KINGSTON, Jamaica, CMC – Australians Josh Inglis and Cameron Green both smashed scintillating, unbeaten half-centuries to dash the West Indies’ hopes of giving Andre Russell a winning send-off in his final international match here on Tuesday.
Player-of-the-Match Inglis finished on 78 not out off just 33 balls, with seven fours and five sixes. In comparison, Green hit an unbeaten 56 off 32 balls, his second successive T20I half century, to lead Australia to a breezy eight-wicket victory over the home side before a packed Sabina Park.
The West Indies never really got into high gear after being sent in to bat and did well to reach 172 for eight from their 20 overs.
Both Inglis and Green benefited from dropped catches in making light work of that target, as Australia strolled to 173 for two with 28 balls to spare, to take a commanding 2-0 lead in the five-match series.
For the second time in the series, the West Indies’ middle order faltered, and they fell 20 to 30 runs short of a formidable total.
Openers Brandon King and Shai Hope gave the Windies a solid if not spectacular start during a 63-run opening partnership.
After a quiet three overs, King unleashed in the fourth over, bowled by debutant Matthew Kuhnemann, hitting him for two sixes and two fours, and followed up by slapping fellow left-arm spinner Cooper Connolly for a six over long off.
He reached his 12th T20I half century off 33 balls by driving leg spinner Adam Zampa down to long on.
King added one more run to his total before he skied Zampa for Cameron Green to take a good catch running back from backward point, as the Windies fell to 63 for one after eight overs.
Skipper Hope never looked in nick for his nine off 13 balls, and with the first ball of the next over, bowled by Glenn Maxwell, he sliced him into the cover region, where Australian captain Mitchell Marsh took an impressive diving catch running back.
Maxwell also accounted for the wicket of Shimron Hetmyer for 14, and Zampa dismissed Roston Chase (16) and Sherfane Rutherford – for his second straight duck – in the space of three deliveries, as West Indies slumped to 98 for five in the 14th over.
Russell then entertained the crowd in his last international innings, blasting a boundary-laden 36 runs from just 15 balls.
He smashed pacer Ben Dwarshuis for three sixes in the 15th over, and in the ensuing over, he hit Zampa for a four and six off successive deliveries.
But after clobbering Nathan Ellis for a boundary to start the 17th over, he attempted to hit him out of the ground and wicketkeeper Inglis took the catch.
West Indies then needed an unbeaten 24-run partnership off just 10 balls between Alzarri Joseph and Gudakesh Motie to get them up to their eventual total.
Zampa was the pick of Australia’s bowlers with 3-29, Maxwell took 2-15, and Ellis 2-34.
West Indies then struck two early blows, with Jason Holder having Maxwell caught behind for 12 and Joseph dismissing Marsh, who had been dropped twice in one Akeal Hosein over, for 21 after he skied a catch to wicketkeeper Hope, to leave Australia 42 for two in the sixth over.
The home side then did themselves no favours by spilling four opportunities to get rid of the two batters.
When Inglis was nine, Russell put down a chance running back from cover point off the bowling of Motie, and with his next ball, the left-arm spinner dropped a tough return catch offered by Green when he was on three.
Two balls later, off the same bowler, Hope failed to hold on to an outside edge from Green as he tried to execute a drive through the offside.
Those missed chances proved to be decisive, as the two batters shared an unbroken 131-run partnership to help Australia run away with the contest.
Inglis took full advantage, pummeling Joseph for a six and two fours in the eighth over, and he brought up his half century off 22 balls by hitting Russell back over his head for six.
Green then hit Motie for back-to-back boundaries in the 13th over, before Holder dropped Inglis off his bowling when he was on 60.
Green reached his fifth T20I half century off 28 balls by hitting Joseph for a six and then a four in the 15th over, as the visitors closed out an impressive victory in dominant fashion.
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