Mitchell Marsh emerged as the unlikely bowling hero for Australia as the World Cup-holders defeated the West Indies by 58 runs in the final of the Tri-Nation One-Day International Series.
Set a challenging target of 271 after wicketkeeper Matthew Wade’s unbeaten 57 led an Australian lower-order revival from 173 for six to a final total of 270 for nine off 50 overs, Marsh claimed the prized wickets of Darren Bravo and Marlon Samuels, adding the scalp of opening batsman Johnson Charles for good measure to effectively short-circuit the home side’s pursuit.
His disciplined medium-pacers realised miserly figures of three for 32 with the West Indies unable to recapture the impressive batting form of earlier matches in being dismissed for 212 off 45.4 overs at Kensington Oval in Barbados on Sunday.
Josh Hazlewood polished off the tail to finish with the best figures of five for 50, but it was Marsh’s spell that made the difference when it mattered most.
