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WI vs Aus | 3rd T20I: Universe Boss roars back to form as hosts annihilate Australia to win series

Brief Scores 


Australia 141/6 in 20 overs (Moises Henriques 33, Hayden Walsh Jr 2/18) 


West Indies 142/4 in 14.5 overs (Chris Gayle 67, Riley Meredith 3/48)


West Indies won by 6 wickets (with 31 deliveries to spare)


The day belonged to 'Universe Boss' Chris Gayle and West Indies as they annihilated Australia by six wickets in the third T20I to take an unassailable 3-0 lead in the series. With his back to the wall, Gayle responded in a fashion which only Chris Gayle can. He clobbered the Australian bowlers all around St. Lucia during his blazing knock of 67 of 37 deliveries. Gayle turned back the clock and smashed his first fifty in T20I’s after the 2016 World Cup. 


Chasing a modest target of 142, West Indies received an early jolt in the form of Andre Fletcher’s wicket. However, Lendl Simmons and Chris Gayle ensured that it was just a mere hiccup as they blazed away in their respective knocks. Gayle who generally tends to take few deliveries before letting loose expressed himself right from the outset and made the difference. 


He reserved some special treatment for Josh Hazlewood in the 2nd over smashing his for 18 runs in four deliveries to set the tone for the run-chase. With the required rate down under control, Gayle started working around for singles and doubles while Simmons struck some fine shots. His dismissal didn’t make any difference as Nicholas Pooran along with the Universe Boss make light work of the chase as Windies sailed past the victory target. 


Gayle tore into Zampa in the 11th over depositing him for three consecutive sixes and a four, making the run-chase a mere formality. There was no respite for Riley Meredith in his second spell either as he was nailed for two massive sixes by Chris Gayle in the 12th over. During the innings, Gayle became the first player in the history of the game to reach 14,000 T20 runs. 


He was eventually dismissed by Meredith in that same over but by then the damage was done. Dwayne Bravo was again sent up the order at No 5 and did justice to the trust shown by the team management in the new role. He stayed there till the end as Nicholas Pooran smashed a couple of boundaries of Meredith in the 15th over to seal the deal for the home team. 


Earlier in the day, Aaron Finch went with the method which had worked for West Indies in the previous two matches and opted to put runs on the board. The Aussies were off to a steady start scoring 41 runs in the first 5 overs. Wade looked in good touch and struck 4 boundaries during his brisk knock of 23 but it was Obed McCoy, the newbie of the Windies team who made an impact yet again bagging his prized wicket. 


Mitchell Marsh departed for a low score as he was struck plumb in front of a straighter one from Fabian Allen. Run scoring became difficult in the middle overs as the Windies bowlers tightened the screws around the Aussie middle order and didn’t allow them to let loose. Moises Henriques and Ashton Turner scored some runs but it came at a relatively low strike rate which never really allowed Australia to get over the 150 mark. 


Once again, Hayden Walsh Jr was held back by Nicholas Pooran and the leggie didn’t disappoint. He bagged two crucial wickets and continued his dream run in the series so far. He bowled slow and was never afraid to toss the ball up. The wickets of Alex Carey and Aaron Finch derailed Australia in the middle overs as they could only muster 141 in their allotted 20 overs. In the end, the score proved nowhere close to being enough. 

 

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ZIM vs BAN | Donald Tiripano rues missed opportunities, shows willingness to bat higher up the order

