Australia won the final ODI by six wickets to clinch the series 2-1 against West Indies but Kieron Pollard has criticised the Barbados pitch for the low scores.
Follow Us
Barbados produced another low-scoring encounter in the third and final ODI between West Indies and Australia. Mitchell Starc took three wickets to increase his tally to 11. Josh Hazlewood, Ashton Agar and Adam Zampa took two wickets apiece as West Indies were bowled out for 152. This was despite Evin Lewis’ aggressive 55 but he found no support at all from the rest of the batting. Matthew Wade hit an aggressive fifty to guide Australia over the line by six wickets. Australia ended the tour on the high by winning the ODI series 2-1 after being outplayed in the Twenty20 Internationals 4-1.
West Indies chose to bat and the first signs of worry cropped up. Evin Lewis top-edged a pull off Josh Hazlewood onto his helmet and he had to walk off the field due to a concussion. Shimron Hetmyer got going with a four but Hazlewood sent him back as the batsman dragged the ball back onto the stumps. The struggles for West Indies mounted from that time. Darren Bravo slammed Ashton Agar for a big six and looked to steady the West Indies ship.
Shai Hope, who had hung in, threw his wicket away as Agar got his wicket thanks to a fine, diving catch by Mitchell Marsh. Ashton Turner sent back Nicholas Pooran for 3. Kieron Pollard, the skipper, looked to push things along with a big six off Agar. But, Agar struck again as he removed Darren Bravo for 18. Mitchell Starc got the vital wicket of Pollard for 11 but Lewis returned from the injury.
When Adam Zampa sent back Jason Holder, West Indies were 75/6. Lewis showed his intention by hammering a four and six off Starc as West Indies neared 100. Joseph and Lewis found the boundaries at will as they stitched a partnership worth 44 runs. Hazlewood came back and removed Joseph as West Indies stuttered.
Starc got his second wicket by removing Hayden Walsh while Akeal Hosein was stumped off Zampa. Lewis notched up his 10th fifty with a six off Starc and Zampa as West Indies crossed 150. But, Starc ended the innings when he yorked Sheldon Cottrell for 0 as West Indies ended on 152.
Australia also started off on a poor note when Hosein sent back Moises Henriques cheaply. Alex Carey and Josh Phillippe tried to steady the innings but Joseph got the wicket of Phillippe for 10. Mitchell Marsh hit a couple of sixes off Cottrell and Joseph to break the shackles. In the 14th over, Marsh hit a six and a four off Cottrell but the bowler had the last laugh as Marsh was caught at leg gully.
Matthew Wade started off with a boundary and he was in control right from the beginning. When Walsh sent back Carey, there was some panic. But, Wade found good support in Agar. The left-hander rotated the strike and struck boundaries at will. Wade hit a six off Walsh and successfully managed to overturn a decision courtesy DRS. Having gotten that reprieve, Wade hit Walsh for a six and a four as he notched up his 11th fifty. Fittingly, Wade helped Australia score the winning runs as Australia clinched the series.
The three-match ODI series saw low scores from both Australia and West Indies. Australia managed 252/9 in the first ODI but West Indies struggled to 123. Australia was bowled out for 187 with West Indies winning by four wickets. In the final ODI, both West Indies and Australia managed just above 150. Kieron Pollard, the skipper said this was simply unacceptable.
“I accept we batted badly and coming from a T20I series you gotta make some adjustments in this format and try and apply yourself. Both teams struggled with the bat on this surface and I think that’s unacceptable for international cricket. We aren’t going to give excuses and we accept the fact that we batted badly. But the scores in this series, with two top international sides, that’s very embarrassing for us as people. Coming from St Lucia, I think it’s absolutely ridiculous. I don’t want to go on and on as that might make some headlines. Australia has been better than us,” Pollard said.
West Indies will now take on Pakistan in five T20Is and two Tests. Australia will tour Bangladesh for a limited-overs series.
Rishabh Pant's explosive last-over blitz ignites IPL 2024 amid T20 World Cup comeback talks
