Australia and West Indies meet one last time this summer in a T20I at the Gabba in Brisbane on Wednesday.
We’ll bring you the live coverage of the action throughout this game from 7.30pm AEDT (6:30pm local) tonight.
With most of the players on their way to India – or already in the country – for Australia’s four-Test tour, it is a partially depleted home team that will be on display against the world champions West Indies.
Unfortunately for the paying public, West Indies’ performances in the ODIs preceding this T20I hasn’t been anything to write home about and coupled with Aussie absentees, this could take the sheen off this game.
Australia have a bone to pick with the West Indies having lost to them in the World T20 semi-final last year. Having earlier beaten them in a rain-hit first round match, Australia capitulated in face of a huge chase, with only captain George Bailey (63) getting to more than 20.
The architects of that West Indian win were Chris Gayle and Ravi Rampaul. Gayle has been misfiring more recently and given his fitness woes he may miss this game. Rampaul isn’t even on tour.
The hosts had a new hero in the fifth ODI, Adam Voges, who carved out a maiden international century for himself. And then he promptly got injured and may miss this game. Joe Burns joins the side in his place.
Captain Bailey has had his own hamstring-related issues that caused him to miss a couple of ODIs but he could get fit in time for this. In the absence of Shane Watson and other senior men, if Bailey is rendered a non-starter, the onus of captaincy might fall on Brad Haddin.
Australia could afford a debut to Ben Rohrer while West Indies might use Tino Best’s aggro for the first time in this format of the game.
If Gayle does not make it to the line-up, it will be left to the other centurion from the fifth ODI, Johnson Charles to take up the lead at the top of the West Indian innings. Kieran Powell could step in at the top of the order.
Rod
Guest
Couple of things i noticed in the loss today. Marsh has to play faster then what he does as he always starts too slowly. Bailey's supporters are talking him up yet his failure today was consistent with most of his failures this season, he got 1 century but we are making out like he is the next Bevan and he is not. I like what i see with Vogues and Faulkner bowled well under tough conditions today. Shame Haddin got out when he did.
Suneer Chowdhary
Roar Guru
Pollard wins the man of the match award for his all-round effort. That's it from me, end of a long Australian summer, what with the South African Tests, Sri Lanka, West Indies and the Big Bash League. I will be back with Australia's tour of India that has begins from February 22 with the first Test at Chennai. Ciao!
Suneer Chowdhary
Roar Guru
In the end, it wasn't as close as Australia would have liked, thanks specially to the two run-outs. Adam Voges was going well for them but some poor running broke the middle-order back. 192 was always going to be tough, with this being a near second-string side. The batting stuttered early, before Pollard and Narine bowled eight overs for 49 and captured five wickets.
Suneer Chowdhary
Roar Guru
Two slips brought in for the last ball but he bowls a full-toss that hits Best. He is a bit stung, and a bit stunned but in the end Best and McKay shake hands as West Indies win by 27.
Suneer Chowdhary
Roar Guru
Best's doing his best to get a wicket to finish off a tour he has done well on. 32 needed from four balls. And he almost has one...but Narine has spilled it, while trying to run back. Best had sent down a slower one and beats the batsman with it, but unlucky not to pick up a wicket.
Suneer Chowdhary
Roar Guru
35 required off the last over. Best has the ball.
Suneer Chowdhary
Roar Guru
This is funny, Pollard's bowling them shorter each ball and for the first four balls, Nathan Coulter-Nile keeps missing them. The fourth miss is followed by two successive pulls for a six each! 8/157 in 19
Suneer Chowdhary
Roar Guru
This is almost over now. 47 needed off the last two overs as Narine finishes his spell with figures of 2/19 in four. In a game where a team has scored 190, 1/19 in four is out of the ordinary.
Suneer Chowdhary
Roar Guru
Narine gets his second wicket, as Cutting is stumped by a distance. He was going the track to hit it away but he does not get close, and misreads the spin. Stumped easily. 51 off 17 needed.
Suneer Chowdhary
Roar Guru
The hat-trick is missed and off the next delivery Bravo's dropped a reasonably chance! It was another slower one that was hit high into the air but without too much distance. Bravo was coming in from mid-wicket but fails to get his hands on it, misjudging it like how Finch had done in his drop.
Suneer Chowdhary
Roar Guru
And again! Caught! At short fine-leg! Pollard has two in two that puts him on a hat-trick. Again, a slower one and Rohrer was looking to paddle it away over fine-leg but gets it straight to the fielder inside the circle. Seven down and 53 still to get.
Suneer Chowdhary
Roar Guru
Pollard's changing things around well here and he gets Faulkner off a slower one! Faulkner bowls a lot of these deliveries but is now deceived by one himself. He waited for a long time but the ball never came and Faulkner holes out to long-on. Six down.
Suneer Chowdhary
Roar Guru
Narine has conceded only six off the over, which pushes the required-rate up to 14. Pollard will continue.
Suneer Chowdhary
Roar Guru
Shooed away for a six! Easy as you will see. It was fuller from Pollard and Rohrer was looking to play an upper drive, more of a punch and that flies over the bowler for a six! 62 needed off five overs now.
Suneer Chowdhary
Roar Guru
Five overs to go after this. Narine has a couple to bowl. Best has two. And they have five others to bowl that last over.
Suneer Chowdhary
Roar Guru
Gone, caught, Haddin's gone and the Gangnam style is out! Pitched up to the bat and Haddin went for a full-bloodied drive but cannot either keep it down or get a lot of elevation and Russell takes a diving catch forward. Celebrates it with a little jig there! 71 needed from 33.
Suneer Chowdhary
Roar Guru
Every now and then Pollard keeps pulling out of his bowling. Second time in as many overs.
Suneer Chowdhary
Roar Guru
The game is turned around that over. It is back to even-stevens like it was when Voges was going so well. 20 from it and they need 72 from 36.
Suneer Chowdhary
Roar Guru
Six more! Haddin's on fire! This was from round the stumps and outside the off, fuller too and Haddin had enough time and width to swing his arms over mid-wicket for a six! 4/116 in 13.3.
Suneer Chowdhary
Roar Guru
Four off the second ball and Haddin's getting them closer with some lusty hitting. Shorter and Haddin pulls it over deep square-leg, one bounce for a boundary. 4/110 in the 14th