"Adam Zampa is the most important player in this team" - Mitchell Marsh

Captain Mitchell Marsh backed Adam Zampa as probably Australia's "most important" player after the leg-spinner bowled the most expensive T20I spell for the country in the big defeat to the West Indies on Tuesday, February 13.

With only four specialist bowlers to trust, Marsh held back Zampa's final over for the 19th of the West Indies' first innings in Perth. But an in-form Andre Russell took the opportunity with both hands and carted Zampa for 28 runs with the aid of four sixes and a boundary, stretching his figures to 65/1, also his personal worst.

The leggie took the important wicket of Roston Chase earlier in the innings. But Russell and Sherfane Rutherford concluded the highest-ever sixth-wicket stand to take the Windies from 79/5 to 220/6, with the visitors defended it by 37 runs.

"Any bowler that comes up against that line-up on their day, it's hard work," Marsh said after the match. "He bowled some really tough overs tonight. The 19th (over), it's probably the hardest over. We were banking on breaking that partnership at some stage and I held Zamps back there but unfortunately, we came off second best. Zamps is by far our most important bowler and probably our most important player in this team."

Although the visitors won the match, Australia took home the trophy by winning the series 2-1.

"What a servant to Australian cricket" - Mitchell Marsh on David Warner

The series also marked an end to David Warner's international career in Australia, with the Kangaroos' next international assignments being a T20I series in New Zealand and the T20 World Cup in the Caribbean and the USA.

The left-handed opener, who also won the Player of the Series, confirmed he was "truly done" and would bow out after the World Cup.

"It's obviously been an amazing career for him and it's kind of fitting for him to finish the way he has," Marsh said about Warner. "It'll probably go a little bit unnoticed this late in the summer, but we've been lucky to have him and we're going to be lucky to have him for a few more months in the T20 team, what a servant to Australian cricket."

Warner is the second-highest run-scorer for Australia in T20Is with 3067 runs at a strike rate of 142.52.