A diminutive St Kitts ground, a flat track and a dispirited West Indies bowling attack have seen Tim David go where no Australian in T20I cricket has gone before.
The short-format specialist bludgeoned a staggering unbeaten 102 from just 37 balls – six quicker than Josh Inglis’ previous Australian record, and the third-fastest in T20I history between two Full Member nations – to make light work of the Windies’ imposing 4/214 and steer Australia to victory with 23 balls to spare.
Arriving at the crease with the tourists 3/61 and in early trouble after a spectacular century from Windies captain Shai Hope set up a hefty run chase, David crushed 11 sixes and put on an unbroken 128 sixth-wicket stand with newcomer Mitch Owen, whose own onslaught featured three sixes in a 16-ball 36 that very briefly threatened to leave his teammate stranded in the 90s.
The emphatic win gives Australia an unassailable 3-0 lead in the best of five T20I series, and leaves them just two matches away from an 8-0 sweep of their tour of the West Indies, having won all three Test matches.
Australia were struggling at 4-87 in the ninth over of their run chase at the small Warner Park ground in Basseterre, St Kitts.
David then launched an extraordinary attack on the three West Indies spinners, blasting nine sixes in a match-tilting three-over onslaught, including four in a row off Gudakesh Motie.
He was dropped at wide long on on 90 and completed Australia’s fastest T20I century with a leg-glanced boundary to start the 17th over.
It was David’s highest T20I score, eclipsing his 92 for Singapore, the nation of his birth.
“I didn’t think I would have the opportunity to score a hundred for Australia, so I’m so grateful for that opportunity and pretty stoked,” David told ESPN.
“The pitch was good and obviously there was a strong breeze and small boundaries, so you’ve got to back your strengths and it’s probably best when I’m attacking them.”
Earlier, West Indies openers Hope (102 not out off 57 balls) and Brandon King (62 off 36) blasted 125 off 11.4 overs.
Captain Hope dashed to his highest T20I score, reaching his first century off 55 deliveries. with West Indies finishing at 4-214 after being sent in for the third straight game.
Hope and King were particularly brutal with their straight hitting, with the first eight sixes of the innings disappearing over the arc.
The hosts smashed 13 sixes and were 1-161 in the 15th over, but were contained to 49 off their last five, with Sean Abbott and Nathan Ellis (1-37 off four) executing well.
Recalled quick Abbott (0-21 off four) bowled the only two overs in which the West Indies didn’t hit at least one boundary or six.
“I don’t think we had enough runs on the board on a pitch like that,” Hope told ESPN.
After being so effective in the second game of the series, spinners Adam Zampa (1-51 off four) and Glenn Maxwell (0-31 off two) were on the receiving end of some brutal batting.
Australia raced to 0-30 after two overs, but then lost 4-56.
Glenn Maxwell (20 off seven) was run out well short of his ground after Mitchell Marsh played a ball into the covers.
Josh Inglis (15 off six) also produced a quickfire cameo before hitting the ball straight to deep square leg, Marsh (22 off 19) was caught behind off a thick outside edge and Cameron Green (11 off 14) was caught off a top edge.
The series concludes with two more matches at the same venue on Sunday and Tuesday Australian time.
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