KINGSTON, Jamaica (AP) — Josh Inglis and Cameron Green combined in a record partnership for Australia to ensure “Dre Day” at Sabina Park didn’t end in a victory for West Indies Twenty20 cricket great Andre Russell.
After plundering four big sixes and scoring 36 off 15 balls before he skied a top edge that ended his last international innings, Russell had to wait and see if a total of 172-8 would be enough for West Indies to hold off Australia on Tuesday.
Not quite.
The Australians reached 173-2 and completed an eight-wicket win with almost five overs to spare to take a 2-0 lead in the five-match T20 series.
Inglis was unbeaten on 78 from 33 balls and Green was 56 off 32 balls, the pair sharing a 131-run stand, an Australian T20 record for the third wicket.
Green also scored a half-century on Sunday in Australia’s three-wicket win to open the series. The back-t-back wins at Sabina Park extended Australia’s streak to five in the Caribbean following the 3-0 test series sweep.
Russell’s last stand
His last innings in international cricket was vintage Dre Rus, the kind of shotmaking that helped him win two T20 World Cups and star in domestic T20 leagues around the world.
The 37-year-old allrounder went with the total at 98-5 and dominated a 41-run sixth-wicket stand with Rovman Powell.
Russell clobbered sixes on three of the first four balls off Ben Dwarshuis in the 15th over, going down the ground over the site screen, top-edging over the wicketkeeper and hitting over the midwicket boundary.
He didn’t wear a helmet when he went out to bat, so the trademark dyed blond stripe down the middle of his head was visable most of his innings.
In one over against Adam Zampa, Russell cut for four and then hoisted the next ball into the second tier of the stadium for six. The onslaught put so much pressure on Zampa that the experienced Australian spinner bowled consecutive wides.
Eventually, though, Russell put on a protective helmet. Soon after, he mis-timed a slower ball from Nathan Ellis and his edge went high into the air before it was gloved by Inglis.
Both teams had formed a guard of honor for Russell to walk onto the field before the match. The Australian players shook his hand and patted his back as he walked back to the pavilion following his innings.
“The result didn’t go my way, but I’m happy and grateful,” Russell said in a post-game TV interview. “I really appreciate the fans who turned out and showed the love. Sorry the result didn’t go our way.
“I feel like it’s time for me to hang it up and wish the guys the best of luck moving forward.”
The Australian bowlers shared the wickets in the first innings, with Zampa taking 3-29, Glenn Maxwell returning 2-15 and Ellis finishing with 2-34. For the West Indies, some sloppy fielding, including at least five dropped catches, hurt their chances of defending the total.
The series moves to St. Kitts for the next three games on Friday, Saturday and Monday.
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AP cricket: https://apnews.com/hub/cricket
