Wicketkeeper Josh Inglis slapped a swashbuckling 78 not out as Australia sealed a dominant eight-wicket victory over the West Indies in the second T20I at Kingston on Wednesday AEST.
The tourists took a 2-0 lead in the five-match series after chasing the 173-run target with 28 deliveries to spare courtesy of a 33-ball demolition from Inglis, who cracked seven boundaries and five sixes.
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The West Australian, who was dropped on 9 and 60, produced a flurry of ramps, reverse sweeps and pulls in a player-of-the-match performance while receiving support from Cameron Green, who notched an unbeaten 56 from 32 balls, his second fifty of the series. The duo combined for an unbeaten 131-run partnership, breaking the Australian record for the third wicket.
“It’s just the nature of my size,” Inglis responded when asked about his innovative strokeplay during the post-match presentation.
“Guys like Green and Mitch (Marsh) hit the ball so far, and I don’t really have that luxury at times, so I’m just trying to find ways that’s easier for me to score an find different areas of the ground.
“It’s definitely nicer up the top against the harder ball and the field up. Hopefully I can make No. 3 my own.”
MATCH CENTRE: West Indies vs Australia second T20 scorecard
Asked what pleased him the most about the match-winning knock, he responded: “The red ink.”
Meanwhile, both teams had forgettable evenings in the field at Sabina Park, with the Australians dropping three catches, two of which were absolute sitters, before the West Indies put down six chances of varied difficulty.
Earlier, West Indies posted 8-172 on the spin-friendly deck, with Australian leggie Adam Zampa taking 3-29 in a probing spell.
Opener Brandon King blasted a rapid half-century before the hosts lost 5-35 in an ominous middle-order collapse, but two-time T20 World Cup champion Andre Russell, playing his final match for the West Indies, smashed 37 from 15 balls in a late cameo to revive the innings.
After Australian captain Mitchell Marsh won the toss and chose to bowl first, King slapped four sixes on his way towards a 33-ball fifty, combining with captain Shai Hope for a 63-run opening partnership to get the West Indies off to a flying start.
However, the duo departed in consecutive deliveries courtesy of miscued slogs against Australia’s spinners, with Zampa removing King for 51 and tweaker Glenn Maxwell toppling Hope for 9.
The dangerous Shimron Hetmyer survived a marginal LBW call after the drinks break but departed the very next delivery for 14, picking out deep square leg to become Maxwell’s second victim.
Zampa struck twice in an over to rattle the West Indies middle order – Roston Chase, earlier dropped by Marsh on 2, chopped on for 16 before pinch-hitter Sherfane Rutherford holed out to deep mid-wicket for a second-ball duck. The West Indies limped towards 5-98 in the 14th over before Russell and Rovman Powell added 41 for the sixth wicket to resurrect the innings, aided by some sloppy Australian fielding.
Crafty seamers Nathan Ellis (2-34 from four overs) and Ben Dwarshuis (1-37 from four overs) ripped through the West Indies tail during the dying overs, with spinner Gudakesh Motie hitting a valuable 18 not out at the death.
Maxwell, elevated to opener for just the second time in eight years, nailed a couple of trademark reverse sweeps towards third man before feathering seamer Jason Holder behind for 12.
Dropped twice in the fifth over, albeit tough chances, Marsh couldn’t take advantage of the double reprieve, top-edging a lofted glance against speedster Alzarri Joseph for 21.
Poor fielding was contagious in the Jamaican capital, with Russell and Hope each spilling regulation catches during the seventh over to the benefit of Inglis and Green, who survived on 9 and 3 respectively — and the missed chances proved costly.
The Kingston spectators were ducking for cover as the West Australian duo repeatedly launched balls into the stands — Inglis only needed 22 deliveries to reach fifty, while Green passed the minor milestone in 28 balls.
Green, who cleared the boundary rope on four occasions, hit the winning runs in the 16th over to seal another victory for the visitors.
Earlier, Russell received a guard of honour before the match to commemorate his international retirement, while spinner Matthew Kuhnemann was presented his maiden cap before the match to become Australia’s 113th cricketer in men’s T20Is, finishing with 0-33 from four overs.
The third T20 between the West Indies and Australia gets underway at Basseterre’s Warner Park on Saturday at 9am AEST.
RARE MAXWELL EXPERIMENT BACKFIRES
Having only opened the batting for Australia once in the last eight years across formats, Glenn Maxwell was elevated up the order on Wednesday in a surprise experiment.
The underperforming Jake Fraser-McGurk was dropped ahead of the second match against the West Indies, with wicketkeeper Josh Inglis slated to open the batting for Australia on the team sheet.
However, tasked with chasing a 173-run target for victory, Maxwell walked out to open the batting alongside captain Mitchell Marsh.
The Victorian had not opened the batting in a T20I since October 2022, while before that you would have to rewind back to September 2016, when he smacked 145* and 66 in Sri Lanka.
Across five innings at international, Maxwell has averaged 92.66 as an opener, but the talented right-hander only mustered 12 in Kingston, edging behind against seamer Jason Holder the second over. However, he managed a couple of trademark reverse-sweep boundaries before his dismissal.
Inglis and Cameron Green are other options to open the batting in the third T20 if required, with Matt Short (injured) and Travis Head (rested) unavailable for selection.
‘WHAT IS GOING ON?’: AUSSIE FIELDING NIGHTMARE
Australia had a day to forget in the field.
The tourists dropped three catches and leaked runs with sloppy misfields throughout the West Indies innings, helping the Caribbean team post a defendable target in Kingston.
The first misdemeanour was forgivable, with captain Mitchell Marsh grassing a tough chance at cover to hand Roston Chase a reprieve on 2. He added another 14 runs before falling victim to spinner Adam Zampa.
In the 12th over, a lazy fumble from Ben Dwarshuis at mid-on gifted the West Indies an additional run before all-rounder Mitchell Owen was beaten by the dreaded spin near the rope, with a boundary going through his legs.
Young gun Cooper Connolly dropped a sitter in the outfield with Rovman Powell on 4 before Dwarshuis was left red-faced after putting down another regulation chance during the final over, denying Owen a wicket. And to rub salt into the wound, Gudakesh Motie slapped the next delivery for six.
“What is going on with Australia in the field?” former West Indies bowler Ian Bishop cried in commentary.
Former Test wicketkeeper Brad Haddin continued: “It’s been a disappointing five overs in the field for Australia … you know they set high standards.”
However, the West Indies were not much better in the field during the run chase, putting down at least five catches.
“We need to sharpen up there,” Marsh confessed during the post-match presentation.
