Aussie on course for Caribbean clean sweep after incredible Maxwell catching exhibition
The Australians are now just one win away from completing a clean sweep of both the three Test and five T20 match tour of the Caribbean after chasing down a target of 205 in the match held on the small ground on the island of Saint Kitts and Nevis.
The final match of a white ball series in which several Australians have excelled as they seek to press their claims for next year's T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka will be held on Wednesday morning, AEST, in Basseterre.
Watch England vs India Test Series LIVE & EXCLUSIVE on Fox Cricket, available on Kayo Sports | New to Kayo? Join now and get your first month for just $1.
MAXI ONE HANDER!! 🤯
Glenn Maxwell is on a HEATER in the field, casually reeling in this catch with one hand!
Catch every ball of Australia’s tour of the West Indies live on ESPN on #disneyplusau / #disneyplusnz ðŸ'° pic.twitter.com/DMZZMvTNRV
— ESPN Australia & NZ (@ESPNAusNZ) July 26, 2025
With Maxwell a stand out in the field, taking two superb catches and also playing the lead role in a remarkable tandem act dismissal with Cameron Green, the Aussies were always in control of the fourth match of the T20 series.
Having secured the series a day prior, they had the luxury of resting record-breaking batter Tim David, but his absence mattered little as Josh Inglis, who scored his second 50 for the series, Maxwell (47) and Green, who was 55 not out, cashed in with the bat.
The only moments of concern were when Mitch Marsh was removed LBW by impressive newcomer Jediah Blades with the second ball, with a replay showing the Australian skipper should have reviewed his dismissal, and also midway through the chase.
With the Aussies coasting to victory, Blades created some doubt when removing Mitch Owen for two and then snaring Cooper Connolly as well in the 12th over to put the tourists under some pressure at 5-134.
But at a batting friendly venue, with all four innings to date resulting in scores of over 200, Green and fellow Western Australian all-rounder Aaron Hardie regained the momentum, with the Aussies reaching the total in the final over.
The West Indies last chance came when Sherfane Rutherford spilled Green, who has now made three half-centuries for the series, in the outfield in the second last over, which could have given the tourists some anxious moments at the end.
Australia has won seven consecutive coin tosses during the West Indies tour.
The odds of this happening are 0.78%, or 1 in 128. #WIvAUS
— Nic Savage (@nic_savage1) July 27, 2025
It was an impressive performance by the Australians in every regard and Maxwell, the Man of the Match, was brilliant with both the ball and the bat.
The 36-year-old demonstrated his athleticism in the field with the tandem-act combination Cameron Green to dismiss Romario Shepherd, who had attempted to punch Zampa for six, for 28.
He had previously taken a diving catch to remove the West Indian captain Hope in the infancy of the innings before a sensational effort to dismiss Roston Chase for a golden duck off the bowling of Hardie.
Former Australian wicketkeeper Brad Haddin described Maxwell as the best fielder in the world.
'We have seen him take some unbelievable catches ... but it is not by chance. It is the work he puts in and the details he considers,' he said on ESPN.
Although the Australian attack conceded more than 200 runs again, the bowlers were able to take wickets regularly, which stymied the hosts bid to post a massive total that would have put the Australians under pressure when batting.
Sent into bat for the fourth time in as many innings by Marsh after the Aussie skipper again won the toss, the Australians demonstrated the depth of their squad immediately by opting to open the bowling with new inclusions Hardie and Xavier Bartlett.
The pair struck early to remove dangerous openers Shai Hope, a centurion in the third match of the series, and Brandon King in the powerplay and ultimately finished with two wickets each as Australia fell just shy of bowling the West Indies out for the first time.
Adam Zampa was again expensive, conceding more than 50 runs from his four overs for the second match in succession, but struck back well after an early onslaught to finish with 3-54.
Miserly in Friday night's encounter in the West Indies, Sean Abbott was also taken to task but was able to snare two wickets as well when finishing with 2-61.
Some superb bowling from Nathan Ellis at the death helped restrict the West Indies to a manageable total, with their innings disrupted by rain with just four balls remaining, which caused a delay of almost an hour.
AUSTRALIA LOSE 3 QUICK ONES! ðŸ'€
The Aussies have lost 3 wickets since the drinks break, as the West Indies fight back!
