PORT OF SPAIN: Nicholas Pooran and Rovman Powell scored swashbuckling half-centuries and lifted West Indies to down Australia in a high-scoring ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024 warm-up match here on Thursday.
Put into bat first, West Indies racked up a mammoth total of 257/4 with Pooran and Powell leading the attack.
The hosts got off to a briefly flying start to their innings as they lost Shai Hope in the third over with 38 runs on the board. Hope scored 14 off eight deliveries.
Wicketkeeper batter Pooran then joined Johnson Charles in the middle and launched a belligerent attack on the Australian bowlers.
Pooran smashed five fours and eight sixes on his way to an astonishing 75-run knock from 25 deliveries before being dismissed by Adam Zampa in the 10th over.
Charles was then involved in another partnership for the West Indies when he added 48 runs for the third wicket with skipper Rovman Powell before finally perishing in the 14th over.
The opening batter scored an anchoring 40 off 31 deliveries with the help of six fours.
Powell was quick to follow as he perished in the 16th over soon after bringing up his quickfire half-century.
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He scored 52 off 25 balls with the help of eight boundaries including four sixes.
Sherfane Rutherford then took the reigns of West Indies’ batting charge with a blistering cameo and scored an unbeaten 47 off 18 balls, bolstering the home team’s total past the 250-run mark in the allotted overs.
Adam Zampa bagged two wickets for Australia but was expensive while Ashton Agar and Tim David made one scalp each.
In response, Australia finished at 222/7 despite a brisk half-century from Josh Inglis.
The right-handed batter top-scored for Australia with a 30-ball 55 with the help of five fours and four sixes while batting at No.4.
Besides him, Nathan Ellis (38), Ashton Agar (28), Tim David and Matthew Wade (25) made notable contributions for the former champions but their efforts were not enough to steer them over the line.
Gudakesh Motie and Alzarri Joseph led the bowling attack for the West Indies with two wickets each while Obed McCoy, Shamar Joseph and Akeal Hosein chipped in with a wicket apiece.
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