West Indies v Australia, Tri-Series final - 5 Talking Points

Having qualified for their first Tri-Series final since 2006, the West Indies entered the match with optimism. However, they were taught a lesson by Australia as the latter picked up a victory as well as the title courtesy of a 58-run win at Barbados. While the West Indies batting simply failed to show up, it was the Australians’ ability to form the important partnerships that held the key for the visitors. Josh Hazelwood was the star of the show as he concluded with 5 wickets as the Aussies picked up an important and morale-boosting series win. It is also a result that will help them underline their credentials as the number-one ranked team in the world.

1.Top order makes useful contributions:

In spite of losing Usman Khawaja early on in the innings, the Aussies were the beneficiary of some important partnerships. Finch and skipper Steve Smith added a 93 runs to the team’s cause while George Bailey and Mitchell Marsh chipped in with useful scores of 22 and 32 respectively. Mitchell Starc and Nathan Coulter-Nile also made merry in the final few overs of the innings with a quickfire30 odd run partnership. This helped immensely as the Aussies went on to score a big total.

2.Wade comes to the party:

Matthew Wade hasn’t fired in 2016 as yet. However, he made a case for himself in the upcoming tour of Sri Lanka with a wonderfully compiled half-century. With big-hitting in the need of the hour, Wade smashed the ball to different parts as he went to contribute an unbeaten quickfire 57 from 52 balls and give the final push to the Australian scoreboard. His knock was very crucial. He came in the middle at a point when skipper Steven Smith and Glenn Maxwell had departed in short successions in the middle overs. The momentum appeared to be shifting toward the hosts but Wade rose up to the occasion and lifted his team.

3. Marsh destroys top order:

All-rounder Mitchell Marsh is becoming a more reliable player after each passing day. After striking a useful 32 from 45 balls with the bat, Marsh came back and struck hefty blows to the West Indies top order with his bowling.  The medium pacer snapped the highly important wickets of Darren Bravo, Marlon Samuels and Johnston Charles. After Hazlewood struck with the wicket of Fletcher in the 11th over to break the patient first wicket stand, Marsh took three in three overs – Bravo in the 17th, Samuels in the 19th and Charles in the 21st to throw the West Indies chase off the track. He couldn’t add more wickets to his tally and finished with figures of 3/32 in his 10 overs spell.

4. Ramdin, Holder and Narine keep Windies in the hunt:

The West Indies chase was trembling badly as the Australian gained control of the situations. The failure of the top order left the hosts in deep problems. But, the match didn’t end without some resistance. Wicket-keeper batsman Denesh Ramdin (40 from 67), Jason Holder (34 from 37), and Sunil Narine (23 from 18) played stubborn knocks and tried to keep the Windies in the hunt. Ramdin particular was very resistant and did his best to help his win. After losing the company of the attacking Pollard, Ramdin forged small yet significant stands with Holder and Narine as the West Indies kept fighting for the match. Unfortunately, the trio’s efforts weren’t enough as the Australians eventually got better of them and sealed the match comfortably.

5. Josh Hazelwood comes up trumps:

Josh Hazlewood gave a satisfying finish to his time in the Caribbean by snapping a match-winning 5/54 in 9.4 overs to Australian win the final and lift the trophy without much hassle.  Josh was tested by the West Indie openers who played him out casually at the start. However, the fast bowler did not grind for long and broke the opening stand soon in the 11th over to give Australia their first breakthrough. He came back again in his second spell add four more wickets in his kitty. Josh broke the 6th wicket stand between Denesh Ramdin and Jason Holder with the wicket of the latter in the 38th. Both had somehow managed to save the Windies innings after Marsh triggered a quake in the batting order. Later, he wiped out the tail-enders Sunil Narine and Sulieman Benn to ensure a smooth ending ot the game.