Australia complete 5-0 T20 sweep over West Indies with comeback win in series finale

Australia wrapped up a dominant tour of the Caribbean with a clean sweep of the T20 series, defeating the West Indies by three wickets in the fifth and final match on Monday in Basseterre, St Kitts and Nevis.

The tourists chased down a target of 171 to seal a 5-0 series win, having already swept the preceding three-Test series.

Australia overcame early trouble at 25-3 and later 60-4, thanks to key contributions from Cameron Green (32), Tim David (30 off 12 balls), and Mitchell Owen (37). After Green’s dismissal left them at 141-6, still needing 30 runs, Aaron Hardie held his nerve to guide the team home with an unbeaten 28, sealing victory with 18 balls remaining.

Australia’s left-arm seamer Ben Dwarshuis starred with the ball, removing both West Indies openers early and claiming the crucial wicket of top-scorer Shimron Hetmyer. Dwarshuis, who returned figures that earned him player of the match honours, said the bowlers made good use of the slow surface by varying their pace.

“It was a little bit of a slower wicket so we tried to hit the wicket hard and use the slower balls as well,” he explained.

Asked to bat first, the West Indies stumbled to 22-2 in the fourth over after Dwarshuis removed Brandon King and captain Shai Hope. They later slumped to 64-4 before Hetmyer launched a counterattack, scoring 52 off 31 balls with three fours and three sixes. His innings helped the hosts post 170, but he fell at a crucial moment in the 17th over, again to Dwarshuis.

Reflecting on the series win, Australian captain Mitchell Marsh said: “I didn’t expect 5-0 at the start of the series. But we played some great cricket.”

West Indies skipper Shai Hope lamented his side’s inconsistency with the bat throughout the series. “We never put together a proper batting display. We either started well or finished poorly, or the other way round. Against a quality team, you can’t get away with that,” he admitted.

The result marks a complete sweep for Australia, who won all eight matches on tour — three Tests and five T20 internationals — underlining their dominance in all formats.