Russell, Walsh, and McCoy star as Windies defeat Australia in first T20I

The hosts West Indies emerged victorious by a margin of 18 runs in the first T20I against Australia at Darren Sammy National Stadium in St. Lucia.

From 108/4 to 127 all-out!A stunning comeback from the @WindiesCricket attack sees the hosts win the opening T20I.https://t.co/ozP8eNL94V | #WIvAUS pic.twitter.com/VIS6FIexp8
— ICC (@ICC) July 10, 2021

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Australia skipper Aaron Finch won the toss and inserted the Windies into bat. Josh Hazlewood was exceptional with the new ball and dismissed the in-form Evin Lewis for a duck off his very second ball. He also got rid of Chris Gayle for just four in his third over with Ashton Agar taking a good catch at backward point. Hazlewood's twin strike left the Windies reeling at 24/2.

Mitchell Marsh then picked up the wickets of Lendl Simmons and Shimron Hetmyer after a brief Windies resurgence. Simmons looked to guide the ball to third man but edged it straight to keeper Matthew Wade. Nicholas Pooran, who captained the team in the absence of regular skipper Kieron Pollard, could not create much of an impact and was run out for 17 with the hosts reduced to 65-4. Hetymer also struggled during his brief stay at the crease and was eventually dismissed by Marsh as the hosts found themselves at 101/5 in 16 overs.

The Windies were crying out for a savior and Andre Russell answered their calls. Russell scored his maiden half-century in T20Is and smashed five sixes in his 28-ball innings. The all-rounder scored 51 to lead his team to a competitive total of 145-6 in 20 overs. Josh Hazlewood was the pick of the Australian bowlers with exceptional figures of 3-12 in four overs.

A first T20I half-century for Andre Russell 👏It comes off just 26 deliveries and he has revived the hosts’ hopes in this match.📸: @windiescricket https://t.co/ozP8eO2Ktv | #WIvAUS pic.twitter.com/VkcZBASdSQ
— ICC (@ICC) July 10, 2021

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Australia collapse as West Indies pick up 6 wickets in just 5.5 overs

Australia lost their skipper early in the chase. Fabien Allen struck with his very first ball and Aaron Finch was caught at extra-cover by Lewis. Matthew Wade, who was promoted to open the batting, attacked the Windies from the start. The left-hander scored a brisk 33 off 14 balls that included three maximums and a boundary. Wade was eventually dismissed by Russell and the visitors were 46-2 after 4 overs.

Though Australia lost the wickets of Josh Philippe and Moises Henriques, Mitchell Marsh held one end up. The visitors were comfortably placed at 108-4 in 10.3 overs, requiring just 38 runs with around half the innings left when a massive collapse was triggered.

<a href='https://www.sportskeeda.com/player/hayden-walsh' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer'>Hayden Walsh</a> picked up 3 wickets for 23 runs in his 4 overs — Hayden Walsh picked up 3 wickets for 23 runs in his 4 overs

Ben McDermott's dismissal started the Aussies' downfall as he was bowled by Hayden Walsh. The West Indies spinner then dismissed the well-set Marsh for 51 as well to give his side a glimmer of hope.

Obed McCoy got into the thick of the action and dealt some heavy damage to the lower order. The West Indies pacer dismissed Agar, caught and bowled off a slower ball to reduce Australia to 122/7.

Walsh then dismissed the experienced Daniel Christian for 10 and the Aussies were down in the dumps. McCoy continued his good form with the ball from the series against South Africa and dismissed Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood to clean up the tail. The Aussies were bowled out for just 127 runs in 16 overs as McCoy's four-wicket haul saw him receive the Player of the Match award.

Australia lost their last six wickets for just 21 runs in 5.5 overs. Walsh and McCoy were exceptional with the ball and West Indies snatched victory from the jaws of defeat to take the lead in the five-match series.