Guyana:Opener Teague Wyllie's polished 86 not out helped Australia breeze past the West Indies by six wickets at the ICC Under 19 Men’s Cricket World Cup opener.
The three-time champions got their tournament off to a flier and inflicted an early blow on the hosts in Guyana on Friday.
Wyllie’s impressive innings was assisted by Nivethan Radhakrishnan (31) and captain Cooper Connolly (23).
Connolly and Radhakrishnan also excelled in bowling as they emerged as top wicket-takers, bagging three wickets apiece, as the West Indies were unable to muster a match-winning total.
That inability was ruthlessly capitalized on by the Australians, who overcame the early dismissals of top-order batters Corey Miller and Isaac Higgins to power to a straightforward victory.
Connolly’s side required just 40.1 overs to take all 10 West Indian wickets and chased down their target of 170 to win with ease.
The West Indies were punished for a below-par batting performance as Australia cruised to a comfortable triumph in Providence.
Earlier, the Ackeem Auguste-led side were bowled out for just 169, with almost 10 overs to spare. Australia’s seamers caused havoc with the new ball as opening bowlers Tom Whitney (3/20) and William Salzmann (1/19) reduced the hosts to 12/3 after 5.1 overs.
Auguste’s defiant 57, bolstered by wicket-keeper Rivaldo Clarke’s 37, propelled them to a fourth-wicket partnership of 95, but wickets at regular intervals after Clarke’s dismissal proved the West Indians’ downfall.(UNI)