Australia has continued its dominant tour of the West Indies with another strong performance at Warner Park, with veteran Glenn Maxwell’s fielding and batting a feature in a three wicket triumph on Sunday AEST.
The Australians are now just one win away from completing a clean sweep of both the three Test and five T20 match tour of the Caribbean after chasing down a target of 205 in the match held on the small ground on the island of Saint Kitts and Nevis.
The final match of a white ball series in which several Australians have excelled as they seek to press their claims for next year’s T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka will be held on Tuesday morning, AEST, in Basseterre.
With Maxwell a stand out in the field, taking two superb catches and also playing the lead role in a remarkable tandem act dismissal with Cameron Green, the Aussies were always in control of the fourth match of the T20 series.
“It’s always a good time playing for the Australian cricket team and this group is extremely fun to be a part of,” Maxwell said.
“We enjoy each other’s company on and off the field and we’re playing some great cricket at the moment. It’s a great team to be a part of and long may it continue.”
Having secured the series a day prior, they had the luxury of resting record-breaking batter Tim David, but his absence mattered little as Josh Inglis, who scored his second 50 for the series, Maxwell (47) and Green, who was 55 not out, cashed in with the bat.
The only moments of concern were when Mitch Marsh was removed LBW by impressive newcomer Jediah Blades with the second ball, with a replay showing the Australian skipper should have reviewed his dismissal, and also midway through the chase.
With the Aussies coasting to victory, Blades created some doubt when removing Mitch Owen for two and then snaring Cooper Connolly as well in the 12th over to put the tourists under some pressure at 5-134.
But at a batting friendly venue, with all four innings to date resulting in scores of over 200, Green and fellow Western Australian all-rounder Aaron Hardie regained the momentum, with the Aussies reaching the total in the final over.
The West Indies last chance came when Sherfane Rutherford spilled Green, who has now made three half-centuries for the series, in the outfield in the second last over, which could have given the tourists some anxious moments at the end.
It was an impressive performance by the Australians in every regard and Maxwell, the Man of the Match, was brilliant with both the ball and the bat.
“I put a lot of emphasis on my fielding,” he said.
“I think it’s one of the things that I’ve always held a high regard for and the way I prepare for any series, any team that I’m playing for, to make sure that I’m adding something different to the team, regardless of whether I’m batting or bowling is, I think, one of the most important things.”
The 36-year-old demonstrated his athleticism in the field with the tandem-act combination Cameron Green to dismiss Romario Shepherd, who had attempted to punch Zampa for six, for 28.
He had previously taken a diving catch to remove the West Indian captain Hope in the infancy of the innings before a sensational effort to dismiss Roston Chase for a golden duck off the bowling of Hardie.
Former Australian wicketkeeper Brad Haddin described Maxwell as the best fielder in the world.
“We have seen him take some unbelievable catches ... but it is not by chance. It is the work he puts in and the details he considers,” he said on ESPN.
Although the Australian attack conceded more than 200 runs again, the bowlers were able to take wickets regularly, which stymied the hosts bid to post a massive total that would have put the Australians under pressure when batting.
Sent into bat for the fourth time in as many innings by Marsh after the Aussie skipper again won the toss, the Australians demonstrated the depth of their squad immediately by opting to open the bowling with new inclusions Hardie and Xavier Bartlett.
The pair struck early to remove dangerous openers Shai Hope, a centurion in the third match of the series, and Brandon King in the powerplay and ultimately finished with two wickets each as Australia fell just shy of bowling the West Indies out for the first time.
Adam Zampa was again expensive, conceding more than 50 runs from his four overs for the second match in succession, but struck back well after an early onslaught to finish with 3-54.
Miserly in Friday night’s encounter in the West Indies, Sean Abbott was also taken to task but was able to snare two wickets as well when finishing with 2-61.
Some superb bowling from Nathan Ellis at the death helped restrict the West Indies to a manageable total, with their innings disrupted by rain with just four balls remaining, which caused a delay of almost an hour.
Marsh said he was pleased with the manner with which the bowlers restricted the West Indies to a tally that, while the match reached the final over, always appeared within reach of Australia.
“I think it was an all-round really good effort,” he said.
“Obviously, you take a few early wickets and we know teams like the West Indies are going to, with how deep they bat, we knew that they were going to come hard the whole innings, which they did.
“But I thought the way we’re able to, I guess, navigate some tricky overs and keep taking wickets, I sort of feel 230 is probably par on that (pitch), so I thought it was an outstanding effort with the ball.”
