in his first over before he bowled Kyle Mayers in his second over.

In between, Nicholas Pooran was removed by Jason Behrendorff to leave the West Indies reeling at 17-3.

But Chase began the rebuild, taking 17 off Bartlett’s third over before his luck ran out against Zampa, bowled for 37 as he attempted another big hit.

Hardie accounted for Rovman Powell (21) before Rutherford and Russell came to the rescue.

Russell blasted seven sixes and four boundaries, while Rutherford hit five sixes and five fours.

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ADELAIDE: Run machine Marnus Labuschagne completed 3000 runs in Test cricket to become the second joint-fastest batsman to achieve the milestone, bettered only by Australian Legend Sir Donald Bradman.

Continuing his sublime form, Labuschagne notched up a brilliant century late on day one in the second Test against West Indies and marched to the milestone on day two before he fell for 163 late in the first session when he was caught behind off Devon Thomas.

The 28-year-old has reached the landmark in the 51 Test innings and stands behind unmatchable Bradman who took mere 33 innings to complete 3000 Trest runs.

He, however, shares the second spot in a prestigious list with West Indian Everton Weekes who also hit the mark in 51 knocks while surpassing New Zealand’s Bert Sutcliffe and Brian Lara (both 52 innings).

Labuschagne scored his third successive Test century while stitching a 297-run partnership with Travis Head, who eventually went on to make 175 in the day/night Test at Adelaide.

Australia declared their first innings at a commanding 511-7 before bowlers took four wickets to leave the West Indies reeling on Friday at 102.

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PERTH: Spin king Nathan Lyon bagged six wickets, including century-maker Kraigg Brathwaite, as Australia ground down a gutsy West Indies to win the first Test in Perth by 164 runs on Sunday.

Skipper Brathwaite, who took the match into a final day with a defiant overnight 101 after Australia declared their second innings at 182-2 on day four, couldn’t keep the momentum going against Lyon and was bowled for 110.

The Caribbean team resumed on 192-3, needing to bat through 90 overs for a draw after gamely rebuffing an attack missing the injured Pat Cummins for two sessions on Saturday.

But they were all out for 333 after some plucky late resistance.

Lyon ended with 6-128, in the process surpassing India’s Ravichandran Ashwin to become the eighth-highest wicket-taker in Test history with 446.

“The batters did their job, the quicks stood up, it was a fantastic all-round performance,” said Australian skipper Pat Cummins.

“Lyon is the most important bowler in our team, he keeps taking wickets. There wasn’t much on offer for the spinners, but he found out a way and kept picking wickets.”

It extended the West Indies’ 25-year run of failing to win a Test on Australian soil, with the hosts retaining the Frank Worrell Trophy ahead of the second, and final, Test in Adelaide starting Thursday.

“Obviously disappointed with the loss. We gave away the wickets in the first innings, but it was a good fight as a team and as a bowling unit,” said Brathwaite.

“It’s good to see the fight from the batters, but still a lot of improvement to be done.”

Brathwaite said after his day four exploits that the opening overs would be “very, very crucial”, and in front of a spartan crowd, it was Australia who prevailed.

Kyle Mayers, who has been ruled out of any further bowling in the two-Test series with a shoulder strain, added just 10 runs to his overnight nought.

Lyon made the breakthrough, with Mayers getting a thick edge to Steve Smith at slip.

Brathwaite was almost chanceless in making his 100, but Lyon, in his 111th Test, finally beat the bat and he was bowled.

“I was pretty happy with that one. Kraiggy batted extremely well, he’s a superstar batsman and I had to be patient,” said Lyon.

Part-time spinner Travis Head was brought on and in his first over accounted for Jason Holder for three, with Smith taking a spectacular slip catch.

When Australia took the new ball, Josh Hazlewood enticed an outside edge from Joshua Da Silva which Usman Khawaja collected at second slip to leave the West Indies in trouble.

But Rostan Chase and Alzarri Joseph (43) put up resistance, adding 82 for the eighth wicket before Head stepped up again to bowl Joseph.

Lyon took his fifth to remove Chase for a battling 55, then Kemar Roach for a duck to wrap it up.

Double tons 

The West Indies never recovered from a dominant Australian first-innings batting display with Marnus Labuschagne and Smith both smacking double centuries to propel them to 598-4 declared.

After the West Indies were removed for 283 in reply, Labuschagne belted 104 not out to become only the eighth player to achieve the 200-100 feat in the same Test, joining the likes of Sunil Gavaskar, Brian Lara and Kumar Sangakkara.

While outplayed, a young West Indies did show grit.

Few expected them to take the game to five days against the world’s top-ranked side, with their new opening partnership of Brathwaite and debutant Tagenarine Chanderpaul showing promise.

But their bowlers let them down, taking just six wickets for 780 runs.

Their stocks were, however, depleted with allrounder Raymon Reifer ruled out injured before a ball was bowled.

Top-order batsman Nkrumah Bonner suffered a concussion, Mayers was unable to bowl in the second innings with a shoulder strain and Roach limped off with a hamstring niggle.

With the injuries piling up, uncapped Marquino Mindley has been called up as cover for the Adelaide Test.

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WELLINGTON: Australian openers Alyssa Healy scored a magnificent century and put on the highest partnership of the ongoing ICC Women’s World Cup 2022 with Rachael Haynes to power their side to thump West Indies by 157 runs and stormed into the final.

The dominant Australian side have extended their unbeaten run in the ongoing edition of the women’s world cup as the former champions have outclassed the West Indies by a massive margin of 157 runs in a rain-affected semi-final.

Batting first Australia managed to amass a decent total of 305/3 in the allotted 45 overs, thanks to the wonderful knocks from Healy and Haynes. The opening pair added 216-runs for the first wicket — highest for any wicket in this world cup — to lay a solid foundation.

Healy, who was scoring at a quicker rate fell short in the 33rd over after scoring a wonderful century. The wicket-keeper batter scored 129 off just 107 balls, laced with 17 boundaries and a six.

Haynes, on the other hand, remained unlucky as she missed out on her century by 15 runs as Chinelle Henry dismissed her on 85 in 36th over. The left-handed batter faced 100 balls in the course of her brilliant innings and hit nine boundaries.

The middle-order batter Beth Mooney then chipped in with a quick 43 off 31 deliveries, down the order and took her side to 305/3 in 45 overs.

For West Indies, Henry led the bowling chart with two wickets, while Shamilia Connell bagged one.

Set to chase 304, the West Indian batting line-up failed and could only manage to score 148 before being bowled out in 37 overs.

The skipper Stafanie Taylor fought hard with her gritty 48 off 75 balls, while Hayley Matthews and Deandra Dottin scored 34 each.

The rest of the batters could not contribute significantly in the run chase and as a result, the side could only score 148; handing an easy 157-runs victory to Australia.

For Australia, Jess Jonassen took two wickets, while Ashleigh Gardner, Alana King, Tahlia McGrath, Annabel Sutherland, and Megan Schutt made one scalp each.

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