Young debutant Xavier Bartlett enjoyed a dream debut and the Australian top order put on a stellar show as Australia stormed past the West Indies in the first Dettol ODI. Keacy Carty and Roston Chase batted admirably for the visitors but they could not accumulate enough runs to challenge the ODI batting lineup. Despite losing Travis Head in the first over, Australia enjoyed a smooth sailing towards victory with notable contributions from Inglis, Green and Smith.After losing the opening two fixtures of the 2023 World Cup, Australia have now secured 10 successive victories in the ODI format
Team Lineups
With captain Pat Cummins given a rest for the series, Steve Smith was chosen as the stand-in skipper After the retirement of David Warner last month, Australia had a vacant spot to fill at the top of the order. Josh Inglis is promoted to open the batting for Australia with Travis Head. Regular pace bowlers Josh Hazlewood and Mitch Starc are given a respite after playing international matches for a long time. Pace sensation Lance Morris finally made his international debut after staying with the national team. Six of the World Cup winners were missing from the squad. The IPL sensation, Spencer Johnson also did not have any place in the squad.
South Australian pacer Xavier Bartlett also played his first game. With the absence of Mitchell Marsh and Glenn Maxwell, all-rounders Matt Short and Aaron Hardie came into the team. Young sensation Jake Fraser-McGurk would have to wait for another match to make his debut for the national side.
The West Indies were tragically knocked out of the qualifiers for the 2023 World Cup. The two time World Champions redeemed themselves with a famous Test win on Australian soil last month. Shai Hope led a depleted ODI team with a lot of regular faces absent due to T20 franchise duties. There were two uncapped players in the Windies squad: batsman Teddy Bishop and wicketkeeper Tevin Imlach. Alzarri Joseph who was appointed as the vice captain for this series was left on the bench. Left arm orthodox spinner Hayden Walsh Jr. made his first appearance after 2022 in this format.
Australia
- Travis Head 2. Josh Inglis (WK) 3. Cameron Green 4. Steve Smith (Cap.) 5. Marnus Labuschagne 6. Matt Short 7. Aaron Hardie 8. Sean Abott 9. Xavier Bartlett 10. Lance Morris 11. Adam Zampa
West Indies
- Alick Athanaze 2. Justin Greaves 3. Keacy Carty 4. Shai Hope (Cap.) (WK) 5. Kavem Hodge 6. Roston Chase 7. Hayden Walsh Jr. 8. Romario Shepherd 9. Matthew Forde 10. Gudakesh Motie 11. Oshane Thomas
The Australian stand-in skipper won the toss and decided to bowl first. Traditionally, the big ground at the MCG is considered to be good for batting. The average first innings score at this ground is 222. In a total of 158 matches, the team batting first has a slight edge (78) over the team batting second (75). The average first innings score has risen to 275 at this ground in the last five innings. The team batting first would look to post a total of 270+ to challenge the chasing team. The batters can play smooth strokes after getting themselves settled on the MCG pitch.
Fixture
This is the first time Australia is playing ODI cricket after their World Cup final win against India in November. The Aussies are enjoying a hot streak with nine wins on the bounce. The West Indies on the other hand, have only managed four wins in their last ten outings. However, they performed impressively last December to claim a 2-1 series victory against England. The two most successful nations in ODI cricket have clashed on 143 previous occasions. Six time World Cup winners Australia have the upper hand with 76 wins to 61 West Indian victories. Three games did not yield any results, with three ties in the mix.
In the games played on Australian soil, the hosts have won 41 games. The Windies are not far behind with 35 wins. In the last meeting between the two sides, Australia beat the hosts by six wickets to claim a 2-1 series win back in July 2021
| Venue | The Dettol ODI series kicked off with a day-night game at the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) |
| Date | The game started at 9:30 a.m. IST on Friday, February 2. |
Captaincy & Tactics
Steve Smith’s choice of bowling first was justified during the early exchanges by Xavier Bartlett. The young pacer was generating swing at will, putting the visitor batting lineup in jeopardy. Bartlett decided to keep the ball at a good length. Three of his four wickets were taken by bowling in that channel. Lance Morris on the other hand had a debut to forget. The 26 year old is considered to be the successor to Mitchell Starc’s throne as he can hit the 145 kph mark regularly. But the Queensland pacer was wayward with his line, dropping it short on various occasions. Cameron Green showed his maturity by picking up two wickets. The 24 year old all-rounder was not letting the batsman have any room.