Australia has reset its T20 squad in the 12 months since its failure to reach the semifinals of the T20 World Cup hosted by the West Indies and United States but one thing is certain.
The multifaceted talents of Glenn Maxwell ensure the veteran will feature in the 2026 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka provided he retains his fitness, such is his importance.
The match-winner has demonstrated every element of his skill in the current series against the West Indies when dynamic with the bat, canny with the ball and remarkable in the field.
Maxwell, who turns 37 in October, was absolutely stunning in the field in the match played on Sunday when responsible for three superb catches that stymied the West Indies momentum.
The tandem-act dismissal with Green to dismiss Matthew Forde was stunning, even if it was officially credited to the former, and so too was his one handed catch to get rid of Chase. It relegated to third the very good catch to remove the skipper Hope.
As freakish as his deeds in the field are, former Australian wicketkeeper Brad Haddin pointed out the Victorian has worked hard to ensure his skills are razor-sharp.
“There are not man fielders in the world game that can do this and Glenn Maxwell does it time and time again. That athleticism there shows why this man is considered the best fielder in the world,” Haddin said on host broadcaster ESPN.
“It is interesting watching Glenn Maxwell with the way he moves in the field. He does more work on the little basic things than anyone else. We have seen him take some unbelievable catches ... but it is not by chance. It is the work he puts in and the detail he considers.
“He spends the first half of his training working on all the basic skills in the game. He always wants to put himself in a position where he can influence the result of the game.”
In Australia’s three wicket triumph to start the series in Kingston, Maxwell chimed in with three catches.
In the Aussies’ eight wicket win in the second match, which was also played in Kingston, the all-rounder secured two wickets and a catch, while he made a rapid fire 20 from just seven balls to set the tone for the tourists in their massive run chase in the third encounter.
He was a deserved Man of the Match in the fourth game when, after his heroics in the field, he made a rapid fire 47 after being starved for an opportunity due to Josh Inglis’s brilliance during the power play.
GREEN CONTINUES TO EXCEL AT NO.4
Cameron Green is doing a good job of ensuring he will bat in critical positions in all forms of the game after securing his third half-century in four T20 outings against the West Indies on this tour.
After regaining his touch in the Test arena at No.3 in tricky conditions during the red ball tour of the Caribbean, Green has demonstrated he has the poise and power to bat at No.4 in the shortest format of the game, which adds to Australia’s options.
The Western Australian batted with distinction to ensure the Aussies got over the line in the match at Warner Park after a couple of wickets in the middle of the innings created some doubts.
Marsh, who replaced Green during the 2023 Ashes series in England but subsequently lost his spot to Beau Webster last summer in the Test arena, said he was scarcely surprised his WA teammate was excelling in the role.
“He hasn’t played a lot of T20 cricket for Australia ... simply for the fact that he’s played a lot of Test cricket already,” he said.
“The main thing for him is to enjoy playing cricket for Australia. Test cricket can be a bit of a grind and there is a lot of pressure, so it’s been really nice to see him, I guess, free up a little bit and hopefully really enjoy his cricket.
“We know how important he is for for Australian cricket, so we’re lucky to have him.”
DEPTH MUDDIES THE WATER FOR SELECTORS
Green is firing at No.4. Josh Inglis is excelling at first drop. Maxwell is a must. And fringe members of the side are all firing.
With the next T20 World Cup just eight months away, the Australian selectors are in a pleasing position for a team that remains unbeaten since a loss to England on a tour of the UK last September.
Despite the absence of Travis Head and the champion trio of fast bowlers Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood, Australia is continuing on its merry way in the shortest format of the game.
The next target is to clean sweep this series in the deciding match on Tuesday, before white ball series against South African in the Top End and Far North Queensland next month and then India in late October and early November leading into the Ashes.
Aaron Hardie, who took 2-24 and then added a handy 24 runs with the bat, and Xavier Bartlett were the latest to shine when given an opportunity on Sunday.
Maxwell said it was important to see the newcomers excelling in the format as Australia builds to the next World Cup.
“Together with Mitch Marsh, we’ve obviously come up with a plan just to give some guys some different roles through the middle and see how they adapt and they’ve adapted brilliantly throughout this whole series,” he said.
“So far, it’s been great to watch some of our power hitters go about it. We’ve seen Tim David up a little bit higher in the order (and) Mitch Owen, who’s been a known opener throughout the start of his early T 20 career, playing a different role in the middle overs as well. It’s been it’s been great to see so far, and it’s been good fun.”
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