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After a comprehensive loss in the first ODI, West Indies bowlers pushed Australia on the back foot by reducing them to 91/5 but Sean Abbott’s half-century followed by a three-fer helped the hosts win the second game by 83 runs. West Indies top-order once again failed to get the side off to a good start. Josh Hazlewood and Abbott helped Australia tighten the screws and bowl West Indies out for 175 with 6.3 overs left in the innings.
Earlier, Shai Hope won the toss and opted to field first. Debutant Jake Fraser-McGurk hit Alzarri Joseph for a four and a six but then edged one to the wicketkeeper. In his next over, he dismissed wicketkeeper-batter Josh Inglis for a single-digit score. Cameron Green took on Joseph and hit him for three consecutive fours. In Joseph's next over, Green hit a massive six. Mattew Forde struck with the first ball of his fourth over. Steve Smith chopped it onto his stumps. He departed for a single-digit score.
After a slow start, Marnus Labuschagne took the attacking approach against Oshane Thomas in his first over. He hit two fours and a six. Thomas made a good comeback in his second over and dismissed Green who scored 33 runs from 41 balls. Left-arm spinner Gukesh Motie was introduced into the attack and dismissed Labuschagne. He scored 26 runs from 33 balls including three fours and a six. Australia lost five wickets for 91 runs in the 17th over.
Aaron Hardie and Matthew Short tried to rebuild the innings. In the 26th over, Hardie's catch was dropped. But he could not make the most of it. Motie dismissed him in the 29th over. He scored 26 runs from 36 balls including three fours. Motie in his last over dismissed Short caught and bowled to make matters worse for Australia. Short scored 41 runs from 55 balls.
Abbott batted with patience but took on the loose deliveries. He hit Romario Shepherd for a maximum. Not a single boundary was scored in the next eight overs. In the 46th over, Abbott decided to take on Shepherd and hit a six followed by a four. But Shepherd made up for it with Will Sutherland's wicket. He scored 18 runs from 33 balls. Abbott reached his half-century from 53 balls. In the penultimate over, he hit Shepherd for two consecutive sixes before getting bowled. He scored 69 runs from 63 balls. Australia posted 258/9 as Adam Zampa's catch was dropped at short fine leg.
West Indies openers started the run chase cautiously. In the fourth over, Alick Athanaze hit Hardie for two fours and then lost his wicket. In the next over, Hazlewood dismissed Justin Greaves cheaply. In the ninth over, Abbott was introduced into the attack and he got the wicket of Kjorn Ottley on the last ball. West Indies lost three wickets for 34 runs. Hope hit the first six of the innings in Abbott's next over. Australian bowlers created pressure. They did not let Hope and Keacy Carty score a boundary for nine overs. Carty broke the shackles in the 21st over hitting Sutherland for a six. Hazlewood was brought back into the attack and he broke the partnership with Hope's wicket. He scored 29 runs from 65 balls.
Roston Chase got an early reprieve. His catch was dropped by Inglis who put in a dive to his left but could not hold on to it. In the 29th over, Abbott took the key wicket of in-form Carty. He scored 40 runs from 51 balls. Sutherland could not do much with the bat again and went for an aerial shot against Sutherland to lose his wicket. Hazlewood was brought back again. This time he trapped Forde in front of the crease.
Joseph tried to push the scoring rate with a couple of fours and a six but became Sutherland's second victim of the evening. A few overs later, Abbott then dismissed Chase who scored 25 runs from 41 balls. In the 44th over, Zampa wrapped up the innings with the wicket of Motie. West Indies were bowled out for 175 with 39 balls left in the innings. Despite a few hiccups with the bat, Australia won the match by 83 runs to take an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-ODI series.
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