Australian pacer Josh Hazlewood produced a peach of a delivery to outfox West Indies skipper Shai Hope during the second ODI between the two teams. Josh Hazlewood cleaned up Shai Hope in the West Indies innings, and the video went viral on social media.
The Steve Smith-led Australia defeated the Windies by 83 runs in the second ODI in Sydney on Sunday, February 4. Australia posted a formidable total of 258 runs for the loss of nine wickets. Sean Abbott’s 69-run knock earned him the Player of the Match award.
Watch: Josh Hazlewood Castles Shai Hope With Dream Delivery
Josh Hazlewood delivered a length ball outside off that sharply swung back into the batter, exploiting a gap between Shai Hope’s bat and pad. The ball sneaked through and shattered the Windies skipper’s off-stump. Hope had to depart after scoring 29 runs off 65 balls.
cricket.com.au captured the moment and shared it on social media, specifically on X (formerly known as Twitter). The caption of the post read, “Good luck playing that! Josh Hazlewood has castled Shai Hope with a borderline unplayable delivery.”
Good luck playing that!
Josh Hazlewood has castled Shai Hope with a borderline unplayable delivery #AUSvWI pic.twitter.com/SjIngkzeNO
— cricket.com.au (@cricketcomau) February 4, 2024
Chasing a 259-run target, the West Indies crumbled to 175 all-out in 43.3 overs. Sean Abbott impressed with a 3-40 haul, while Josh Hazlewood also secured three wickets. Debutant Will Sutherland took two wickets, and Aaron Hardie and Adam Zampa each claimed one.
Sean Abbott Helps Australia To Cross 250 Runs
West Indies captain Shai Hope opted to bowl first in Sydney. Hope’s decision quickly paid off, with the Windies taking three wickets in the powerplay. Jake Fraser-McGurk began by hitting a boundary and a six, but his cameo was short-lived as he got caught behind for 10.
In his next over, Joseph dismissed Australian opener Josh Inglis for just nine runs. Australian captain Steve Smith manged to score five runs before carelessly chopping the ball back onto his stumps, falling victim to West Indies quick Matthew Forde in the eighth over.
Australia lost five wickets for a mere 91 runs in 16.4 overs. Gudakesh Motie shone with an outstanding spell, taking 3 wickets for 28 runs in his 10 overs. Sean Abbott guided Australia past the 250-run mark before falling to Romario Shepherd in the penultimate over.
Australian XI: Josh Inglis (wk), Jake Fraser-McGurk, Cameron Green, Steve Smith (c), Marnus Labuschagne, Matthew Short, Aaron Hardie, Sean Abbott, Will Sutherland, Adam Zampa, Josh Hazlewood
West Indies XI: Justin Greaves, Alick Athanaze, Kjorn Ottley, Shai Hope (c, wk), Keacy Carty, Roston Chase, Romario Shepherd, Matthew Forde, Alzarri Joseph, Gudakesh Motie, Oshane Thomas
Australia has secured an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match ODI series against the West Indies with a victory. The final match is scheduled to take place at Manuka Oval in Canberra on Tuesday, February 6. Following that, the two teams will engage in a three-match T20I series, with the first game set to be played in Hobart on February 9.
