T20 WC 2021: AUS vs WI Review – Commanding Aussies sign off group stage with big win

Australia needed to win their last Super 12 game to ensure qualification and they did exactly that by beating the West Indies on Saturday. An 8-wicket victory with 22 balls to spare means that their net run rate has also become better. Though, their semi-final hopes would rest on South Africa, who play England in the second match of the day. The Aussies would hope that Proteas lose against England and even if they win, the margin isn’t too big.

Hazlewood shines

Earlier in the day, Australia won the toss and elected to field first. West Indies got off the blocks quickly but lost three wickets inside the Powerplay which lowered their run rate. But the crucial contribution came from the skipper Kieron Pollard who scored 44 from 31 balls, ensuring the Windies got close to a competitive total. That and Andre Russell’s 7-ball 18 towards the end helped the West Indies get past 150.

Australians were quite brilliant in the field and with the ball. Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins and Adam Zampa got a wicket each, but it was Josh Hazlewood who really hurt the Windies with his four-wicket haul.

Warner stands tall

The run chase could’ve been tricky for Australia but David Warner along with Mitchell Marsh, who batted at no. 3, made light work of with their brilliant striking. Captain Aaron Finch departed early but that didn’t let Warner and Marsh hold back.

Warner, who looked out of sorts ahead of the tournament, smashed an impressive half-century, timing his innings to near perfection. He was well supported by Marsh, who after being dropped for the England game came back strongly to register his fifty as well. Marsh was dismissed just one run away from the win by Chris Gayle.

Top performers

Josh Hazlewood: The tall pacer has arguably been the most impressive one of Australia’s deadly trio. And his best figures came to him in a must-win game for his team. The surface and conditions were perfectly suited for Hazlewood’s style of bowling. Making the most of it, he took the wickets of Nicholas Pooran, Roston Chase, Shimron Hetmyer and DJ Bravo.

David Warner: The southpaw shed his inhibitions and guided Australia to the perfect win with another noteworthy performance. His unbeaten 89 was laced with 9 fours and 4 sixes and the West Indian bowlers looked absolutely clueless against him. Warner’s 124-run partnership with Marsh was the key to Australia finishing the chase without a hiccup.

Records/Achievements

• Dwayne Bravo will retire being part of an exclusive club of cricketers with 1000+ runs and 50+ wickets in all formats of the game. Apart from him, the list has Mohammad Hafeez and Shakib Al Hasan.
• David Warner’s 89* is the highest score by an Australian batter in T20 World Cups. The previous best was of Cameron White – 85* vs Sri Lanka in 2010

Way ahead

West Indies will end their disappointing campaign with just one win in the Super 12 stage that came against Bangladesh. Australia have almost secured their place in the semi-finals, but would still wait for the result of the South Africa-England game to breathe safely.