Shane Watson’s onslaught let West Indies down in the first T20

Australia   (Shane Watson 69, Michael Husey 59*) beat West Indies 150-7 (Kieron Pollard 54, Johnson Charles 24, Daniel Christian 3-27) by 8 wickets.

Shane Watson - blasted 69 off 42 deliveries
Shane Watson – blasted 69 off 42 deliveries

Shane Watson demolished the Windies bowling attack by thrashing 69 runs and snatched the first Twenty20 from them.

West Indies scored 150 runs after losing seven wickets in the allotted 20 overs whereas Australia achieved the target by plundering 153 runs after losing just two wickets.

Watson was declared ‘Player of the match’ for his all round performance as he slammed 69 runs off just 42 balls and held a wicket as well.

The first match of the series was played at Beausejour Stadium,Gros Islet, St Lucia on March 27, 2012 and a full house witnessed the interesting encounter.

Earlier, Darren Sammy won the toss and elected to bat on a good looking batting strip, the innings was opened by Johnson Charles and Dwayne Smith and Brett Lee started the bowling for Australia. The home side faced an early blow when Smith was caught behind by the wicketkeeper Matthew Wade off Lee for 10 runs.

The first wicket was lost at 19 runs when Nkrumah Bonner came in and Charles punished Lee for three consecutive fours as he started the fifth over. The next over produced just three runs as Charles tried to escalate the innings but was declared leg before wicket for 24 off 16 balls with 4 fours.

Darren Bravo joined in with Bonner and they enhanced the score to 66 when the first was gone for 12. Bonner followed him six runs later for 24 off 33 deliveries with just two fours. Kieron Pollard took over after that and punished Xavier Doherty for 21runs in the 16th over that included two huge sixes and even fours. He gave the same treatment to Daniel Christian and dispatched two glorious sixes as the wickets kept on falling at the other end.

Pollard smashed his first T20 fifty on the fourth ball of the 18th over by stealing a single which was achieved on mere 20 balls and that was the fastest half century for any West Indian batsman. He remained unbeaten on 54 off just 26 balls with the assistance of five sixes and two fours as the Windies punched 150 runs for the loss of seven wickets at the end of the 20th over.

Christian was the top wicket taker with three, Brett Lee held two and Shane Watson claimed one.

Australia had a miserable start when their hard hitting batsman David Warner, was clean bowled by Krishmar Santokie on the fifth ball of the first over for a duck. The other opener, Shane Watson was associated with the experienced Michael Hussey and both of them started consolidating the innings.

Watson was more aggressive of the two and earned a reeling or flying boundaries almost in every over. The runs rate was accelerated, the duo scored 35 runs at the end of the fifth over and they dispatched 17 runs in the sixth over which comprised two lofty sixes from Watson. Hussy joined him in the ninth over and humiliated Darren Sammy with a six and four as 75 runs were scored at the end of the 10th over.

Pollard was handed over the ball by Sammy in the 12th over and Watson welcomed him with 16 runs aided by two fours and a six while thrashing his fifty as well. They accumulated 108 runs for the second wicket when Watson was caught at deep midwicket by Kieron Pollard off Garey Mathurin for 69 off 43 balls with 6 elevated sixes and 5 fours.

The Australian captain, George Bailey came in next and the momentum of scoring was continued by the two as Hussey completed his fifty on the second ball of the 17th over. Michael Hussey remained unbeaten on 59 off 45 deliveries with 2 sixes and 4 fours, Bailey was at the crease at 21 when the Kangaroos hammered 153 runs in 18.1 overs for the loss of just two wickets.

Australia leads the two match series 1-0 and the second T20 will be played at Kensington Oval, Bridgetown, Barbados on March 30, 2012.


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