Australia comfortably defeated West Indies by eight wickets in the third ODI at Manuka Oval and swept the three-match series 3-0. The West Indies struggled immensely, managing only 86 runs in 24.1 overs. Their innings included a catastrophic collapse of 6-15 in Canberra. Austalia's Xavier Bartlett played a crucial role, taking four wickets and continuing his exceptional form with the ball this summer. In this dismal batting performance, only one West Indies player scored more than 12 runs. This total marked the second-lowest score by the West Indies against Australia in men's ODIs and the fifth-lowest overall.
Australia's fastest successful ODI chase
In contrast, the Australian team needed only 6.5 overs to chase down the 87-run target. Openers Jake Fraser-McGurk (41 off 18 balls) and Josh Inglis (35 not out off 16 balls) made light work of the West Indies' bowling attack. This swift run chase became Australia's fastest successful chase in men's ODIs, surpassing their previous record of a 47-ball chase against the United States of America in 2004.
Shortest ODI match in Australia
The third ODI between Australia and West Indies was apparently the sixth-shortest men's ODI match of all time. Australia took just 186 balls to bowl out West Indies and chase down their total in Canberra
However, Australia faced a setback as fast bowler Lance Morris had to leave the field without completing his fifth over due to a side strain. The 25-year-old will undergo scans to determine the extent of his injury.
The match began with Xavier Bartlett providing an early breakthrough after Australia's captain, Steve Smith, won the toss and chose to field first. He dismissed West Indies opener Kjorn Ottley for 8, although Ottley's decision not to request a review, despite replays showing a clear inside edge, raised eyebrows.
Morris wreaks havoc
In a frenzied 15-ball sequence of play following the Powerplay, the touring team suffered a major setback as Morris created havoc from the Cathedral End. Playing his second ODI, the West Australian claimed his inaugural international wicket during his first over when Keacy Carty chipped a catch toward point, where Marnus Labuschagne made a remarkable lunging catch.
In the subsequent over, Sean Abbott struck a blow by trapping the opposing captain, Shai Hope, leg before wicket. However, Hope decided not to review the decision and left the field with just 4 runs to his name. Moments later, Morris bowled a half-volley that rattled the stumps of West Indies debutant Teddy Bishop, who departed without scoring a run.
West Indies opener Alick Athanaze managed to accumulate 32 runs but made a costly mistake in the 20th over, top-edging a sweep shot against leg-spinner Adam Zampa, resulting in a catch at deep square leg. A few deliveries later, all-rounder Romario Shepherd edged an outswinger from Bartlett through to wicketkeeper Josh Inglis, departing after scoring just 1 run.
The situation turned farcical for the West Indies when Matthew Forde was run out for a second-ball duck after slipping and falling on the pitch while engaging in a heated argument with his teammate Roston Chase, before eventually leaving the field. With the loss of three wickets in just five deliveries, the West Indies found themselves in a dire situation at 7-73.
Chase tried to dispatch one of Bartlett's bouncers out of the stadium but ended up offering a straightforward catch to Jake Fraser-McGurk at deep square leg after scoring 12 runs, exposing the West Indies' tail. In the following over, Gudakesh Motie missed a sweep shot against Zampa, resulting in a clear leg-before-wicket dismissal as he departed without adding any runs to the scorecard.
Bartlett concludes Windies' innings
Bartlett concluded the West Indies' innings by dismissing their vice-captain, Alzzari Joseph, who could only muster 6 runs. Bartlett finished his bowling spell with impressive figures of 4-21 from 7.1 overs.
During Australia's run chase, Fraser-McGurk and Inglis signaled their aggressive intent right from the start, amassing 59 runs in the first four overs of Australia's innings. Inglis showcased his skills with a reverse lap shot that sent the ball to the third man boundary, while Fraser-McGurk beautifully drove a delivery through the covers.
Fraser-McGurk goes berserk
Fraser-McGurk, a 21-year-old, attacked each ball aggressively, charging at Forde and hitting the West Indies fast bowler for a six over long-on before dispatching two more maximums over deep mid-wicket into the Bob Hawke Stand.
Fraser-McGurk seemed on course for his first ODI half-century but eventually fell victim to West Indies vice-captain Alzarri Joseph in the fifth over, caught out at mid-on after scoring 41 runs. All-rounder Aaron Hardie, who had been promoted to No. 3, only managed to survive five deliveries before nicking one behind and getting dismissed off Oshane Thomas for 2 runs.
In the seventh over, Inglis and captain Smith successfully achieved the target, leaving a remarkable 259 balls to spare.
Australia has now secured victory in 12 consecutive ODIs, and the team's focus shifts to the upcoming T20 series against the West Indies, set to begin in Hobart on Friday evening.
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