Maxwell, Inglis, Green guide Aus to unassailable 4-0 lead in T20I series against Windies

Basseterre (St. Kitts): Australia continued their dominant run in the T20I series against the West Indies, clinching a nail-biting three-wicket victory in the fourth match at St. Kitts to take an unassailable 4-0 lead.

Chasing a formidable target of 206, Australia reached the finish line with four balls to spare, thanks to crucial contributions from Josh Inglis, Cameron Green, and a blistering cameo by Glenn Maxwell.

Opting to bowl first on a well-used pitch, Australia saw the West Indies make a brisk start, racing to 58/3 in the powerplay. Despite early fireworks, wickets tumbled regularly – Brandon King fell early, skying Xavier Bartlett to mid-wicket, and both Shai Hope and Roston Chase departed within the powerplay, courtesy of sharp catches by Maxwell.

Sherfane Rutherford kept the scoreboard ticking with a rapid 31 (15), but his counterattack ended when he tried to clear Adam Zampa and only found Mitchell Marsh. Shimron Hetmyer and Rovman Powell injected some impetus in the middle overs, with Hetmyer launching consecutive sixes before holing out to long-on. West Indies sat at 111/5 at the halfway stage.

Late-order efforts from Jason Holder and Romario Shepherd lifted the total. Despite showers interrupting play briefly in the death overs, Nathan Ellis finished the innings strongly, restricting West Indies to 205/9. Adam Zampa (3/54) and Aaron Hardie (2/24) led the bowling efforts, never letting the hosts accelerate wildly at the death.

Australia’s chase began on a shaky note with skipper Mitchell Marsh falling for a golden duck to Jediah Blades. However, any early jitters evaporated as Inglis and Maxwell swung momentum back with an explosive partnership.

Maxwell smashed sixes at will, including a monstrous 101-meter hit, while Inglis was inventive, quickly reaching his fifty before falling for 51. Maxwell, after a quickfire 47 off 18, holed out just short of his own half-century. Blades’ double-strike in the 11th over left Australia wobbling at 134/5.

Cameron Green, cool under pressure, rebuilt the chase with Aaron Hardie, adding 51 runs at a crucial stage. Though Hardie (23) fell and Bartlett’s unfortunate run-out threatened to derail the finish, Green stood firm. He brought up his third fifty of the series and sealed victory with a single in the final over, finishing unbeaten on 55.

Australia’s victory leaves them on the brink of a series sweep, with one T20I remaining in the five-match contest.

Brief scores: West Indies 205/9 in 20 overs (Sherfane Rutherford 31; Adam Zampa 3-54) lost to Australia 206/7 in 19.2 overs Cameron Green 55*, Josh Inglis 51; Jediah Blades 3-29) by 3 wickets.

IANS