Australia defeated West Indies’ 214/4 with 23 balls to spare with to Tim David‘s undefeated century. David, who struck 11 sixes in his remarkable effort, overcame Shai Hope’s first innings century to build the groundwork for Australia’s series-clinching win with two matches left.
West Indies’ lead before halftime began to erode when Mitchell Marsh and Glenn Maxwell took 16 runs off Jediah Blades in the first over of the chase. They added 14 off Jason Holder to keep the home team on edge. Three wickets from Akeal Hosein, Romario Shepherd, and Holder in the PowerPlay sent the openers and Josh Inglis back, but David had 65/3 in 6 overs to build on.
As Cameron Green got trapped, West Indies tried to confine Australia with spin over the middle. However, Tim David kept Australia’s scoring rate at 10 an over. In the ninth over, Shepherd ended Green’s 11 off 14 run, but David and Mitchell Owen went on to win the match. Australia reached 120/4 at halftime after Green was dismissed, and David hit four sixes in Gudakesh Motie’s 28-run 10th over.
West Indies took a drinks break, but David became Australia’s fastest T20I half-centurion in 16 deliveries with a four. The pursuit was accelerated by sixes in another 20-run over on either side of that four. Hope passed the ball to Roston Chase to stop the carnage, but David was unstoppable. He hit the spinner for three sixes and a four in the 23-run over. Shepherd didn’t do well in the next over after Blades bowled a rare tight delivery for five runs. Tim David and Owen blasted him for sixes each, and Brandon King dropped a mid-wicket catch that could’ve sent Tim David packing.
Owen added 18 to the pair’s 100-run stand in the 15th over. They attacked Blades in his next over to go within four runs of win with four overs left.
Tim David hit a leg-side delivery for a four on the first ball of the 17th over to win and score Australia’s fastest T20I century (37 balls).
West Indies were in a rare position of strength in a series defined by humiliation before Australia won. West Indies had a chance to save the series after Hope and King’s 125-run opening stand in 11.4 overs. They hit 12 sixes and scored over 170, but Tim David overpowered them with 11 sixes and a century at 275.68. To clarify, Hope scored as many runs as David but needed 20 more deliveries.
West Indies maintained their high-scoring momentum when the opening stand was broken. Shimron Hetmyer and Sherfane Rutherford came and went rapidly, but Hope kept his foot on the throttle as West Indies scored 49 runs off the last overs to end over 200. It was ridiculously insufficient that night.
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