T20 World Cup 2021: Australia virtually seals semis berth with win over Windies, fate hinges on South Africa
Australia has defeated the Windies by eight wickets in the Super 12s of the ICC T20 World Cup 2021. While the Aussies have virtually sealed their semis berth, it would only be confirmed after South Africa's remaining game.
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FollowAustralia continued its remarkable run in the 2021 ICC T20 World Cup. On Saturday, it defeated defending champion Windies by eight wickets in Group 1's Super 12 tie at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi. While Windies is already out of the semis race, Australia has virtually sealed it, with the final fate hanging with South Africa.
Winning the toss, Aussie skipper Aaron Finch opted to chase, moving in with the same team, while Windies captain Kieron Pollard made a change by bringing in Hayden Walsh for Ravi Rampaul. Legendary Windies opener Chris Gayle (15) was given a standing ovation as he walked in and while he was dismissed, hinting at possible international retirement.
FULL SCORECARD: ICCÂ T20 World Cup 2021 - Australia vs Windies (Super 12)
Windies was off to a tense start, losing Gayle, Nicholas Pooran (4) and Roston Chase (0) within the fourth over of the Powerplay, with just 35 runs on the board. A 35-run stand happened between fellow opener Evin Lewis (29) and Shimron Hetmyer (27) for the fourth wicket before the former departed to spinner Adam Zampa in the tenth.
Hetmyer fell to pacer Josh Hazlewood in the 13th, at 91, while Pollard (44) and Dwayne Bravo (10) put in 35 more for the sixth wicket before the same man dismissed the latter in the 18th. The next over saw Pollard falling to seamer Mitchell Starc at 143, while Windies finished on a par total of 157/7.
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The Australians put six bowlers into the attack, with Hazlewood claiming four, while Zampa was fair with his economy. In reply, Australia lost its opening wicket in the fourth over, with 33 runs on the board, as Finch (9) fell to spinner Akeal Hosein. However, fellow opener David Warner (89*) and Mitchell Marsh (53) contributed to a 125-run stand that ultimately pushed Windies onto the backfoot.
In the 16th over, Marsh was dismissed by spinner Gayle after he had scored his fifth T20I half-century. Nonetheless, it was nothing more than a consolation for Gayle and the Windies, as Warner's 20th T20I 50 helped the side pull off an eight-wicket win within the 17th over and a virtual spot in the semis.
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The Caribbeans used seven bowlers, with only a couple getting into the wicket list, while Gayle was the most economical one from his side.
Brief scores: WI 157/7 (Pollard- 44; Hazlewood- 4/39) lost to AUS 161/2 in 16.2 overs (Warner- 89*, Marsh- 53; Gayle- 1/7) by eight wickets.
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