Fifties from Nicholas Pooran and Rovman Powell propelled the West Indies to a commanding 35-run victory over a nine-man Australia in their warm-up match ahead of the T20 World Cup in Port of Spain.
Similar to their first training match against Namibia, the Aussies fielded only nine players against the Windies. With selector George Bailey and head coach Andrew McDonald filling the remaining two spots while fielding.
Batting first, the West Indies posted a formidable total of 257 for 4 in 20 overs, thanks to fifties from Pooran (75 off 25 balls, 5×4, 8×6), skipper Powell (52 off 25 balls, 4×4, 4×6), and an unbeaten 47 off 18 balls from Sherfane Rutherford (4×4, 4×6).
In response, Australia managed 222 for 7 in their 20 overs. Josh Inglis led the chase with a 55 off 30 balls (3×4, 4×6), supported by a 39 from Nathan Ellis (22 balls, 4×4, 2×6) and several contributions in the 20s.
Earlier, Australian bowlers Tim David, Josh Hazlewood, Adam Zampa, Nathan Ellis, and Ashton Agar all conceded heavily. All-rounder Mitchell Marsh, recuperating from an injury, refrained from bowling but batted later.
The West Indies innings featured significant partnerships, including a 90-run stand for the second wicket between Pooran and Johnson Charles (40), and an unbroken 63-run partnership for the fifth wicket between Rutherford and Shimron Hetmyer (18).
Australia missed the presence of key players like skipper Pat Cummins, Glenn Maxwell, Mitchell Starc, Marcus Stoinis, Cameron Green, and Travis Head, who are yet to join the squad after a taxing IPL campaign.
Namibia Beat PNG
Namibia defeated Papua New Guinea by three runs under the DLS method. PNG were restricted to 109 for 7 in 20 overs. While Namibia reached 93 for 6 in 16.5 overs when rain interrupted play in Tarouba. Namibia was three runs ahead according to the DLS calculations at that stage.
Netherlands vs Canada Match Abandoned
In Dallas, the match between the Netherlands and Canada was abandoned without a ball being bowled.
Brief Scores
West Indies: 257/4 in 20 overs (Nicholas Pooran 75, Rovman Powell 52, Sherfane Rutherford 47 not out; Adam Zampa 2/62)
Australia: 222/7 in 20 overs (Josh Inglis 55, Nathan Ellis 39; Gudakesh Motie 2/31)
Result: West Indies won by 35 runs.
Papua New Guinea: 109/7 in 20 overs (See Bau 29; David Wiese 2/8, Ruben Trumplemann 2/15)
Namibia: 93/6 in 16.5 overs (Jan Frylinck 36, JP Kotze 30; Alei Nao 2/9, Assad Vala 2/14)
Result: Namibia won by 3 runs (DLS).
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