1ST T20I, WEST INDIES Vs AUSTRALIA, KINGSTON, JAMAICA 2025 HIGHLIGHTS : Mitchell Owen’s Debut Batting Gave A Perfect Win Over West Indies To Lead T20I Series .
Mitchell Owen made a half-century on debut and took a wicket to guide Australia to a three-wicket win in the opener of a Twenty20 cricket series on Tuesday against the West Indies. Owen added an 80-run partnership for the fifth wicket from 40 balls with Cameron Green, who hit 51 from 26 balls, to keep Australia on track for victory over a target of 190 with seven balls to spare Sunday. Sent in to bat before making a flying start, West Indies was restricted to 189-8 after losing four wickets over the last nine balls for five runs. Australian paceman Ben Dwarshuis claimed a career-best 4-36, including three wickets in four balls — Jason Holder denied him a hat-trick but fell next ball — in the penultimate over of the West Indies innings. Mitchell Owen’s Debut Batting Gave A Perfect Win Over West Indies To Lead T20I Series .
TOSS-
Australia won toss and elected to BOWL.
PLAYING XI-
West Indies Squad:
Brandon King, Shai Hope(c & wk), Roston Chase, Shimron Hetmyer, Rovman Powell, Sherfane Rutherford, Andre Russell, Jason Holder, Gudakesh Motie, Akeal Hosein, Alzarri Joseph
Australia Squad:
Mitchell Marsh (c), Jake Fraser-McGurk, Josh Inglis (wk), Cameron Green, Glenn Maxwell, Mitchell Owen, Cooper Connolly, Ben Dwarshuis, Sean Abbott, Nathan Ellis, Adam Zampa
WEST INDIES-
After Australia elected to bowl, Brandon King and Shai Hope hit the ground running. After the opening pair hit two fours off each of the first three overs they were undone by left-arm spinner Cooper Connolly. He removed King for an 18 but Hope hit him for a six to keep up the 10-an-over scoring rate. With Roston Chase, he hiked West Indies to 56 for 1 in the PowerPlay, and then they hit the next gear immediately. Adam Zampa bowled a tranquil over – the seventh – that cost four runs but the carnage didn’t stop in the next three overs as Connolly went for 15 before Zampa and Sean Abbott were tonked for 12 and 16 respectively. Chase didn’t waste time taking over from the bowlers, striking Connolly for two fours and a six and Abbott for four fours. With that, West Indies were 103/1 at halfway mark.
Chase reached his fifty off 26 balls, in the 11th over, but two overs later he was drawn into a false stroke by Ben Dwarshuis’ slower ball and ballooned the ball to Glenn Maxwell at long-on. Shimron Hetmyer came and slotted into the big-hitting line-up without a hitch as he also had a whack from the word go. Owen had Hope caught for a 39-ball 55 in the 16th over but Hetmyer ensured West Indies were on course for a total closer to or even in excess of 200. From 183/4 in the 18th over though, there was a memorable tunraround. Dwarshuis removed Andre Russell, Sherfane Rutherford and Jason Holder in his first four balls to send West Indies on the way to a big finish. Hetmyer was then dismissed in the 20th over by Nathan Ellis as West Indies ended on 189/8.
AUSTRALIA-
JAKE FRASER-McGURK was gone in an early wobble but Mitchell Marsh and Josh Inglis restored calm via a 20-run fifth over from RUSSELL where the pair hit three sixes apiece. Marsh falls at the beginning of the sixth over, but ALZARRI JOSEPH that is, and to the third dismissal – new man Green. Due to which Australia was 64/2 at the end of their powerplay. AKEAL HOSEIN and GUDAKESH MOTIE also get early on the through the Middle of the Innings and stopped the dreams of WEST INDIES. But that drew only Green and Owen closer together, and he took the match away with an 80-run stand in forty balls from Batters.
Six balls into his penultimate international, Russell was not shown any leniency on when he came back to bowl his second over. The two batters ran aggressively between two Owen sixes, scoring 18 off the over to blast into Australia’s counterpunch. Owen then struck Hosein for three consecutive sixes in the 12th over, the first of which cleared the ground over square leg. Green had his free-spirited batting partner keeping pace when he struck Holder for a four and then six in the 14th over, which ended with four byes off a short ball too high for Hope to pouch behind the stumps. Green reached his 25-ball fifty with a four off deep mid-wicket in the 15th over but was gone off the next ball – caught by Holder at long on.
Owen continued with Connolly before one went from Chase over the top down the ground for a 100m maximum. That made the equation 21 from 24. Owen went on to round off a fairy tail with a 50 that accompanied his lone wicket before he also fell with a single ball left in the game – to Joseph. But by the end of that over, the West Indies required just 10 to get from 18 deliveries. Holder perhaps slowed that slightly by removing Connolly, although Sean Abbott and Dwarshuis took it to finish in the 19th over.
Brief Scores:
WEST INDIES 189/8 in 20 overs Roston Chase 60, Shai Hope 55; Ben Dwarshuis 4-36 AUSTRALIA 190/7 in 18.5 overs CAMERON GREEN 51, Mitchell Owen 50; Gudakesh Motie 2-29 Australia won by 3 wickets.