West Indies‘ pursuit was never threatened by Alzarri Joseph’s bowling. David Warner and Tim David smashed centuries as Australia beat the West Indies 2-0.
Warner controlled the opening part of the innings and David cranked on the power in the final stages. But West Indies’ chase dwindled. Warner and Aaron Finch, who batted No. 3, scored 85 for the second wicket.
David hit 200 after three wickets and fell for 5 runs. Brandon King was the West Indies’ most confident batsman, but when he missed at Adam Zampa, no one threatened to pursue him.
Mitchell Starc took a career-high 4 for 20. West Indies will play UAE and Netherlands in two official warm-up matches, while Australia will face England in Perth before two games in Canberra.
Warner Decides to Go Alone
In the first few innings, it wasn’t so much Australia vs the West Indies as it was Warner versus the West Indies. Warner was responsible for 37 of the powerplay’s 45 runs.
When he was let go, he had completed 75 out of 96. His timing was flawless from his first six, a sweep off Jason Holder’s slower ball, to his final six, a straight drive off Obed McCoy.
It was also one of his greatest shots. When he was finally caught and bowled by Odean Smith, hopes were rising because of how much he had controlled the scoring and the fact that the innings were only halfway over.
David Opens Fire: Reminder of the Middle Order Doesn’t Fare
Australia’s innings were full of contrasting elements. As Warner sped along, Finch stumbled to 15 runs off of 19 balls. The rest of the innings was a different story, with David’s fireworks making Steven Smith’s 17 runs off 16 deliveries seem pathetic.
The fact that Maxwell ran out seemed like a blunder on his part, even if Smith was making progress, and it resulted in yet another brief stay. The fact that Maxwell is not attending the next game in Perth is a little strange, given his lack of runs as of late.
But David did what he’s done so often recently throughout the world: he leathered the ball into the stands with incredible force. Again, he allowed himself some breathing room, and a score of 12 from 10 balls quickly ballooned to 42 of 20.
Problems With Overrating
Since the West Indies were moving so slowly, they needed an additional fielder inside the circle for the last two overs. Still, they held their own, scoring 16 in the last two overs as Australia struggled to achieve a perfect finish.
They battled for another 19 overs, scoring just 21 runs after David was out. Alzarri Joseph, who took 11 wickets in his last two matches, played a significant role in the West Indies’ strong finish.
Even Australia was sluggish, as they ended them over with five batters still within the ring. Tonight, neither side paid a heavy price for this mistake, but in the World Cup, they may not be so fortunate.
Do the West Indies Have the Ability to Strike a Proper Batting Balance?
The results of the powerplays in both games were 45-1. It might be unfair to single out West Indies, but the fact that they faced 24 no-balls in the opening six overs suggested there were still some runs to be scored.
Within the time frame, Australia faced 18. There was a lot of swinging and missing, notably from Johnson Charles, as the hitters struggled to regain their rhythm after a lengthy trip.
Starc Delivers a Gabba Masterpiece
Starc again accomplished something remarkable in his first over at the Gabba, albeit it didn’t have the same impact or sensation as his first delivery in the Ashes to Rory Burns.
Immediately after Kyle Mayers’s historic straight drive for six at Metricon Stadium, Starc caught a furiously hit straight drive in front of his shin.
West Indies never really threatened to pursue the goal, and Starc had a brilliant night with the ball, taking the crucial wickets of Nicholas Pooran and Holder.