Catch every ball of Australia’s tour of the West Indies live on ESPN on #disneyplusau / #disneyplusnz ðŸ'° pic.twitter.com/GRpMR68CtK
— ESPN Australia & NZ (@ESPNAusNZ) July 27, 2025
embed code:
When the flurry of rain arrived at the Saint Kitts and Nevis ground, the West Indies were 9-203 with four balls remaining in the innings. The Aussies, who have used only five bowlers in the innings, have taken wickets regularly and are seeking to bowl their rivals out for the first time in a series they lead 3-0.
The Australians were hit with a fielding penalty in the final over, which reduced the number of men allowed outside the inner-circle, after falling behind on the over rate.
While the West Indies have scored at more than 10 runs per over, the Aussies would be happy with their position given recent history in this series and at the ground.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
News.com.au
15 minutes ago
- News.com.au
‘Don't mention my son's name again': Aaron Woods fires shots after being labelled a ‘coward'
Former NSW Blues forward Aaron Woods has fired back at his Origin critics, weeks after his comments on Billy Slater sparked one of the most iconic State of Origin feuds. The Triple M host was the latest guest on Paul Kent's podcast Kenty Primetime where he revealed he later spoke to Slater's former teammate Ryan Hoffman. Hoffman labelled Woods a 'coward' on the ABC for calling Queensland coach Slater a 'grub' before Game 2 of the series this year. FOX LEAGUE, available on Kayo Sports, is the only place to watch every game of every round in the 2025 NRL Telstra Premiership, LIVE with no ad-breaks during play. New to Kayo? Join now and get your first month for just $1. 'Ryan Hoffman came out and called me a coward, and then he back flipped and said he didn't,' Wood's explained. 'We had a conversation. I said, 'look you can call me whatever you want, just don't ever mention my son's name again with things that didn't happen', because Buster didn't get a photo with Billy.' Hoffman's comments were centred on claims Woods had asked Slater to take a photo with his son Buster earlier in the season before he later slammed the Origin coach to create an Origin narrative. The claim originally came from former Origin forward and NRL360 host Gorden Tallis who took aim at Woods labelling Slater a grub ahead of Game 2. But Woods has now clarified the situation with the alleged photo, which occurred at Magic Round while commentating for Triple M. 'We're up at the top boxes of Suncorp Stadium, I was going to take my little fella downstairs, Buster, because he was going to be a ball boy for the 3 o'clock game on the Saturday arvo which was Newcastle v Souths,' Woods said. 'As I was going down the lift, we were right at the back, everyone jumped in, then we get down to I think level 3, that's where the Channel 9 and Fox boxes are. 'Billy Slater rocks in with his producer from Channel 9. We go downstairs, everyone gets out, Billy's there at the front, I literally walk out, I walk past, I shake his hand, 'hey Bill', I say to Buster to shake his hand. 'Once he shakes his hand we walk away, Buster goes 'who's that Dad?' 'I go 'mate, he's one of the best fullbacks to ever play the game'. My young bloke is only five. And that is all that happened. 'So from that, there's only three people that would've said something to Gordy about that. So someone's dropped the lip and had a little complaint, wasn't too happy.' The entire ordeal looked to become a major talking point among league fans as Queensland rallied after the saga to come back and win the next two games and take the series shield back from NSW. The story blew up particularly with Slater's response in which he suggested Woods was unaware of the mental health concerns his words could have on people, controversially referencing late Maroons coach Paul Green, who suffered from CTE. It left Woods admitting he felt partially responsible for the whole situation. 'A little bit. I was so confident because Game 1 I don't even think NSW played well,' he said. 'To win up at Suncorp, to be up there in enemy territory and the way they played, I would've thought we'd go to Perth quite excited. 'You go over there and then the performance in that first half, I was just like 'oh my God, far out, what have I done here?' Just really stirred the pot.'
