Australia defeated West Indies by eight wickets at the sparsely populated Melbourne Cricket Ground in their first ODI since defeating India in last year’s World Cup final.
Despite missing six of the eleven who won their sixth one-dayer title in Ahmedabad in November, Australia comfortably beat a battered Windy side to win Friday’s match. A score of 69 balls sealed the victory.
Debutant quick Xavier Bartlett (4-17), who had Australia’s second-best score by men on his ODI debut, got his side into the fold after stand-in skipper Steve Smith won the toss and elected to bowl. Got a box seat.
The Windies managed just 231 runs on the back of a brilliant wicket-taking and in reply, Smith and Cameron Green helped the home side advance with 79 and 77 runs respectively, while wicketkeeper Josh Inglis Scored 65 runs to help Australia take a 1-0 lead in the three-match series.
Smith and Green got off to a slow start but built strong momentum as they remained unbeaten on 149 runs.
Only 16,342 people attended the event. West Indies enjoyed an impressive win in Australia’s first Test since 1997 last Sunday, heading into Melbourne with an early slaughter from Bartlett, Kissi Carty and Roston Chase fought back.
But as Khatty neared his maiden ODI century, the 26-year-old racked up 88 runs in chaotic conditions.
Hayden Walsh, desperate to avoid facing debutant speedster Lance Morris, started a run that never came before Sean Abbott Abbott) dropped the stumps to dismiss Carty and end any hopes of a defendable total.
Carty and Chase (59) put on a 110-run stand for the fifth wicket, but no other visiting player scored more than Walsh’s 20 runs.
Bartlett was the star, and he and Lance Morris became the first two men to bowl together at home in an ODI since Andy Beecher and Anthony Stewart lost to the Windies at the Gabba in 1997. Australian player.
Queensland pacer Bartlett struck out Justin Greaves with his third delivery in international cricket, taking 3-8 after the first five deliveries.
The 25-year-old returned late to take his fourth wicket on his ODI debut, overtaking spinner Stuart MacGill to become the Australian’s second-best figures.
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Only current Australian Tony Dodemaide performed better in his first ODI, taking 5-21 against Sri Lanka in 1988.
Morris, who was handed the Australia captain’s armband by World Cup hero Travis Head before the match, took 0-59 from 10 overs in his first international match.
Inglis is one of five World Cup winners to take his place despite testing positive for Covid-19.
The 28-year-old was using a separate area of the dressing room and kept his distance from his teammates in an attempt to avoid them becoming uncomfortable as well.
The illness did not affect his batting and Inglis started the batting, reaching his fifty from just 28 balls and finishing the game with his highest ODI score.