Zimbabwe all-rounder Donald Tiripano has said that Zimbabwe failed to get Bangladesh ‘by the throat’ and let them off the hook on the first day of the only Test between sides concluded yesterday in Harare. He said that the new ball bowlers put a lot of pressure on the Bangladesh top and upper-middle order before the lower order resurrected the tourists. Notably, Bangladesh were once languishing at 132/6 when the skipper Mominul Haque walked back to the pavilion. However, after that, Zimbabwe had to wait for a period of 42 overs and a 138 run partnership between Liton Das and Mahmudullah for the next wicket as the game drifted away from their grapes. "We started well in the first morning. The wicket was doing a bit. After taking six wickets, we let them off. Mahmudullah and Liton Das put together a partnership. I think we have to make sure that when we get into such positions, we have to get them by the throat and we have to finish them off,” Tiripano said. Tiripano also rued missed opportunities with the bat in the first innings as Zimbabwe floundered their great start with a collapse in the middle order. They were strolling at 225/2 before the collapse started and they were bundled out for a mere 276 runs in reply to Bangladesh’ mammoth 468 runs in the first innings. However, he did not downplay the number of positives that came Zimbabwe’s way in the Test match and said that the side will work hard to avoid playing catch up cricket in Test cricket. "It is unfortunate that we couldn't get a good total in the first innings. There are a lot of positives that came out from this game. Guys tried to score some runs and build partnerships by putting their head down. But we should work hard on our batting and make sure that we don't play catch up cricket in a Test match,” he added. It was a strange sort of game personally for Tiripano, who failed with the bat in the first innings but the team management showed faith in him by promoting him to the number five position in the second innings. Zimbabweans had their backs pushed against the wall on the final day but Tiripano held the fort from the other end and delayed the inevitability of Zimbabwe’s loss with a gutsy 52 off 144 balls. He repaid the faith shown in him by the team management and has shown willingness to ‘embrace’ a new role where he concedes he will be challenged and put under pressure. "It is a challenge that I am willing to take. I am happy to embrace it if given the chance to bat up the order. I like being challenged. I enjoy pressure," he said. Donald Tiripano had a mixed result in the Test both with the bat and ball but his willingness to take more responsibility for himself and promising sign in the second innnigs will give the team management a lot of hope in the near future.

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Mominul Haque concedes Bangladesh got away with extended batting line-up in Harare

Bangladesh found themselves wanting initially in the only Test against Zimbabwe but a valuable partnership between Liton Das and Mahmudullah turned the tide in their favour. Discussing his decision to bat first, he pointed out that the presence of spinners in the playing XI made his decision-making process easier as the surface promised to assist spinners on the final two days of the Test. "After looking at the pitch, I expected it to turn on the fourth or fifth day, which is why I decided to bat first. We had belief that our spinners could take advantage of those conditions. It would have been difficult to make a combination in these conditions without Shakib bhai. Looking at the wicket, I thought that some of us might struggle but with a long batting line-up, we could get away from it,” Mominul Haque said in the post-match press conference. He conceded that the conditions could have been far trickier than they would have liked but the move of playing extra batsman worked perfectly for his side. He commended both Mahmudullah and Liton Das along with Taskin Ahmed to keep the side ahead in the first innings and the top order batsmen for cashing in on advantage in the second innings. "Riyad bhai's partnership with Liton was critical as we were 132-6 at that stage. Riyad played an outstanding innings. Taskin's 75 was also important to win this Test match. Staying ahead in the first innings keeps you in the game for long. Shanto and Shadman played well in the second innings without pressure, which is how it should be. I think they utilised the situation very well by batting normally," he said. Calling the win against Zimbabwe a big moment, Haque said that the win will help boost the morale of the side in the World Test Championship. He said that a clinical win will enable players to understand their roles better however he underlined the team is focusing on improving their ‘small processes.’ "This Test win will build confidence in everyone ahead of the World Test Championship. They would know their role better. We are trying to improve small processes, rather than plan big,” Haque added. The win over Zimbabwe would come as a sense of relief for Mominul Haque personally after digesting a humiliating defeat at the hands of West Indies at home earlier this year.

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Phil Salt outlines his role of providing 'flier' start to England batting

England’s new recruit Phil Salt stamped authority at the highest level in only his second ODI after he struck 60 against Pakistan in the second ODI of the three-match series at Lord’s. The batsman who was born in the Welsh town had moved to Caribbean islands with family when he was 10. “I was born in North Wales but my dad got a job out there and we all moved over when I was about 10. He was a property developer on the west coast,” he said. Salt further added that he had featured for Barbados U15 and was eligible for the U19 side but wasn’t selected. “I think I was eligible through citizenship. I spent six years there and then came back to the UK to go to boarding school. I played Barbados Under-15s but never any further. I was available for selection for the under-19 team but I didn’t get selected,” he added. Seven members from the England camp that was slated to play Pakistan in the bilateral tie had earlier tested positive for Covid-19 while the others were isolated considering they were in the close proximity which forced the England selectors to announce a new squad. Salt, who made a cut into the national side for the series, talked about his role and said that he is responsible for providing the side with a quick start. “Coming in it is pretty simple, I’ve got to get the boys off to a flier. That doesn’t mean it’s all big shots all over the place, a good ball is still a good ball and you have to play it with respect. But if you get any width or any length I am definitely looking to jump all over that,” he said.