A record sixth-wicket partnership between the hard-hitting pair of Andre Russell and Sherfane Rutherford helped the West Indies avoid a series sweep in the third and final Twenty/20 international against Australia in Perth on Tuesday, with the regional team managing an impressive 37-run win.
After winning the toss, captain Rovman Powell's Windies team made a mammoth 220 for six in their 20 overs, with both Russell (71 off 29 balls) and Rutherford (67 not out off 40 balls) rattling off half-centuries.
Leading the series 2-0 after wins in Bellerive and Adelaide, the Aussies tried their utmost to clinch a 3-0 series win. However, the Windies bowlers hit their lengths beautifully and kept the dangerous Australian batting order at bay to restrict them 183 for five in their 20 overs. Roston Chase led the Windies attack with figures of two for 19 and accounted for the wickets of Player-of-the-Series David Warner and Josh Inglis. Romario Shepherd grabbed two for 31, with second-match centurion Glenn Maxwell (12) being one of his scalps.
Warner top-scored for the hosts with 81 off 49 balls, with Tim David (41 not out off 19 balls) putting on a show at the back end of the innings with brutal power-hitting. Warner, 37, confirmed he had played his last game on Australian soil and he said he will bow out from international cricket at the end of this year's T20 World Cup in the Caribbean and the US.
"We did not start the series the way we wanted to start it. We had catch-up cricket to play," said Rusell, who was adjudged Man-of-the-Match. "We got it right tonight. Congrats to the boys. I think we had a total team effort."
Struggling at 79 for five in the ninth over after losing the wickets of Johnson Charles (four), Nicholas Pooran (one), Kyle Mayers (11), Chase (37 off 20 balls) and Powell (21 off 14 balls), the Caribbean team got a game-changing 139-run partnership off just 67 balls between Rutherford and Russell for the sixth wicket – the highest sixth-wicket stand in the history of T20Is.
"I was not worried about (Rutherford) being on strike and getting more of the strike. He was going really well. I was just there supporting him."
West Indies were on 179 for five at the start of the penultimate over of their innings which was bowled by Adam Zampa. Russell was on 33 when he was dropped in the over by Tim David, and he made Australia pay by hitting four sixes and a four in the over to push West Indies' score well over 200.
The two-time T20 World Cup champions did not meet the objective of getting a T20I series win, but massive hitting by Russell and Rutherford, to go along with a fine all-round effort by Chase, saw the visitors pull a game back as the series ended 2-1 in the Aussies' favour.
"Congrats to Australia on the series win, but I think we are happy with where we are at as a team. To be here in Australia and scoring 200 runs consistently for the last three games is definitely a plus for us," Russell said.
Scores: WI 220 for six off 20 overs (Andre Russell 71, Sherfane Rutherford 67 not out, Rosto
