Match Details

AUS vs WI 3rd T20, AUS vs WI 2021

142-414.5

West Indies won by 6 wickets

AUS

20.0141-6

Match info

Live

Scorecard

Session	Open	PASS
6 Over	48	49
10 Over	79	71

Session	Open	PASS
6 Over	51	45
10 Over	78	72
15 Over	115	99
20 Over	147	141

Commentary

So, that is that from me, Karthik Raj and my co-commentators, Arijit and Aryasekhar Chakrborty. Do stay tuned to a host of other cricket matches on OneCricket.

Nicholas Pooran: It was a top game. We kept asking for improvement. Today we executed our plans both with bat and ball. He (Gayle) is the greatest T20 batsman to play this game, really pleased for him. I didn't dream (of starting captaincy with three straight wins) but this is a lovely bunch of guys. Also Polly (Pollard) and our coach. He (Pollard) is my mentor and has been someone who has always wanted me to do well. He is always helping me out. The spinners have been doing a lot of work on their bowling and it's paying off. It's also important to plan with the wind factor. Hitting against it isn't easy. We want to achieve consistency. Three game is nothing, we should try to win all five games if we can. There will be opportunities for other guys too.

Aaron Finch: Same as the other games. We haven't had our top order batting deep, losing too many wickets early and exposing our middle order. Credit to the West Indies, they bowled the right lengths and pace, didn't let us to score freely. We would have liked more runs no doubt. And that comes down to the top order not going deep. When one of the top four do that, it puts pressure on the bowlers. It's not due to lack of intent. International cricket is tough. Some of their players have played loads of games in this format, so it's tough. Yes, he (Meredith) was good, bowled with good pace and energy. We started well with the ball and were good in the field. Some positives there, so hope we keep improving.

Chris Gayle: It's been a great journey. I'm so happy and pleased to get a series win. Congrats to the stand-in captain for achieving this against a great team. From a person point of view, we all know that I was struggling. So it was pleasing to get runs. I want to dedicate these runs to my teammates. Especially Kieron Pollard and Dwayne Bravo. Sometimes, no matter how great you are, you need to get some talking to. The strength and unity in this team is immense. During the series against Sri Lanka when I got back in the squad, I was trying to do a different role than be myself. I don't mind the numbers, soon to be 42 so you all should be glad that Chris Gayle is still playing. My real target is the World Cup and hope I'll last till then. They (Australia) lost a lot of players and are looking to rebuild. With the World Cup looming, this is a good test for them.

Chris Gayle has been named as the 'Player of the Match' for his 67 off 38 balls.

Gayle reached his fifty off 32 balls and continued to flourish before Riley Meredith came back to provide another breakthrough for Australia. However, the wicket came too late as the West Indies only required 33 runs by then. Meredith went on to pick up Dwayne Bravo's wicket too but the stand-in WI skipper Nicholas Pooran and Andre Russell stayed unbeaten to take the side home.

Mitchell Starc removed Andre Fletcher pretty early on but Lendl Simmons and Chris Gayle ensured that the West Indies got a decent 38-run partnership. Just when the combo were starting to flourish, Riley Meredith dismissed Lendl Simmons for 15 runs in the sixth over. That dismissal didn't perturb the hosts with Chris Gayle going on somewhat six-hitting spree. He particularly targeted Adam Zampa with one boundary and three sixes in the 11th over.

The West Indies seal a dominant six-wicket victory with those two consecutive boundaries. They have also taken an unassailable 3-0 lead with 31 balls to spare. West Indies needed this victory after the loss against South Africa and their passion can be exactly seen through Nicholas Pooran's expressive celebration. Australia's total of 141-6 was never going to be enough on this track and the West Indies have proven so with this batting effort.

14.5 R Meredith to N Pooran

4 And that's it. What a way to finish off proceedings and an unassailable 3-0 lead in the 5 match series for the hosts. Meredith bangs this short and Pooran pulls this brilliantly over square and it races off to the deep midwicket boundary. Look at the celebration and elation from the skipper Nicholas Pooran. What a thumping performance from the defending world champions in this format.

14.4 R Meredith to N Pooran

4 That's a nice pick-up shot from Pooran. Straying down the leg side on this occasion Meredith and Pooran shuffles just a bit and plays it off his hips. Clips it over the fine leg region and it races off to the boundary ropes. Pooran and Gayle being Meredith's teammates has smashed his all around the corner.

14.4 R Meredith to N Pooran

WD That is a slower bumper from Meredith and that is just a bit too high. Above the head of Pooran as he lets that go to the keeper. Wide called by the umpire and Meredith has to reload that.

14.3 R Meredith to A Russell

1 Meredith has learned quickly, bowls a well-directed yorker and Russell gets the inside part of the bat down the deep square leg region for a single.

14.3 R Meredith to A Russell

NB6 No he can't, Russell nails it down the ground for a six to start the innings. That's his first ball and that is creamed. He is in such a rich vein of form and to rub salt to the wound that's a no-ball. Russell clears his from leg and smashes this from the centre of the bat and the ball goes sailing over the long-on boundary.

14.2 R Meredith to N Pooran

1 On a hat-trick Riley Meredith, Pooran survives. Works it down the ground towards the long-on region for a single. Meredith took some punishment against Gayle but he has come back well. Bowled well so far. Can he contain Russell here? A big test for him.

Out

Dwayne Bravo

7(7)

c A Zampa b R Meredith

4s/6s

1/0

100.00

14.1 R Meredith to D Bravo

W Meredith gets his man. He has bowled well today. Back of a length delivery, might have been a slight change of pace there, outside off and Bravo backs away and tries to go over extra covers. Ends up skying that high up in the air as his hands come out of the handle. No timing on it and Adam Zampa and point make some ground and cling onto a brilliant catch. Well that might be too little too late for the Australians.

OVER 14.0

West Indies

124/3

Nicholas Pooran

23(24)

Dwayne Bravo

7(6)

Mitchell Starc

1-15(4.0)

13.6 M Starc to N Pooran

4 A boundary to finish the over. Nicely played by Pooran. Length delivery outside off from Starc and Pooran flashes at it and finds the gap down the vacant deep cover-point region and there is no player in the vicinity to stop that. It races across the surface off to the ropes.

13.5 M Starc to N Pooran

0 A big appeal from Starc. A check on the run-out backing up at the bowler's end. Starc tries to go for the inswinging yorker, misses his length by a bit and comes out as a full toss. Pooran hits this straight back to the bowler and Starc might have got a hand there as the ball hits the stumps at the bowler's end. Umpire review for a run-out, third umpire asking for ultra-edge to see whether Starc had contact with the ball. The bat looks grounded and the decision for the big screen is Not Out.