Australia came back strong in the fourth match of the T20I series against the Windies after losing the series with two games to spare on Monday. The Windies are 3-1 up in the series, with the fifth match scheduled for Friday (July 16). It was a great match between these two teams, with Australia winning by just four runs. Mitchell Marsh had an exceptional outing in this match. He received the player of the match award for his all-round display, which helped Australia to victory. The fourth match report of the WI vs. AUS 2021 T20I series is discussed in this article.
The Fourth Match Report: WI vs. AUS 2021 T20 Series
Australia were desperate to win this match or risk losing the Twenty20 series to the Windies 5-0 for the first time in their cricket history. This would have been humiliating for a big team like Australia.
Thankfully for Australia, all-rounder Mitchell Marsh rose to the occasion, contributing both with the bat and the ball. It was his all-around effort that proved to be the most crucial in the game. Australia eventually won the match by 4 runs.
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Australia elected to bat first after winning the toss in the fourth game of the series against the Windies at the Daren Sammy National Cricket Stadium in Gros Islet, St Lucia. Matthew Wade returned to the pavilion in the second over after scoring only 5 runs.
Mitchell Marsh walked in to bat after his departure and put on a 114-run stand with skipper Aaron Finch for the second wicket.
The Marsh-Finch duo was aggressive from the start, bringing the total to 126 in the 12th over. Finch was dismissed after a 53-run innings, while Marsh remained at the crease until the 18th over before succumbing to Fabien Allen. Australia scored 189/6 thanks to Mitchell Marsh's 75 from 44 balls. For the Windies, Hayden Walsh took three wickets.
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The Marsh-Finch duo was aggressive from the start, bringing the total to 126 in the 12th over. Finch was dismissed after a 53-run innings, while Marsh remained at the crease until the 18th over before succumbing to Fabien Allen. Australia scored 189/6 thanks to Mitchell Marsh's 75 from 44 balls. For the Windies, Hayden Walsh took three wickets.
The Windies got off to a flying start while chasing the target. Openers, Lendl Simmons and Evin Lewis smashed 62 runs in 29 balls. Though after the departure of Evin Lewis (31) in the fifth over, things started to turn in Australia's favor.
The West Indies lost two more key wickets within the following five overs, including Chris Gayle and Andre Fletcher. Meanwhile, Lendl Simmons stood firm and was determined to lead the Windies to victory. However, he failed to remain at the crease till the end. Simmons fell to Mitchell Marsh in the 16th over after a gutsy 72 off 48 balls knock. Marsh had made a crucial breakthrough at the right time.
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After he left, everyone assumed Australia would comfortably win the match. Though, the match still had a few twists and turns left in it. Andre Russell and Fabien Allen came alive in the death overs and pushed the Windies close to the target. However, they ended up scoring 185/6, 5 runs short of victory. Australia's best player of the match, Mitchell Marsh took the most three wickets in the innings.
Bottom Line
The Windies have shown to be amongst the toughest T20 opponents in the world during the ongoing WI vs. AUS 2021 series. They have some excellent hitters and all-rounders on their roster. In a nutshell, they have a well-balanced twenty20 squad. The Windies are a strong contender to win the ICC T20 World Cup 2021. On the other side, Australia have struggled to defeat the Caribbean team. They need to reassess their approach before the all-important ICC mega event.