Run Machines Unleashed: 429 Runs, 29 Sixes, and a Record Chase
No one at Warner Park was expecting calm cricket, but few predicted the fireworks that exploded during the third T20I between West Indies and Australia. The Aussies clinched the match with a six-wicket win, but that dry stat barely covers the drama: a mind-bending 429 runs scored, 29 sixes smashed, and two unforgettable centuries from Shai Hope and Tim David.
Shai Hope started the party for the West Indies. Opening the innings, Hope was clinical and fearless, notching up a 57-ball century—his first in T20Is—against an Australian attack that looked ragged under the St. Kitts lights. His partnership with Brandon King set the tone; King’s 62 off just 39 balls laid the foundation for a massive total. Hope pushed on even after West Indies lost a trio of quick wickets, steering his side to 214 for 4 in the allotted 20 overs. His knock was peppered with big hits, and his timing was electric.
This wasn’t a gentle nudge-and-nurdle affair. The fans got full value as West Indies batters sent the white ball into the stands repeatedly, with Hope leading the charge. By the end of the innings, the West Indies had set Australia a huge ask—chase down 215 runs on a pitch that still promised something for the bowlers.
Tim David’s 102*: A Show of Raw Muscle and Timing
The chase started briskly, but the real drama kicked in when Tim David strode to the crease. The powerful Aussie middle-order batter made history, bringing up the fastest T20I century for Australia in just 37 balls. Every time he swung, he looked likely to clear the ropes, and his final tally of 11 sixes left the West Indian bowlers and crowd stunned. A 100-run stand with Mitchell Owen (who chipped in 36 handy runs) sucked the fight out of the West Indies side and made the huge target look almost routine.
- Tim David finished unbeaten on 102, sealing the game with a calm boundary.
- The 29 sixes hit in the match broke previous records for combined maximums in T20Is played between these teams.
- Australia reeled off the chase in just 16.1 overs—the kind of pace usually reserved for 10-over thrashes, not full international matches.
The crowd, a mixture of divided loyalties, had to acknowledge the raw power on display. Hope’s innings had fired imaginations, but David’s was simply brutal—economical with his shots, but all of them monstrous. This win gave Australia a 3-0 lead in the five-match series with two games to play, but it also set a new bar for T20 cricketing entertainment. Two blazing centuries, close to 30 sixes, and a chase that never looked in doubt after the halfway stage—this was a match that will be talked about every time T20 records are mentioned.
