The West Indies suffered another defeat on Sunday night, this time by three wickets in the first T20 International against Australia at Sabina Park in Jamaica. The match, played in front of a packed house, was the opener of a five-match series in the Caribbean.
After losing the toss, the Men in Maroon were sent in to bat first. However, Captain Shai Hope indicated that he would have chosen to bat anyway, had the toss gone in his favour.
The West Indies got off to a solid start, reaching 56 for 1 at the end of the powerplay, with only Brandon King (18) dismissed. A second-wicket partnership between the Barbadian duo of Roston Chase (60) and Hope added 91 runs, propelling the hosts through the middle overs and laying a strong foundation for the big-hitting finishers. One noticeable improvement in the team’s approach was their running between the wickets.
After Chase fell, Hope continued with some outstanding ball-striking, bringing up his seventh T20I half-century. The team looked poised to surpass 200, but a dramatic collapse saw them lose six wickets for just 37 runs, eventually finishing on 189 for 8.
During the innings, both Hope and Shimron Hetmyer crossed the 1,000-run mark in T20 Internationals, becoming the 12th and 13th West Indian batsmen to achieve the milestone in men’s T20Is.
In reply, Australia reached 64 for 2 by the end of their powerplay. While the Windies managed to dismiss the dangerous Glenn Maxwell cheaply, a fifth-wicket partnership worth 80 runs between Chris Green and Mitch Owen swung the match in the visitors’ favour. Although a few late wickets created a tense finish, Australia ultimately secured a three-wicket victory.
Commenting on his team’s performance, Shai Hope had this to say:
“We left ourselves 20 or 30 runs short in the back end. With the ball, we didn’t take as many wickets as we wanted to. “
The Men in Maroon will hope for a change in fortunes when they play the second match of the series at the same venue on Tuesday for what will be Andre Russell’s final international fixture.