Roston Chase and Keacy Carty adopted different approaches to counter the Aussie attack. Carty was pouncing on the short and full deliveries against Lance Morris, Chase chose to go after Adam Zampa. The pair put a 110 run stand together. The Australians bowled brilliantly during the death overs, Sean Abott was accurate and claimed two wickets.
The Australian innings belonged to Josh Inglis in the beginning. The diminutive wicketkeeper batsman took no time to settle. He was dispatching anything that was aimed at his body, flicking and pulling the ball towards the leg side. 62% of his total run came down the leg side. Cameron Green and Steve Smith then combined to form a formidable partnership that took Australia safely to the victory. Green was strong in the midwicket region. Steve Smith showed his efficacy against spin bowlers with some exquisite cut shots.
Batting Analysis
Keacy Carty deserved a hundred on the day. The young Sint Maarten batter played with a lot of verve and courage. He reached within touching distance of the first century of his career. However, the ill-fated right hander was ran out after trying to take a daft single. Before that, he revived the slumping West Indies batting with Roston Chase at the other end.
Carty was especially aggressive against the pace bowling of Lance Morris. The express bowler was guilty of some wayward deliveries and Carty took full advantage of it. Two of the short deliveries were flicked with style for sixes. Morris tried to fix his length by overpitching the ball. It was met with equal ferocity by Carty, driving the ball back past the bowler.
Roston Chase took a special liking towards spin bowling. Four of his seven boundary shots came against Adam Zampa. Chase was forcing Zampa to readjust his line by employing the sweep shot against him. The Bbarbadian all-rounder kept the scoreboard ticking with regular singles. He reached 59 runs from 66 deliveries before another sweep shot caused his demise. The right hander was too far across the stumps and misjudged the length. As a result, he was bowleda round his legs.
Australia’s innings got off to the worst start possible with Travis Head getting out in the first over. But all hopes for a West Indian resurgence were quashed by one man – Josh Inglis. The 28 year old was in no mood to slow down after starting his innings in an explosive fashion. Inglis was in the playing eleven despite being Covid positive on Thursday. The wicketkeeper batsman reached his half century in just 28 deliveries.
Josh Inglis was dispatching everything short that was on offer. 36% of his runs came through the square leg region. Matthew Forde and Oshane Thomas were holding their length and Inglis pounced on the opportunity. He also hit some stunning drives down the ground. Inglis’ innings ended in an anticlimactic fashion as he got out while trying a reverse sweep shot against Gudakesh Motie.
Cameron Green was steady at the other end, scoring just 14 runs from 28 deliveries when Inglis got dismissed. But he gradually came out of his shell to play some magnificent shots. Cameron Green hit 4 fours and 2 sixes in his assuring innings of 77 off 104 balls. With little pressure with the asking rate, stand-in skipper Steve Smith also expressed himself on the pitch. The champion batter scored 79 runs in the same amount of balls to see Australia through safely to victory.
Bowling Analysis
The pair of Morris and Bartlett became the first debutant opening bowler duo for Australia after 2016. Xavier Bartlett did not need any time to make his mark on the game. He removed Justin Greaves with an amazing outswinger. The ball shaped away from the right hander and clipped the top of the off stump to give Bartlett his first international wicket on the third ball of his career. He should have had a second three balls later, but captain Steve Smith opted against a review. Alick Athanaze was hit on the front pad but the on field umpire judged it to be sliding down the leg.
But Bartlett was not to be denied; he produced another magical outswinger to scratch the edge of Alick Athanaze’s willow. The 24 year old was showing his wide range skills with the new ball just like he was doing in the BBL. Captain Steve Smith showed immense faith in the young man, bowling him for six straight overs. Bartlett repaid the trust with a brilliant bowling display, he also removed Shai Hope before finishing his spell with a maiden and three wickets. Bartlett came back to take a fourth wicket in the 48th over of the game.
None of the partnerships got past 28 except the one for the fifth wicket. Roston Chase and Keacy Carty played sensibly by taking minimum risks. The Australian spin bowling department looked pale in front of the pair. Adam Zampa had a rare off day at the office, picking up just one wicket Zampa’s length was too short and he was regularly punished for that. Matthew Short bowled two overs and cost 12 runs. Cameron Green bowled impressively by hitting the right channels throughout the innings. The Western Australian claimed two scalps for 40 runs. Sean Abott also bowled with accuracy, finishing the day with two wickets to his name.
The West Indies bowling attack lacked depth and innovation. Matthew Forde got the valuable wicket of Travis Head in his first delivery on Australian soil. However, Josh Inglis started to assert his authority soon after Head’s dismissal. Forde was given just four overs in the innings, he was expensive with an economy rate of 9.25.
