Australia vs West Indies 1st T20I, Highlights: AUS register thrilling three-wicket win

BOWLED!

Length ball, outside off stump by Odean Smith and Pat Cummins, on the front foot, goes for a slog but missed it completely. Cummins b Odean Smith 4(7)

Australia 131/6 after 18 overs

Joseph removes Finch in 18th over to give slight hope to West Indies. However, it is highly unlikely that Australia will lose the game from here as they need just 15 runs to win 2 overs and that too with Wade present in the middle.

Aaron Finch hits fifty

Australia captain Finch hits a crucial fifty to help his team recover after early setbacks.

Australia 100/5 after 13 overs

Aaron Finch and Matthew Wade have put Australia’s innings back on track with a fine and sensible show so far. Meanwhile, Aussie skipper Finch is approaching a half-century mark. The hosts now need 46 runs more in 8 overs to seal the deal.

Australia 68/5 after 10 overs

Australia have made heavy weather of moderate chase as half of the team is back in the pavilion for a mere 68 runs. Commendable job by West Indies bowlers so far as they are putting up a solid fight to defend the 146-run target. However, their skipper Aaron Finch and the man in form Matthew Wade are in the middle which means that the Windies still can’t let their guards down. Maxwell c Pooran b Cariah 0(3)

Tim David goes for a duck

Australia are losing the plot here as they are now five down with Tim David being their latest batter to depart. David tried to go for a pull but only managed to top-edge it straight to the fielder at deep backward square leg where Odean Smith gobbles it up. Tim David c Odean Smith b Holder 0(4)

Maxwell goes for a duck

Glenn Maxwell’s poor show continues as he departs without scoring a single run. The debutant, Yannic Cariah strikes in his very first over and gets rid of the big fish, Maxwell. He walks back on a 3-ball duck. It was a tossed up delivery, full and on off and Maxwell wanted to slog it away but the ball took the top edge and flies high in the air before Nicholas Pooran took a safe catch at extra-covers.

BOWLED!

Cameron Green couldn’t replicate what he did against India in the recent T20I series as he departs after scoring just 14 runs. It was a full delivery on the stumps by Alzarri Joseph and Green backs away to go over the off-side but bottom-edges it back on to leg-stump. Green b Alzarri Joseph 14(10) [4s-1 6s-1]

Australia 51/2 after 5 overs

Despite losing two early wickets, Australia have not changed their approach as Aaron Finch and Cameron Green are playing fearlessly to put pressure back on West Indies’ bowlers.

Horrible start for Australia

West Indies have removed David Warner (14) and Mitchell Marsh (3) early in the game to put the pressure on the hosts. Both the wickets have been picked by Sheldon Cottrell in a single over. AUS 21/2 after 2 overs

Australia’s innings underway

David Warner and Cameron Green come out to open for Australia as Kyle Mayers opens the bowling for West Indies, who are defending 146-run target.

WI 145/9 after 20 overs

Josh Hazlewood bagged three wickets, while Mitchell Starc and Pat Cummins pocketed two wickets each to restrict West Indies to 145/9 in 20 overs. For the visitors, opener Kyle Mayers (37) was the highest scorer. Australia need 146 runs to win

West Indies 122/8 after 18 overs

Nothing going right for West Indies and they are now struggling to cross even the 150-run mark. On the other hand, the Aussies will aim to pick the remaining two wickets asap and wrap up the visitors’ innings.

Rovman Powell departs; WI 7 down

Windies are crumbling as they have now lost Powell, who top-edged the delivery by Hazlewood while trying to pull it and it goes straight up for an easy return catch.  Powell c and b Hazlewood 7(13)

BOWLED!

Cummins bowls on the stumps, slightly fuller and Holder swings across the line but misses as the ball crashes into stumps. WI are 6 down now,

West Indies 95/5 after 15 overs

Australia have picked wickets at regular intervals to keep West Indies on backfoot. Moreover, no other batter than Kyle Mayers has been able to cross 20-run mark for the visitors so far. Currently, Jason Holder and Rovman Powell are in the middle.

Another one bites the dust!

West Indies have now lost their fifth wicket in short span of time. This time it’s Reifer who departs after trying to hit a pull off Cameron Green’s delivery but gets a top-edge on it. The ball flies high in the air and wicket-keeper Matthew Wade takes an easy catch.

West Indies skipper Nicholas Pooran departs cheaply; WI 75/4 after 11 overs

Peach of a delivery by Starc to get rid of Pooran, who departs after scoring just 2 runs. Starc serves it full, on middle and leg. It straightens a bit. Pooran looks to dig it out but gets rapped on his pads first. There is a huge appeal but the umpire shows no interest. Aaron Finch takes the review and Australia do get their man eventually.

BOWLED!

Cummins picks his first wicket of the match as he sends set-batter Kyle Mayers back to the pavilion. Length ball, down leg side on the front foot, Mayers went for a slog but missed as the ball pegs out off-stump. West Indies are in trouble now.

West Indies 66/2 after 9 overs

The departure of Brandon King has surely put Mayers on the backfoot as he is now finding it hard to score boundaries, which is clearly visible in the visitors’ dropped run rate. Credits to Aussie bowlers for bouncing back in no time after leaking runs in the starting overs.

PLUMB!

Hazlewood strikes again and this time his victim is Brandon King, who missed a flick to get struck on the knee roll in front of middle-stump. West Indies are 2 down now.

West Indies 47/1 after 5 overs

Kyle Mayers is batting smartly as he is keeping the scoreboard ticking despite an early setback. Mayers is punishing the bad deliveries and also rotating the strike to keep the hosts under pressure, Also, the new batter in – Brandon King, is playing sensibly to deny Australia gain upper hand.

BOWLED!

Josh Hazlewood comes into the attack and strikes instantly as he removes Johnson Charles, who walks back to the dugout after scoring just three runs. It was a length delivery pitched outside off and Charles wanted to ride the bounce as he tried to heave it across the line. But the Windies opener missed the ball completely as it went through to rattle the stumps.

West Indies 14/0 after 1 over

Kyle Mayers smashes two boundaries in the opening over of the match, bowled by Mitchell Starc, to help the Windies get off to a superb start.

AUS vs WI 1st T20I underway

Kyle Mayers and Johnson Charles come out to open for West Indies as Aussie pacer Mitchell Starc bowls first over of the match.

Australia vs West Indies 1st T20I Playing XI

Australia: David Warner, Cameron Green, Mitchell Marsh, Aaron Finch(c), Glenn Maxwell, Tim David, Matthew Wade(w), Mitchell  Starc, Pat Cummins, Adam  Zampa, Josh  Hazlewood

West Indies: Brandon King, Johnson Charles, Kyle Mayers, Nicholas Pooran(w/c), Rovman Powell, Jason Holder, Odean Smith, Raymon Reifer, Yannic Cariah, Alzarri Joseph, Sheldon Cottrell

Australia vs West Indies 1st T20I, TOSS

Australia have won the toss and elected to bowl first.