In the third T20 match against Australia, West Indies' Shai Hope played a stunning innings, scoring his maiden T20 century. Hope reached the century mark in just 55 balls and remained unbeaten on 102 off 57 balls till the end.
WI vs AUS 3rd T20: In the third T20 match between West Indies and Australia, Shai Hope delivered a magnificent performance with explosive batting, scoring his first century in his T20 career. He scored an unbeaten 102 runs in just 55 balls, and thanks to this century innings, West Indies scored 214 runs for 4 wickets in 20 overs. This match was played at Warner Park in St. Kitts, and Hope's innings made the match thrilling.
Shai Hope's First T20 Century, 102 Runs off 57 Balls*
This innings of Shai Hope became memorable for West Indies cricket history as well. Hope, usually considered a calm and technical batsman, this time batted aggressively and did not allow the Australian bowlers to settle.
- Century: 55 balls
- Total Runs: 102* (57 balls)
- Fours: 8
- Sixes: 6
- Strike Rate: 178.94
The special thing about his innings was that he combined his aggression with restraint. He remained on the crease from the beginning to the end of the innings and did not let the run rate slow down.
Opening Partnership of 162 Runs with Brandon King
Shai Hope was well supported by Brandon King in this innings. King also showed an aggressive approach, scoring 62 runs in 36 balls. He hit 6 sixes and 3 fours and gave West Indies a stormy start along with Hope.
- King's Score: 62 (36 balls)
- Opening Partnership: 162 runs (13.4 overs)
This partnership can be counted among the best opening stands in West Indies T20 history. However, after this partnership, the batsmen in the middle order could not contribute much.
Middle Order Failure
After Brandon King's dismissal, the run rate of the West Indies slowed down a bit. Shimron Hetmyer (9 runs), Sheferan Rutherford (12 runs), Rovman Powell (9 runs), and Romario Shepherd (9 runs) could not do much. However, Hope remained till the end and managed to take the score past 200. Australia's bowling was completely scattered in this match. West Indies batsmen kept them under pressure from the beginning. Especially Adam Zampa was completely targeted by Shai Hope.
- Adam Zampa: 4 overs, 51 runs, 1 wicket
- Nathan Ellis: 1 wicket
- Mitchell Owen: 1 wicket
- Other Bowlers: Proved to be wicketless and expensive
Australian bowlers lost both strategy and control in front of the aggressive batting of the West Indies. Although West Indies has put up a big score on the board, this score cannot be said to be impossible given the form and depth of Australia. The team is full of explosive batsmen like Tim David, Glenn Maxwell, Josh Inglis and if they click, the match can turn around.
