AI Simulation, WI vs AUS | Skipper Hope’s decisive knock guides West Indies to beat Australia by 8 runs in 3rd T20I

Pitch and Weather

The surface at the Warner Park in St Kitts was a flat deck, with enough support for the batters. However, it slowed down as the game progressed to the second half, alongside an assistance for the spinners.

It was a warm evening in St Kitts with a slight breeze, providing good conditions for the game, without any rain interruption.

Toss

West Indies skipper Shai Hope won the toss and decided to bat first, which eventually worked for them as they restricted Australia.

Lineups

WI: Brandon King, Shai Hope (C & WK), Shimron Hetmyer, Roston Chase, Rovman Powell, Sherfane Rutherford, Andre Russell, Jason Holder, Gudakesh Motie, Alzarri Joseph, Akeal Hosein

AUS: Glenn Maxwell, Mitchell Marsh (C), Josh Inglis (WK), Cameron Green, Tim David, Mitchell Owen, Cooper Connolly, Ben Dwarshuis, Nathan Ellis, Matthew Kuhnemann, Adam Zampa

Match Report

Batting first, the West Indies faced an early blow on the last ball of the second over, losing the opener Brandon King (12 off 10 balls), who edged the ball off Nathan Ellis, and it went straight into the stumps. Following this, the crucial and game-defining 83-run stand between Shai Hope and Shimron Hetmyer stabilised the Caribbean innings. Hope’s 53 off 38 balls, alongside Hetmyer’s 48-run knock, made way for the lower batters Rovman Powell (11-ball 21) and Andre Russell (27* off 13 balls) to take charge. Eventually, the West Indies posted a big total of 196/6. Nathan Ellis bowled a brilliant spell for the Aussies, registering the figures of 3/28 in his four-over quota. Spin duo of Zampa and Kuhnemann also contributed with a wicket each for the visitors.

While chasing the target, the opening pair of Glenn Maxwell and skipper Mitchell Marsh provided a quick start to Australia, scoring 32 in just 2.5 overs. Their partnership came to an end when Marsh (18 off 12 balls) mistimed a pull shot off Alzarri Joseph and ended up getting caught by Andre Russell at midwicket. Just after a 20-run stand with Maxwell, Josh Inglis (13-ball 15) fell prey to Gudakesh Motie’s arm ball. Following Inglis’ departure, Maxwell (63 off just 36 balls) stood there alongside Cameron Green to stitch a much-needed 69-run partnership for the third wicket. It ended with Marsh’s dismissal off Andre Russell on the last ball of the 13th over. Green showed some resilience with 32 runs off 21 balls, before he was dismissed in a low catch taken by Powell off Jason Holder. The lower order of the visitors couldn’t crack the ‘Caribbean code’ and fell short of nine runs short of the target as they were restricted to 188/8 in the entire 20 overs. Russell (2/29) and Joseph (2/34) happened to be the two central figures of the West Indies’ bowling to defend the target, alongside economical support from Gudakesh Motie (1/27)

Player of the Match

Star Caribbean batter Shai Hope won the ‘Player of the Match’ award for his brilliant half-century and tactical leadership to strangulate Australia.

Scorecard