Green, Inglis lead Australia to 4-0 lead in T20 series against West Indies
BASSETERRE, St. Kitts (AP) — Half-centuries to Cameron Green and Josh Inglis led Australia to a three-wicket win over West Indies and extended its lead to 4-0 in a five-match Twenty20 international series on Saturday.
Australia chased down West Indies score of 205-9 in the final over without too much trouble with Green top scoring with an unbeaten 55, his third fifty of the series, while Inglis set the tone early with a spritely 51.
It’s the seventh time West Indies have failed to defend a score in excess of 200 in Twenty20 internationals, the most of any ICC member nation.
Sherfane Rutherford made 31 off 15 balls to top score for the hosts, who also had handy contributions from the middle order — Rovman Powell (28), Romario Shepherd (28) and Jason Holder (26) after being asked again to bat first at Warner Park.
Shai Hope, who made a brilliant unbeaten 102 on Friday — to become the second male West Indian player after Chris Gayle to score a century in each format — could only manage 10 this game before chipping a catch to a diving Glenn Maxwell off Xavier Bartlett.
Aaron Hardie, playing this game for the rested Tim David was the pick of Australia’s bowlers with an economical 2-24 off four overs, including Roston Chase for a first ball duck and later Powell to interrupt the hosts progress.
Adam Zampa (3-54) took three wickets, while Bartlett (2-39) and Sean Abbott (2-61) picked up two wickets each.
Australia’s reply stated shakily with captain Mitch Marsh out in the first over for Jediah Blades’ first T20 international wicket.
A 66-run stand between Josh Inglis and Glenn Maxwell helped recover Australia and put them ahead of the game.
Inglis scored his second half-century of the series off 28 balls, with 10 boundaries and a six, but gifted a catch to deep square two balls later off Shepherd (1-59).
Maxwell, opening the batting for the third consecutive match, got his highest score of the series with 47 from 18 balls before he was caught off Akeal Hosein (1-36) immediately after the mid-innings break to have Australia at 129-3 but still looking comfortable.
That changed in the space of three balls from Blades (3-29), who removed newcomer Mitchell Owen (2) and Cooper Connolly for a duck to have the Aussies’ chase stumbling at 134-5.
Green stayed composed and combined with Hardie for a 51-run stand to close in on the victory target before the latter holed-out from Holder (1-38).
Bartlett was run-out in the second-to-last-over and Abbott scored the winning run as rain began sheeting down at Warner Park.
Australia’s win streak in the Caribbean now stands at seven matches following the 3-0 test series sweep.
Australia had a three-wicket win to open the series on Sunday before Inglis and Green led Australia to an eight-wicket victory and spoiled Andre Russell’s last game for West Indies in the second game at Kingston, Jamaica.
The tourists then clinched the series on the back of a 37-ball century by Tim David in St. Kitts on Friday. The final game is in St. Kitts on Tuesday.
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