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[Saba Sports News] In the final ODI of their series at Canberra’s Manuka Oval, Australia faced off against the West Indies, with captain Steven Smith opting to field first after winning the toss. The West Indies’ batting struggles persisted, with opener Kjorn Ottley falling early to an LBW decision despite having edged the ball, a contact he seemingly didn’t detect and thus didn’t review, leading to an early loss for his team.
Keacy Carty looked set to turn things around with a promising partnership with Alick Athanaze, but his efforts were halted by a spectacular catch by Marnus Labuschagne. West Indies’ captain Shai Hope’s challenging series continued with another disappointing dismissal, this time to Sean Abbott.
Australia’s fast bowlers, led by Xavier Bartlett’s four-wicket haul and supported by Lance Morris and Adam Zampa, dismantled the West Indies batting, restricting them to a paltry 86 runs. The Australian chase was swift and decisive, with openers Jake Fraser-McGurk and Josh Inglis quickly knocking off the required runs in just 6.5 overs, securing an eight-wicket victory. Fraser-McGurk’s aggressive 41 off 18 balls and Inglis’s 35 off 16 contributed to the dominant win.
Alzarri Joseph and Oshane Thomas managed to take a wicket each for the West Indies.
Bartlett’s exceptional performance earned him both the Man of the Match and Man of the Series titles, underlining Australia’s comprehensive series win and showcasing their depth in talent and execution against the West Indies.