Aussies hammer Windies by 6 wickets at Providence

Jun 06, 2016 Sports

Warner continues IPL form with unbeaten 55

By Sean Devers
After Friday evening’s success against South Africa which gave them four points, an expectant partisan crowd of close to 10,000 turned up yesterday to see Australia battle West Indies in the second game of the Ballr Tri nation series at the Providence Stadium.

Adam Zampa in action. Zaheer Mohamed photo

When the dust was settled, the West Indian fans would have left the venue disappointed and disgusted after witnessing a clinical performance by the number one ranked team, which inflicted a crushing six-wicket win against an inconsistent West Indies team, deficient in common sense and professionalism in pressure situations.
Only opener Johnson Charles, who lacked technique and slogged, swiped and edged his way to 22 and Carlos Braithwaite, who made a responsible 21 from 69 balls, passed 12 as West Indies were sent packing for 116 in 32.3 overs.
This was their third lowest total against Australia in ODI cricket and second lowest at Providence following their 98 all out against Pakistan in 2013 when Shaid Afridi captured 7-12.
Spin twins Adam Zampa who bagged 3-16 in only his third ODI and crafty off-spinner Nathan Lyon (2-39) utilized another low and slow track which produced a bit more bounce than the one used for Friday’s game, kept the West Indies in shackles. Left-arm pacer Mitchell Starc also bowled impressively after being out of cricket for six months due to injury. He took 2-37 from nine overs on the docile track for Australia, who galloped to 117-4 in 25.4 overs.
David Warner continued from where he left off in the IPL in India with a solid unbeaten run-a-ball 55 with three fours and a six and shared in useful partnerships of 44 for the first wicket with Aaron Finch (19) and 41 for second with Usman Khawaja (27).
Sunil Narine, who opened the bowling, removed Skipper Steve Smith (6) and Glen Maxwell (0) in two balls in the 20th over with the score on 92 to follow up his 6-27 against South Africa on Friday. But his 2-36 from 10 overs was too little too late as the woeful Windies were trashed with 146 balls to spare.
It was still bright and sunny when Australia and Warner and Finch began Australia’s reply. And with aggressive running to rotate the strike and magnificent shot selection the pair built a firm foundation before Jason Holder, who displayed very poor tactics as Captain, removed Finch and by the break the five-time World Cup champions were 54-1 in 10 overs.
Although Suleiman Benn dismissed Khawaja and Narine struck twice in two balls the result was never in question as Warner and March (9*) saw their home with the lights hardly being needed.
Earlier, Starc removed Fletcher (4) in the first over after a high full toss was edged to the boundary by the out of sorts looking Grenadian. Starc, who bowled a few wides in his opening spell, consistently clocked 145ks.
After Darren Bravo drove one that ‘stopped’ on him from Mitchell Marsh to cover and Starc’s full swinging yorker crashed into the stumps of a bemused Charles nine runs later with the score 59-3, West Indies never recovered despite the level-headed batting from Braithwaite.
Zampa and Lyon bowled with flight, dip, angle, and turn as no batsman showed the application needed to survive on a surface which restricted free scoring. Marlon Samuels (10) and Denish Ramdin (12) were the only other batsmen to reach double figures.
The irresponsible shot played off his first ball by first match hero Kerion Pollard with his team in trouble at 70-4, was taken in the deep off Lyon, who had trapped Samuels LBW off the previous ball.
When Narine (5) inexplicably charged Zampa, missed a wild swipe with Braithwaite desperate for support at the other end and was stumped, it showed all too clearly why West Indies are the number eight ranked team in world cricket and emphasized the mental difference between the two sides.
Tomorrow, Australia (five points), face South Africa without a point from 13:00hrs in what is expected to be the best of the three matches in Guyana.

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