News.com.au
an hour ago
- News.com.au
‘I'm the f**king strongest': Hafthor Bjornsson's 505kg deadlift shatters world record
Champion strongman Hafthor Bjornsson has smashed the deadlift world record, lifting an absurd 505kg at the Eisenhart Black event. The man known as The Mountain from HBO's Game of Thrones, pulled off the incredible feat in competition, putting debate over the validity of his previous world record in 2020 officially to bed. Watch the biggest Aussie sports & the best from overseas LIVE on Kayo Sports | New to Kayo? Join now and get your first month for just $1. Bjornsson broke long-time strongman rival Eddie Hall's world record of 500kg set at the 2016 World Deadlift Championships, going 501kg in 2020. But plenty had questioned if it was really the world record considering Bjornsson had set his record in a private gym outside of competition. However, the 206cm giant made no mistake this time, lifting 505kg at the Eisenhart Black event, sending the assembled crowd into hysterics. Immediately after breaking the record, Bjornsson screamed 'I am the f**king strongest' as fireworks erupted around him. For comparison, if half a ton is too esoteric, it's the equivalent of the weight of a Harley Davidson trike, or the middle-range of the average adult male polar bear. It's the second time Bjornsson has attempted to lift more than 500kg this year, having missed 501kg at the Arnold Strongman Classic, although he attempted it raw — which means with a weightlifting belt, wrist wraps and chalk only. However, he's not going to rest on his laurels, having already planned to beat his new record at the 2025 World Deadlift Championships in Birmingham, England on September 6. Powerlifter Ventsislav Dimitrov, who pulled 505kg at the same event in 2023 but in a sumo stance with lifting straps, tried 507.5kg in a sumo stance but failed to lock out the lift. Lifting straps are banned in powerlifting competitions, while the sumo stance is banned in strongman competitions, according to strength and fitness website Barbend. Despite long being bitter rivals and having faced off in a boxing match that Bjornsson won, Hall was quick to react to the Icelander's incredible feat. 'Massive respect to Thor for making history & setting the official WR at 505kg. That's one hell of a pull. Records are made to be broken,' he wrote on Instagram with a video of the feat. 'Big respect, big love.' Arnold Schwarzenegger responded: 'Congratulations, my friend.' Brooklyn Nine-Nine and America's Got Talent star Terry Crew posted: 'Congrats man!!!!! INCREDIBLE.' Last week, Bjornsson revealed he had hit 200kg on the scales but said: 'I haven't felt this strong since 2020. I'm ready for 505kg.' Bjornsson was the 2018 World's Strongest Man as well as runner up three-times and third-place getter another four times. Having taken a two-year hiatus from powerlifting to pursue boxing, Bjornsson lost over 60kg for his grudge match against Hall. After returning to strongman events, he suffered a brutal setback when he tore the pectoral muscle off the bone while trying for his bench press PB of 252kg in April 2023. The Icelandic strongman was sharing his journey to 505kg across his social media channels, revealing he eats 8000 calories a day to maintain his intimidating physique over three meals and three 'snacks'.
News.com.au
2 hours ago
- News.com.au
Wallabies intent on avoiding losing series 3-0 to the British and Irish Lions
Barbs that the Wallabies were unworthy opponents for the British and Irish Lions have the Australians desperate to avoid losing a series 3-0 to the tourists for the first time since 1904. Pride will well and truly be on the line in Sydney on Saturday night when the Wallabies attempt to prevent the Lions going home with wins in all three Tests after victories in Brisbane and Melbourne. That hasn't happened since it occurred 121 years go when the Lions, then called British Isles, won two Tests in Sydney and one in Brisbane, and restricted Australia to just three points for the entire series. If that's not enough motivation for the Wallabies to win at Accor Stadium, there is also the hurt of the second Test loss at the MCG, where Australia led for almost the entire match only be beaten 29-26 via a last-minute try that came after a controversial decision not to award the hosts a penalty for an alleged infringement by Lions forward Jac Morgan, who seemed to illegally strike Wallabies replacement Carlo Tizzano in the back of the net. It hurts but your support means everything ðŸ'›ðŸ'š We can’t wait to play for you again in Sydney. #Wallabies #ACheerAndAHalf #LionsTour2025 — Wallabies (@wallabies) July 27, 2025 Also driving the Wallabies to win in Sydney will be the pre-series talk that Lions should have toured South Africa to face the world champions rather than meet a weak Australia. 'It's another thing to add into the pot for things to get up for the game,' Wallabies lock Nick Frost said. 'We're definitely keen to rip in. Going out there, playing in front of your friends, for your family and for your nation, and on top of that, playing against the Lions – it's a massive game. 'We know there are so many things that we've got to improve on, but there are some really good parts to our game, and we're really looking forward to it. 'We're starting to play a better brand of rugby and a more attacking brand of rugby that suits some of our skilled players. 'The more games we can put together for longer periods of time, we're going to start to see some improvements on the scoreboard, and some more wins. It is a process.' Winger Max Jorgensen said while the Wallabies were 'gutted' to loss at the MCG, attention had switched to winning the final Test of the series. 'We put in such a big effort – it's a tough pill to swallow,' Jorgensen said. 'Everyone knows that, but there's a big focus on this weekend now and winning this game on Saturday.' The Wallabies have added prop Aidan Ross to their extended squad ahead of Saturday's clash, while winger Harry Potter has remained in Melbourne after injuring his hamstring in the weekend loss.
