David crushes 11 sixes, Aussie record in St Kitts romp

Tim David has blazed Australia's fastest ever international century to power his side a third straight T20 series victory over West Indies with a six-wicket thrashing in St Kitts.

David crashed 11 sixes as he brought up his maiden T20 ton in just 37 balls as Australia made a mockery of West Indies' 4-214, winning with 23 balls to spare to take an unassailable 3-0 lead in the five-match series.

The right-hander was the dominant force in Australia adding 71 runs in a three-over stretch from the 10th to 12th overs as Mitch Owen contributed five while standing out the other end watching David put ball after ball out of the petite Warner Park ground in Basseterre.

The West Australian had walked in at No.5 with his side under pressure after losing three wickets in the Powerplay but the Hobart Hurricanes pairing of David and Owen (36no off 16) added 128 for the fifth wicket in no time as they took the tourists to their target in the 17th over.

David's knock overshadowed Shai Hope's earlier maiden T20 international century as he became just the second West Indian after Chris Gayle to score a hundred in all three formats.

His smashed Josh Inglis' (43 balls) previous fastest T20 century for Australia by six balls as he sealed the win and his milestone by clipping Romario Shepherd (2-39) to the rope at fine leg to leave the St Kitts crowd in silence.

Fastest centuries for Australia in men's T20Is

37 balls – Tim David v West Indies 2025

 

43 – Josh Inglis v Scotland 2024

 

47 – Aaron Finch v England 2013

 

47 – Josh Inglis v India 2023

 

47 – Glenn Maxwell v India 2023 

He was the beneficiary of a life on 90 as he neared the milestone as Brandon King spilled a sitter on the cow corner boundary.

David had earlier also notched the fastest T20 international half-century for Australia as he hit spinner Gudakesh Motie for four straight sixes in a 28-run over to grab to momentum and power the tourists to 4-120 at the halfway mark.

He then launched Akeal Hosein for a towering six over midwicket and then a boundary through third to register his fifty from just 16 balls, eclipsing Marcus Stoinis and Travis Head's previous mark by one delivery.

David also beat his previous best T20 international fifty by one ball, which he scored for Singapore in 2020.

West Indies also took full advantage of the postage stamp-sized Warner Park after being asked to bat first as skipper Hope registered the first century of Australia's Test and T20 Caribbean tour.

Hope cleared the rope six times throughout a superb unbeaten 102 from 57 balls, adding a T20 international century to his two Test tons and 17 in the 50-over format.

Gayle was the first in the world to score a century in all three formats back in 2007, with it taking almost two decades for another Windies batter to achieve the feat. Australia have had five batters score centuries in all three formats – Shane Watson, Glenn Maxwell, David Warner, Josh Inglis and Beth Mooney.

Hope and Brandon King, who notched his second straight fifty of the series, clattered 66 runs from the opening six overs as Glenn Maxwell conceded 19 after being tasked with bowling the last over of the Powerplay.

The Windies skipper raced to a 26-ball half-century as the hosts reached 0-106 at the halfway mark, King (62 off 36) going to his half-century in 30 balls shortly after.

Owen (1-23) brought the opening partnership to an end on 125 when King picked out Abbott on the boundary trying to hit a seventh six, but Hope kept up the onslaught as he took Adam Zampa's third over for 19 with two sixes down the ground.

West Indies made a concerted effort to target the short straight boundaries – knowing Warner Park boasts a maximum radius of just 69m – with 10 of West Indies 13 sixes coming down the ground.

Hope squeezed a single to deep point off Ben Dwarshuis (0-46) to reach his maiden T20 international century off 55 balls from the first delivery of the 19th over, but Australia held West Indies in check late in the innings as Nathan Ellis (1-37) closed out the innings with 16 runs from his final two overs along with the wicket of Rovman Powell (9).

Recalled paceman standout Sean Abbott (0-21) was the standout bowler, going at under six runs per over for his four as Zampa (1-51 from four overs) and Maxwell (0-31 from two) bore the brunt of the small boundaries.

Maxwell opened for the second straight match, and just the fifth time in his T20 international career, getting Australia's chase off to a flyer as he took 16 runs from debutant Jediah Blades who was handed the first over.

But he was on the wrong end of a barbecue from Mitch Marsh in the third over, the Aussie skipper calling him through for quick single after hitting it straight to cover, with Maxwell (20 off 7) run out by more than a metre at the keeper's end.

Inglis raced to 15 off four with a towering six down the ground off Romario Shepherd before picking out deep square leg two balls later, while Marsh (22 off 19) swung hard but middled few before he edged behind off Jason Holder.

Green, who hit consecutive half-centuries to start the series was then out for 11 chasing a short and wide delivery before David turned the game on its head.

Australia will now be eyeing a series sweep in the final two matches in St Kitts after extending their run to eight wins from nine matches against West Indies.

Qantas Tour of the West Indies

First T20I: Australia won by three wickets

Second T20I: Australia won by eight wickets

Third T20I: Australia won by six wickets

Fourth T20I: July 26, Basseterre, St Kitts (July 27, 9am AEST)

Fifth T20I: July 28, Basseterre, St Kitts (July 29, 9am AEST)

West Indies T20 squad: Shai Hope (c), Jewel Andrew, Jediah Blades, Roston Chase, Matthew Forde (St Kitts only), Shimron Hetmyer, Jason Holder, Akeal Hosein, Alzarri Joseph, Brandon King, Evin Lewis, Gudakesh Motie, Rovman Powell, Andre Russell (Kingston only), Sherfane Rutherford, Romario Shepherd

Australia's T20 squad: Mitchell Marsh (c), Sean Abbott, Xavier Bartlett, Cooper Connolly, Tim David, Ben Dwarshius, Nathan Ellis, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Cameron Green, Aaron Hardie, Josh Inglis, Matt Kuhnemann, Glenn Maxwell, Mitch Owen, Adam Zampa