Opener David Warner celebrated his 100th T20I appearance by smashing 70 off 36 balls and spinner Adam Zampa picked up 3-26 as Australia beat West Indies by 11 runs in Hobart.
Warner and Josh Inglis (39) put on 93 for the opening wicket inside eight overs as Australia batted first after losing the toss, with late a cameo from Tim David (37 not out off 17 balls) helping the hosts reach 213-7 at the Blundstone Arena.
The West Indies made a brisk start to their bid to complete their second highest-ever T20 run chase, as Brandon King (53) and Johnson Charles (42) compiled an 89-run stand for the first wicket, only for Zampa and Marcus Stoinis (2-20) to bring a flurry of wickets.
Jason Holder’s late unbeaten 35 from 14 deliveries took the West Indies past 200 but short of their victory target, as Australia restricted the tourists to 202-8 to move 1-0 up in the three-match T20I series.
“Just pleasing to get the win,” said Warner, who quit Test cricket after Australia swept Pakistan 3-0 at home, but said he wanted to play the upcoming T20 World Cup before leaving the shortest format.
“I feel refreshed, a lot of energy, the guys have told me to calm down a bit,” Warner said. “I’ve said I want to play the World Cup and finish there.”
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What’s next?
Australia will be playing six T20s over the next three weeks, having routed West Indies 3-0 in the ODI series.
The second game of the three-match series will be played on Sunday at Adelaide, before the final match takes place in Perth on Wednesday.
The Men’s T20 World Cup takes place in West Indies and the United States of America this June, with England returning as defending champions for an event expanded to 20 teams. Stream the best sport with NOW.
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