The shortest format of the game, T20 cricket, is often categorised as game of batters. However, sometimes bowlers also produce breathtaking performances that leave fans stunned. A similar glimpse was seen in the fourth T20I between West Indies and Australia at the Daren Sammy stadium on Thursday, when Aussie pacer Mitchell Starc bowled one of the best final overs in the history of T20 cricket.
During the match, West Indies turned around the tables in the final three overs thanks to the explosive pair of Andre Russell and Fabian Allen as they needed 47 runs. The duo aggregated 11 runs in the 18th over and 25 in the penultimate over to put the equation down to 11 runs in the final over.
It seemed like the hosts will chase down the target, but a twist was waiting to greet them as Aaron Finch gave the final over to his most experienced bowler, Starc. The left-arm speedster restricted the West Indies batters in the last over and ended up conceding only six runs to win the match for his team.
Here is how the final over went:
- 0.1: Starc to Russell, no run, a low-full toss forcing Russell to fall down on the pitch.
- 0.2: Starc to Russell, no run, a full delivery dispatched by the batsman over cow corner.
- 0.3: Starc to Russell, no run, another low full toss smashed by the batsman through mid-wicket straight to the fielder.
- 0.4: Starc to Russell, no run, darted into the pads; Russell tried to hit it but missed it.
- 0.5: Starc to Russell, two runs, another full toss down the leg side, and the batsman got a massive top edge landed between two fielders.
- 0.6: Starc to Russell, four runs, a half-volley muscled away by Russell to deep mid-wicket for a boundary.
Here is the video:
A death bowling masterclass from Mitchell Starc 👏
With West Indies needing 11 off the last over, and Andre Russell on strike, he bowled five dots in a row 🤯 pic.twitter.com/GhuyxRvxVF
— Cricket on TNT Sports (@cricketontnt) July 15, 2021
“I probably didn’t back those plans personally. To go back to what strength of mine is and just to hit that hole — I think that’s ultimately what you need to do in T20 cricket; back your ability, back your decision. If you run in with two thoughts on your mind, you’re behind the game already,” said Starc after the match.
