Wicketkeeper-batsman Matt Wade at last vindicated his selection over Peter Nevill with an unbeaten 57 to lead Australia to a 58-run win over the West Indies to capture the tri-series final at Kensington Oval in Barbados this morning.
It was world champion and world number one Australia’s 90th ODI final, well ahead of next best India’s 62.
But Australia didn’t bat as well as their lofty status suggests, with Nathan Coulter-Nile and leggie Adam Zampa replacing James Faulkner and Stuart Boland for the decider.
On a wicket that had an uneven bounce and gripped, Wade watched the gun Australian batsmen all fail to crack 50.
Opening batsman Aaron Finch went close, with 47 off 41 with six fours and just one six. He had no trouble facing Shannon Gabriel’s 145 km/h deliveries, but fell to Kieron Pollard’s 115 clicks delivery, finding Marlon Samuels at deep midwicket.
Ever-reliable skipper Steve Smith was the next best, with 46 off 59, with just four boundaries before he top-edged Gabriel to Samuels at midwicket with an uncharacteristic shot.
Mitchell Marsh played one of his most controlled digs last time out against the Windies with an unbeaten 76, and looked set to repeat the dose until he chopped Benn on after 32 from 45 with just four boundaries.
George Bailey got frustrated after 15 dot balls, so it came as no surprise when he chopped Carlos Braithwaite on trying to steer him behind point, ending his 22 off 44 dig, with two boundaries.
Usman Khawaja’s 14 off 14 with three fours never had a chance to blossom by nicking Jason Holder to the keeper.
And then the ever-unreliable Glenn Maxwell, trapped in front by Gabriel in the same over as Smith’s dismissal.
Maxwell’s last seven ODI digs – 0, 6, 0, 0, 3, 46*, and 4, average 9.9 – suggests this cowboy should get on his horse, and ride into the sunset.
Step up Wade, who pottered around like an old hen for what seemed too long, before he cut loose.
Helped along the way by Mitchell Starc (17), Coulter-Nile (15), and Zampa (5), Wade took control to end up with 57 not out off 52 with just two fours, and three sixes – the last six fittingly off the last ball of the innings, clearing Braithwaite over the wide mid-on fence.
The Australian total of 9-270 was definitely defendable, thanks to Wade.
It was Mitchell Starc’s time to shine.
Every time Starc was rested in this tournament Australia lost, every time Starc played Australia won.
But it was another Mitchell who destroyed the Windies’ top order – Mitchell Marsh.
In a sensational burst of just five overs, medium-pacer Marsh sent Johnson Charles (45), Darren Bravo (6), and Marlon Samuels (6) packing at a personal cost of 3-5.
Australia’s leading wicket-taker in this tournament, Adam Zampa, got rid of the dangerous Pollard (20), leaving the Windies in tatters at 5-105 off 27 overs – still 166 short.
But never underestimate what the Windies can do when push comes to shove. Perfect case in point being the team needing 19 off the last over in the T20 final against England, and Braithwaite slammed four successive sixes off Ben Stokes to see the Windies crowned champions.
Denesh Ramdin, Holder, Braithwaite, and offie Sunil Narine were all capable of heroics, but Josh Hazlewood took over where Marsh left off, capturing 5-50 off 9.4, and the Australians were home by 58 runs.
While Marsh and Hazlewood bowled Australia to victory, it was Wade who set up the winnable target and that made the keeper my man of the match.
The scoreline – Australia 9-270, West Indies 212.
West Indies are to be congratulated for reaching the final as the eighth-ranked ODI side, denying fourth-ranked South Africa a berth
If the stand-off between the West Indies Board and Chris Gayle, Dwayne Bravo, Darren Sammy, and Andre Russell can be resolved, the Windies will be a mighty tough side to beat.
But the ultimate salute belongs to Steve Smith and his troops, who overcame patchy form, injury, and retirements of key players to win the tournament,
Missing from Australia’s last year’s world championship side were David Warner with a broken finger, and the retired Michael Clarke, Shane Watson, Mitchell Johnson, and Brad Haddin.
