WI claim first away T20I win over Australia since 2013
West Indies beat Australia in the third and final T20I in Perth. The Caribbeans successfully defended 220/6, restricting Australia to 173/5. David Warner's blistering 81 and a cameo from Tim David went in vain. Earlier, Sherfane Rutherford and Andre Russell shared a century-plus partnership. WI have claimed their first T20I win over Australia Down Under in a decade. However, Australia won the series 2-1.
A look at the match summary
Batting first, West Indies touched the 200-run mark for the third consecutive T20I. They started poorly and were tottering on 79/5 at one stage. However, Rutherford (67*) and Russell (71) propelled the Caribbeans past 200. Xavier Bartlett took two wickets. In response, skipper Mitchell Marsh and Warner took Australia to a flier. Australia fell short despite Warner's exploits, while David's 19-ball 41* stood out.
A milestone win for WI
As mentioned, West Indies have beaten Australia for the first time Down Under in T20Is in a decade. Their previous and only other T20I win over the side in Australia came exactly a decade ago. West Indies beat Australia by 20 runs at the Gabba in Brisbane. The Caribbeans now have two wins in eight T20Is over Australia in Australia.
Warner slams his 26th T20I fifty
Senior opener Warner continued his phenomenal run in the series by smashing another half-century. Warner, who slammed a match-winning 70 in the series opener, once again proved his mettle. The left-handed dasher hammered a 49-ball 81, laced with 9 fours and 3 sixes. This was his 26th half-century in T20I cricket. However, he couldn't get the Aussies home.
Second Australian with 3,000 T20I runs
During the match, Warner completed 3,000 runs in T20 Internationals. His compatriot Aaron Finch (3,120) is the only Australian batter in the 3,000-run club. Virat Kohli (4,037), Rohit Sharma (3,974), Martin Guptill (3,531), Babar Azam (3698), and Paul Stirling (3,438) are the others with 3,000 or more T20I runs. Warner's strike rate of 142.51 is the second-best among these players.
Maiden T20I fifty for Rutherford
Rutherford came to the middle after WI slumped to 72/4. Roston Chase earlier lifted them from 17/3 with a 20-ball 37. However, WI lost Chase and skipper Rovman Powell in quick succession. Rutherford then joined forces with Russell, launching a befitting counter-attack. The former slammed an unbeaten 67(40), a knock laced with 5 fours and as many sixes. It was his maiden T20I fifty.
Russell goes all out!
Star all-rounder Russell was at his absolute best in his 29-ball 71. He slammed 4 fours and 7 maximums. Russell came down hard on leg-spinner Adam Zampa, who went on to concede 65 runs in four overs. The Caribbean all-rounder took Zampa to the cleaners several times. Russell scored his third half-century in the shortest international format.
Highest-ever sixth-wicket stand in T20Is
Together, Rutherford and Russell racked up 139 runs off just 67 balls. This is now the highest-ever partnership for the sixth wicket in T20I cricket. The previous-highest stand in this regard was between Australia's Michael Hussey and Cameron White (101* vs SL, 2010).
