Mitchell Marsh leads the West Indies to victory in the first Twenty20 International against Australia.
Mitchell Marsh hit 75 off 44 balls to help West Indies beat Australia in the opening T20I.
Mitchell Marsh's superb all-round effort gave Australia their first win of the five-match T20 International series, as the visitors beat the West Indies by four runs in the fourth match at the Darren Sammy Stadium in St Lucia on Wednesday. Marsh, who had already scored half-centuries in the first two games of the series, smashed the Caribbean bowlers for 75 runs off 44 balls, including six sixes and four fours, to lead his team to a difficult total of 189 for six after electing to bat first. He put up 114 for the second wicket with Australian captain Aaron Finch, who contributed 53, while leg-spinner Hayden Walsh led the West Indies bowling attack with three for 27.
The West Indies chase began with Lendl Simmons' boisterous innings of 72 at the top of the order, but when he fell to Marsh, one of three wickets for the experienced all-rounder, the match began to tilt in favour of an Australian side looking to avoid an unprecedented four consecutive T20 series defeats.
Fabian Allen and Andre Russell's spectacular hitting gave the West Indies hope going into the final over after they combined to grab 25 runs off Riley Meredith's penultimate over.
But, with 11 runs needed to win in the last over and Russell on strike, Mitchell Starc was spot on, giving the tourists some consolation after already losing the series.
The pitch conditions on a night when light showers twice halted Marsh's innings suited him perfectly, as his contributions of 75 and three for 24 were also personal bests in T20 Internationals.
"I'm from Western Australia, so a little bit of pace off the pitch suited me perfectly and really allowed me to go away," he said after winning Man of the Match.
"Whatever total we reached, we knew it was going to be a challenge to limit the West Indies big-hitters, and I'm just delighted to be able to contribute with bat and ball."
Marsh had previously taken the wickets of Chris Gayle, the match-winner for the West Indies in the third match two days prior, and Nicholas Pooran, who has taken over as captain in lieu of the injured Kieron Pollard.
"It was frustrating to lose in the end, but it's still beneficial for us going forward because we're continuing to see outstanding performances from key players," Pooran said, putting a positive spin on his team's first loss in this series.
Mitchell Marsh leads the West Indies to victory in the first Twenty20 International against Australia.
Mitchell Marsh hit 75 off 44 balls to help West Indies beat Australia in the opening T20I.
Agence France-Presse is a news agency based in Paris, France.
Updated at 10:45 a.m. IST on July 15, 2021
3 minutes to read
Mitchell Marsh leads the West Indies to victory in the first Twenty20 International against Australia.
Mitchell Marsh was on fire for Australia in the first Twenty20 International.
Mitchell Marsh's superb all-round effort gave Australia their first win of the five-match T20 International series, as the visitors beat the West Indies by four runs in the fourth match at the Darren Sammy Stadium in St Lucia on Wednesday. Marsh, who had already scored half-centuries in the first two games of the series, smashed the Caribbean bowlers for 75 runs off 44 balls, including six sixes and four fours, to lead his team to a difficult total of 189 for six after electing to bat first. He put up 114 for the second wicket with Australian captain Aaron Finch, who contributed 53, while leg-spinner Hayden Walsh led the West Indies bowling attack with three for 27.
The West Indies chase began with Lendl Simmons' boisterous innings of 72 at the top of the order, but when he fell to Marsh, one of three wickets for the experienced all-rounder, the match began to tilt in favour of an Australian side looking to avoid an unprecedented four consecutive T20 series defeats.
Fabian Allen and Andre Russell's spectacular hitting gave the West Indies hope going into the final over after they combined to grab 25 runs off Riley Meredith's penultimate over.
But, with 11 runs needed to win in the last over and Russell on strike, Mitchell Starc was spot on, giving the tourists some consolation after already losing the series.
The pitch conditions on a night when light showers twice halted Marsh's innings suited him perfectly, as his contributions of 75 and three for 24 were also personal bests in T20 Internationals.
"I'm from Western Australia, so a little bit of pace off the pitch suited me perfectly and really allowed me to go away," he said after winning Man of the Match.
"Whatever total we reached, we knew it was going to be a challenge to limit the West Indies big-hitters, and I'm just delighted to be able to contribute with bat and ball."
Marsh had previously taken the wickets of Chris Gayle, the match-winner for the West Indies in the third match two days prior, and Nicholas Pooran, who has taken over as captain in lieu of the injured Kieron Pollard.
"It was frustrating to lose in the end, but it's still beneficial for us going forward because we're continuing to see outstanding performances from key players," Pooran said, putting a positive spin on his team's first loss in this series.
"A lot of guys are here aiming to make a statement before the World T20, and Hayden (Walsh) is one of them. He was fantastic once more."
The series' last encounter will be contested at Daren Sammy Stadium on Friday, after which the teams will head to Barbados for a three-match One-Day International series beginning next Tuesday.
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