The highly followed tri-series in the Caribbean came to a fitting end as Australia defeated hosts West Indies in the final to lift the trophy. The Kangaroos were disciplined in all departments in the final as they successfully defended their score of 270-9 against the hosts at Barbados to seal off a memorable campaign.
The brightest spot for Australia in their campaign was undoubtedly the determination and skill displayed by right arm pacer, Josh Hazlewood. The lanky pacer was consistent throughout and just focused on the basics of pitching the ball in the right areas. His strategy of keeping things simply did wonders as he picked up 11 wickets in the tri series.
After bagging a five-wicket haul in the final, Hazlewood was named the Man of the Series for his fine bowling displays. He stated that the Kangaroos are functioning quite well as a group. “We have got our own role in this team. I think we are working well as a group. We knew the pitch would go slower, Zampa bowled beautifully as well, got us the big wicket of Pollard. I keep it pretty simple, keep it to basics. Very happy with my five-wicket haul,” said Hazlewood.
Another star for Australia was all-rounder Mitchell Marsh, who once again grabbed eyeballs with his perfect all round display. “Every series playing for Australia is to be cherished, happy that we won in the end. I batted high up the order in the last couple of games, my role with the ball is pretty much defined. The cross-seam ball was tough to face and it came well for us today. West Indies played some good cricket, they had a great series,” said Marsh.