So a journey that started on June 3, ends three and a half weeks later. Hope you've enjoyed our ball-by-ball coverage. Plenty of cricket coming up in the Caribbean. The CPL kicks off on June 29. West Indies then host India for four Tests starting July 21. Until next time, it's goodbye from all of us here. Cheers!
8.40pm Justin Langer is a visibly delighted man. His first tournament as coach ends in victory. West Indies' dream run ends, but to be fair, they ran into a ruthless Australian bowling attack. Mitch Marsh did the damage upfront in an excellent opening burst full of variations, while Josh Hazlewood came into his own at the end. West Indies needed meaningful partnerships, but there was none. A case of stage fright perhaps? Marlon Samuels was the key, but once he fell early, the innings was on catch-up mode. Denesh Ramdin hung in there, but Kieron Pollard and Carlos Brathwaite's inability to kick on meant the chase fell flat despite spurts of aggression. That Australia got to where they did was courtesy Matthew Wade, who helped them recover from 173 for 6.
Steven Smith: Very satisfying, we scraped incredibly well. We were in trouble at one point, but Matthew Wade and the tail gave us 270, which allowed the bowlers to hit good areas and create chances. At 173 for 6, I thought we could pull off something like we did. I don't think we played our best cricket in this tournament, so we still have some work to do to get where we want to be. Justin has been outstanding on this trip, he has done a great job with Western Australia. It was nice to have a different voice around. Barbados is a great part of the world, it's been a great way to end the trip. I'm just delighted to get over the line.
Jason Holder: I felt we conceded 20-30 too many. We lost Shannon Gabriel as well, his overs at the end were crucial. With the bat, we fell away and didn't recover after a decent start. The wickets of Smith and Maxwell changed the game; credit to Shannon. lot of them didn't expect us to get this far, so credit to the group. Improvement is the name of the game. We need to keep building ahead and move ahead in the rankings. Among the positives, we got two hundreds from Samuels and Bravo, Pollard coming back in, not just with bat or ball but in the dressing room, was a huge influence. So yes, it's been good for us. We've got two-three weeks before the first Test against India, so there's time to recover.
Josh Hazlewood is the Player of the Series for his tally of 11 wickets. "We've all got our own role. The bowling group at the moment is working well together. The surface got slower, the way Zampa came in and got the wicket of Pollard, credit to him. I keep it simple, run in and keep it at length. I don't try and complicate it too much. It's as simple as that.
Mitchell Marsh is the Player of the Match for his allround performance. "Every series you play for your country is something you cherish. It's important to contribute, so yes, it's great to get a series win. I hadn't taken a wicket all series, so it was nice to knock over a few tonight. Also, I'm enjoying batting higher up in the order. Cross-seam deliveries were stopping on the batsmen a little, so that was the plan. West Indies had a great series, so wickets upfront was key for us. Happy to have got those."
CricSBS: "So indeed that Wade reprieve comes back to haunt WI. However, take nothing away from the WI for this series. They've been competitive from the first match to this point even though no one gave them a chance. Hopefully this transitions to their performance in Test cricket. "
Ananthasubraman: "This has been an extremely rewarding series for Australia. Each of Mitchell Marsh, Josh Hazlewood and Adam Zampa have grown in stature. This series will be remembered for the trio as much as it would for the progress West Indies have made. Who would have given them a chance to beat two top ODI teams consistently? "
SJ Benn c Maxwell b Hazlewood 2 (11m 3b 0x4 0x6) SR: 66.66
Can he get a five-for?
SP Narine c Smith b Hazlewood 23 (19m 18b 4x4 0x6) SR: 127.77
END OF OVER:45 | 10 Runs | WI: 210/8 (61 runs required from 30 balls, RR: 4.66, RRR: 12.20)
- Sunil Narine23 (17b)
- Sulieman Benn1 (1b)
- Mitchell Starc8-0-32-0
- Josh Hazlewood9-1-48-3
Shashank to apply the finishing touches...