That left Smith, Finch, Starc, Josh Hazlewood, and Maxwell, with James Faulkner dropped today for Coulter-Nile.
The Bush
Roar Guru
Wade just bought himself 12 more months with that innings and by then they'll be talking about stability for the next world cup. Nevill won't crack the team.
Rellum
Roar Guru
First impressions are everything in cricket, everything. I think Langer is the only guy I can think of who changed the general impression of him as a batsmen. Lets be honest, the selectors still think that you just need a batsmen who knows how to pull on some gloves. This is slowly changing with Nevill getting the test and one day gigs but I think he won't crack the one day team.
Mattw
Guest
Umm, I don't think either of them should be in the side at the moment, my comment was regarding, my perceived difference in why they are out, obviously both are currently in a form slump, but personally I don't feel like maxwell has the right batting for a prolonged position in the ODI team, he was in a form peak over the World Cup, but I just don't think that is his norm so to speak. Batting the way he does I don't like him in, and that's my opinion. But I certainly don't think Faulkner should be in the team as he is current bowling/batting.
Chris Kettlewell
Roar Guru
Yes, hardly vindicated his selection over Nevill. He finally played an innings that had a positive effect for Australia. Wade's last 10 ODI innings are: 6, 0, 36, 37, 2, 17, 2, 24, 5, 57* Prior to that innings he'd scored 129 runs in his previous 9 innings at an average of 14. That innings just pushes the average for 10 innings to 20. Significantly better than Maxwell of late, but that's hardly setting the bar very high. Wade also gets talked about like he's a really attacking short form batsman, thus getting the nod over someone like Nevill in the short form, but his strike rate in ODI's is only 78. That's the same as Michael Clarke's ODI career strike rate, and yet Wade is thought of as an aggressive player who either opens up to smash it around at the top, or comes in at the end to smash it around, while Clarke played at a position that generally involved more consolidation through the middle of the innings, and if we hadn't lost many wickets coming into the last 10 overs would often send in the hitters ahead of himself. Don't know how Wade's managed to maintain this "top quality, aggressive batsman" persona against all evidence!
Annoyedofit
Guest
Ah yes, the double standards at play. Faulkner has taken 10 wickets at an average of 50 since last years world cup yet for some reason Maxwell who's going though a form slump is "close to gone". Makes sense.
Paul D
Roar Guru
While I must confess I was not expecting to read the headline Matt Wade sets up Australian win, I was certainly expecting the increasingly irrelevant David Lord to have another cheap crack at Maxwell.
Don Freo
Guest
My goodness David! Why not list Wade's innings if you are going to list Maxwell's. One innings does not "vindicate" selection. He is a keeper that drops catches, concedes byes and overthrows and misses run outs. He also fails constantly with the bat. He is out of his depth and is now too old to be considered for potential. BTW, Marsh,bowling faster than Hazlewood is a "medium pacer"?
Mattw
Guest
Any article which manages to work in that stokes over is an instant winner in my eyes, but a good summary of the game. All round workmanlike performance, not quite the batting performance we would hope for but the wicket wasn't great to bat on. Solid contributions from finch and smith (leading run scorer for the series, that one slipped under the radar, didn't really notice him all that much but 3 50+ in a row and this 46, reliable is the word) and wade was excellent after looking completely at sea with narine. Close call for man of the match, could have gone to wade and I would have applauded, but Mitch certainly deserved it for that spell as well, wish we could split it. Hazlewood as man of the series surprised me, but looking back he really has just been consistent, even when not taking the amounts of wickets he was bowling good areas with economy, just never let the team down so a good call in the end. Maxwell surely has to be close to gone now, yes he was good in the World Cup, but his batting is never going to be consistent, I just can't ever feel safe with him at the crease any earlier than over 40, and that isn't good enough or a number 5. Not to mention his bowling is looking far less effective than the reasonable economical return he had in the World Cup. Both him and Faulkner just aren't having the returns needed to justify selection. But Faulkner at least feels more like a massive form rut, maxwell just doesn't have the right stuff for this over a prolonged period in my opinion. Now we can look forward to the tests in Sri lanka, should be interesting to see our batsmen peform under those conditions.