BASSETERRE, St Kitts – Australia ended their tour of the Caribbean in dominant fashion by clean sweeping the West Indies in their T20I series which came to a climax here at Warner Park on Monday.
Ben Dwarshuis (right) celebrates one of his three wickets against the West Indies in the fifth and final T20I.The West Indies produced their worst batting performance of the five-match-series, being bowled out for 170 in 19.4 overs after being sent in to bat for the fifth straight time.
Australia was then buoyed by solid contributions from its middle order which propelled them to 173 for seven in 17 overs and a commanding 5-0 win.
The home side got off to their worst start of the series, with left-arm pacer Ben Dwarshuis, who was named Player-of-the-Match, picking up the wickets of openers Shai Hope for nine and Brandon King for 11, to reduce them to 22 for two in the fourth over.
Aaron Hardie then got Keacy Carty to chip him to mid on where Glenn Maxwell took a regulation catch after scoring a solitary run to put the Windies in further trouble at 32 for three.
Sherfane Rutherford and Shimron Hetmyer looked good during a 32-run partnership in just three overs, until the former was bowled for 35 off 17 balls trying to smash Maxwell’s off spin through the off side, to leave the score 64 for four.
Hetmyer and Jason Holder then temporarily halted the slide during a 47-run stand for the fifth wicket.
Holder carried the Windies past the 100 mark with a towering six off Hardie and followed it up with a four through third man.
But just as the two were beginning to build momentum, Sean Abbott had Holder caught behind for 20 off 15 balls
New batsman Romario Shepherd flicked Nathan Ellis over fine leg for a huge six, but he was bowled the next delivery to see the West Indies slump to 123 for six in the 15th over.
Hetmyer brought up his sixth T20I half century off 30 balls, and first since 2023, in spectacular fashion by hitting Dwarshuis for a six and two boundaries in the 17th over.
However, he lost his wicket in the same over, brilliantly caught by Abbott running in from long off, to be out for 52 off 31 balls, inclusive of three sixes and three fours, as the Windies fell into further trouble at 155 for seven.
The end came swiftly after as the home side was bowled out with two balls remaining in the innings.
Dwarshuis ended with 3-41 and Ellis 2-32.
The West Indies put themselves in a strong position to push for victory by claiming the wickets of Maxwell, Josh Inglis and captain Mitchell Marsh inside three overs to leave Australia 25 for three.
However, Player-of-the-Series Cameron Green, who made 32, Tim David (30 off 12 balls), Mitchell Owen (37 off 17 balls) and Aaron Hardie, who scored an unbeaten 28, formed crucial partnerships while keeping the scoreboard ticking over.
Green and Owen put on 63 runs in rapid fashion for the fourth wicket following the dismissal of David with the score 60 for four, to see Australia race to 123 for four inside 10 overs.
And even though left-arm spinner Akeal Hosein claimed the wickets of Green, Owen and Dwarshuis, it was a case of too little too late, as Australia strolled to victory with 18 balls remaining.
Hosein ended with 3-17, while Alzarri Josesph (2-21) and Jason Holder (2-36) took two wickets apiece.
