Australia’s preparations for the T20 World Cup hit a snag with a 4-1 drubbing by West Indies. Here are the player ratings for the defeated side.
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Josh Philippe: 1/10
3 matches, 14 runs @ 4.66, SR: 70.00, HS: 13
A T20 World Cup spot drifts further away from Philippe, who failed to make an impact either at No.4 or as an opener. While he did look in form in the intra-squad games, smashing a 43-ball 67, he fizzled out in the T20Is where he struggled for timing.
Aaron Finch: 5/10
5 matches, 127 runs @ 25.40, SR: 122.11, HS: 53
Australia would have expected more out of Finch, who steadily piled on a decent tally but never really looked threatening to the West Indies. Thrice he crossed 30, including a fifty in the fourth game, but the series ended with a 4-1 series loss for the skipper, and to make matters worse, a knee injury.
Matthew Wade: 4/10
5 matches, 87 runs @ 17.40, SR: 161.11, HS: 33
An under-par performance for the experienced hand, who was shunted down to No.6 for the final game. As an opener before that, barring the 33-run blitz in the first game, there wasn’t much consistency in Wade’s contributions. When David Warner returns, Wade’s position in the top order will be under serious threat.
Mitchell Marsh: 9/10
5 matches, 219 runs @ 43.80, HS: 75; 8 wickets @ 11.00, ER: 6.76, BBI: 3-24
Australia’s saviour amid the ruins, Marsh resurrected his T20I career by capitalising on his promotion to No.3. He hit three fifties, comfortably ending as the series’ run-leader, and was not too far behind with the ball, chipping in with eight wickets, the most for Australia.
Moises Henriques: 4/10
5 matches, 95 runs @ 19.00, SR: 123.37, HS: 33
Henriques teased Australian fans with promising starts but did not stay long enough to turn them into substantial scores. Playing primarily at No.5, Henriques crossed 30 only once and did not bowl.
Alex Carey: 2/10
3 matches, 22 runs @ 7.33, SR: 91.66, HS: 13
Carey got three chances, but couldn’t get much value out of them, including a first-ball duck in the fourth game. With the World Cup not far away, Carey’s chances of claiming the wicketkeeper’s spot have taken a hit.
Ben McDermott: 1/10
2 matches, 9 runs @ 4.50, SR: 75.00, HS: 7
Playing his first T20I series in nearly two years, McDermott got two chances at No.6, but couldn’t manage more than a couple of single-digit scores. An opportunity missed.
Ashton Turner: 3/10
2 matches, 30 runs @ 15.00, SR: 93.75, HS: 24
With some of the big names missing, it was a chance for Turner to impress in the middle order, but there was little to take away from the two chances he got. In the fourth game, his sluggish 12-ball 6 was ended by a beautiful delivery, and there was no opportunity thereafter.
Dan Christian: 3/10
4 matches, 42 runs @ 21.00, SR: 113.51, HS: 22*; 0 wickets, ER: 11.00
Earning a rare comeback at 38, Christian struggled to get going with bat or ball. He went for 11 runs an over across four games, and ended with an underwhelming strike rate for a No.7 batsman.
Mitchell Starc: 5/10
4 matches, 1 wicket @ 141.00, ER: 8.81, BBI: 1-15
The finish to the series was stronger than the start. After conceding a combined 89 runs in eight overs (and no wickets), Starc returned with a bang, including a marvellous final over against Andre Russell in the fourth T20I. The string of five dots earned Australia their only win. Overall, though, the numbers were unflattering.
Adam Zampa: 5.5/10
5 matches, 4 wickets @ 7.94, ER: 7.94, BBI: 2-20
Zampa was a tad expensive, and not as incisive as Australia would have wanted their spin spearhead to be. After three wicketless returns, Zampa returned with a couple of scalps each in the last two. All in all, an under-par outing.
Mitchell Swepson: 2/10
1 match, 1 wicket @ 41.00, ER: 13.66, BBI: 1-41
Just the one appearance for Swepson, who managed to get the better of a belligerent Chris Gayle, but finished with rather expensive figures in his three-over spell, and the highest economy rate in the group.
Riley Meredith: 3/10
2 matches, 4 wickets @ 26.25, ER: 13.40, BBI: 3-48
Playing just his second T20I series, Meredith leaked plent of runs, offsetting the four wickets he managed to claim across two games. His 1-57 in the fourth T20I was the third most expensive spell by an Australian in the format.
Ashton Agar: 3.5/10
2 matches, 1 wicket @ 56.00, ER: 8.00, BBI: 1-28
Pressed into the attack immediately after the new-ball pairing, Agar picked up just the one wicket and was a silent presence with the bat. He wasn’t too economical either, but could still be a handy option for the World Cup.
Andrew Tye: 4/10
1 match, 3 wickets @ 12.33, ER: 9.25, BBI: 3-37
Tye got just one match, and it turned out to be a mixed bag. Expensive initially, he pulled things back at the death, ending with an economy of 9.25, a tad over his career T20I number.
Jason Behrendorff: 1/10
2 matches, 0 wickets, ER: 11.66
Called back in the T20I team after being away for over two years, the left-arm quick had a forgettable outing. He conceded 70 runs in six overs without picking up a wicket.
Josh Hazlewood: 6/10
4 matches, 4 wickets @ 29.00, ER: 7.73, BBI: 3-12
It was a series of extremes for Hazlewood: in the first T20I, he shone bright with figures of 3-12, ripping open the top order, but bled runs thereafter. Only one wicket came in his next three games.