His new ball partner Oshane Thomas also lacked discipline and purpose, the Barbadian fast bowler cost his side 40 runs from five overs. Apart from the four over spell of Romario Shepherd, all the other bowlers gave away more than five runs per over. Gudakesh Motie was the only other bowler to claim a wicket, Josh Inglis was dismissed while attempting a reverse sweep shot against the left arm spinner.
Fielding Analysis
Travis Head is usually brilliant in the field, often producing game defining moments with athleticism. However, the 30 year old batter had a shocking day in the field. Cameron Green claimed two wickets in the match, he easily could have had three had the catch of Walsh Jr. been taken by Head in the deep. But Head took his eye off the ball just at the last moment and his awkward movements weren’t enough to rein the ball in.
Josh Inglis also had an embarrassing movement in the field, the wicketkeeper was unable to hit the stumps from close range to run the batsman out. Sean Abbott was able to hit the stumps though. The pace bowler was fielding at cover when he produced a direct hit to run Keacy Carty out. Aaron Hardie adopted a reverse cap to catch Matthew Forde. Marnus Labuschagne also showed composure to complete a fine catch of Gudakesh Motie.
The West Indians did not have much opportunity to catch. Alick Athanaze and Shai Hope held on to their chances to claim the two wickets as Green and Smith cruised to victory without much difficulty.
Key Performances
Xavier Bartlett performed like a seasoned veteran in his first ever international game. The 24 year old bowled nine overs and picked up four wickets for just 17 runs. It was a contrasting experience for the other debutant, Lance Morris, who remained wicketless after conceding 58 runs in his 10 overs. Both Sean Abott and Cameron Green claimed two wickets each. Keacy Carty played fantastically and looked destined to score the first century of his career. But the Sint Maarten batter got dismissed on 88 through an unfortunate run out. Along with Roston Chase, he formed a 110 run partnership for the fifth wicket. Chase scored 59 runs from 67 deliveries himself, sweeping efficiently against Adam Zampa.
Josh Inglis showed his class on the first opening assignment of his career. The wicketkeeper batsman scored 65 from just 43 deliveries, smashing 10 fours and a six. Steve Smith was back to his vintage self, remaining unbeaten after a run-a-ball 79 run innings. Cameron Green looked settled at no.3, the Western Australian played an unbeaten innings of 77 off 104 balls. The West Indies bowlers did not have enough on the board to challenge the Australian batsmen. Gudakesh Motie and Matthew Forde got a wicket each as Australia reached the target within 39 overs.
Turning Point
The turning point of the match came at the 41st over of the first innings. Keacy Carty was playing a gem of an innings with beautiful shots all across the ground. The West Indian score was 193 for 5 in the 41st over. The visitors were looking to get past the 250 mark to pose a challenge to the Australian batters.
Hayden Walsh Jr. knocked the final ball of the over towards the cover region. Walsh asked for a single that was never there. Carty did not have much choice but to run for it. Sean Abbott collected the ball and threw it powerfully towards the striker’s end. The ball hit the stumps with Carty nowhere to be seen. The Sint Maarten batter was the sole reason why the Windies were able to stay in the game for that long. Once he got out, their innings collapsed, ending well short of 250.
Match Result
Australia comprehensively beat the West Indies by eight wickets to take a 1-0 lead in the three match ODI series. The Australians still had 69 deliveries to spare.
Player of the Match
Xavier Bartlett won the man of the match award for his 4 wicket haul on debut. The South Australian bowled eight overs and gave away just 17 runs.
Brief Scorecard
| West Indies Total: 231/10 (48.4 overs) | Australia Total: 232/2 (38.3 overs) |
| Keacy Carty 88 (108) | Steve Smith 79 (79) |
| Roston Chase 59 (67) | Cameron Green 77 (104) |
| Xavier Bartlett 4/17 (9 overs) | Matthew Forde 1/37 (4 overs) |
| Cameron Green 2/40 (8 overs) | Gudakesh Motie 1/58 (10 overs) |
Match Highlights
Match Wrap-Up
The Australians continued their red hot form after beating West Indies by a healthy margin of eight wickets. The hosts were brilliant with the ball, spearheaded by debutants Xavier Bartlett and Lance Morris. The West Indies amassed a moderate total of 231 in the first innings with Keacy Carty playing an outstanding innings. In reply, the Australians did not face much difficulty apart from the first over, completed the victory in the 39th over and took a 1-0 lead in the three match series. The two teams would meet again on Sunday at the Sydney Cricket Ground.
