Without the injured Hayley Matthews, West Indies were no match for Australia in the first ODI at Allan Border Field as the home side raced to an eight-wicket win in a contest that lasted little more than 42 overs.
West Indies were skittled for 83 by a collective effort from the Australia attack after the new-ball pairing of Megan Schutt and Kim Garth had set the tone.
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After a sedate start to the chase against a new ball that nipped around, Alyssa Healy then put her foot down with six boundaries in ten balls including four in a row off Aaliyah Alleyne before glancing a catch down the leg side. Ellyse Perry added the finishing touches to the pursuit.
In overcast conditions, Healy had put West Indies into bat and they never got a foothold in the innings. There wasn’t a run from the bat until the fifth over and the first boundary came in the ninth with an edge through the slips.
Garth, who had replaced Jess Jonassen for the final T20I, and Schutt were impressive with the new ball and after ten overs West Indies were 14 for 3.
Garth struck first when debutant Djenaba Joseph, asked to fill the huge shoes of Matthews who was ruled out with the quad strain picked up in the T20I series, skied a pull shot. She then had Rashada Williams taken at point. Schutt joined in when Zaida James, who had laboured 25 balls for 3, sliced to gully.
Briefly Stafanie Taylor and Shemaine Campbelle resisted, although the scoreboard barely moved, and when Taylor edged behind off the somewhat wayward Darcie Brown, West Indies’ best chance of posting any sort of total had vanished.
Campbelle fell to Ashleigh Gardner’s first ball when she top-edged a sweep which was well caught by Georgia Wareham.
The one bright spot in West Indies’ batting display was Alleyne who took on Wareham’s legspin with five boundaries through the cover region, showing an intent that had not been on display from her team-mates.
Australia were sharp in the field with Healy pulling off two smart pieces of work to help wrap up the innings – a direct hit to run out Cherry-Ann Fraser for a diamond duck and a smart stumping to end Alleyne’s sprightly innings.
The only concern for the home side was that Brown left the field after three overs with a tight left hamstring.
