Lanning moves on quickly after challenging triumph

Australia will take an analytical look at the way they approached their run chase despite taking out the opening T20I in Barbados, captain Meg Lanning says.

Lanning’s team sealed a six-wicket win in the first of three T20Is at Barbabos’ Kensington Oval on Saturday night, reaching their below-par target of 107 with seven balls to spare.

Lanning, who was unbeaten on a run-a-ball 54 when the winning runs were struck, admitted the plan hadn’t been for the tourists to let the chase run so deep.

"It was nice to get a win, it was difficult and it was challenging," Lanning said.

"We started off pretty well with the ball and to keep them to 106 is a pretty good effort, but we couldn’t quite get going with the bat.

"I thought we controlled the chase relatively well.

"It got closer than we would have liked but we can’t complain with a win first up."

The next edition of the T20 World Cup, to be played on Australian soil next February and March, is rapidly approaching.

They also don’t have long before they’ll be back in action, with just one day between the first and second T20Is in Bridgetown.

With both of those factors in mind, the defending champions and top-ranked team will be analysing Saturday’s chase with an extra-critical eye.

"We don’t have very long," Lanning said. "We’ll review this game very well as we always do and work out what we need to do to improve and play a little bit better. 

"I think it was important to have someone to bat through (the innings) but we took it a little deeper than we would have liked. 

"We never really got going and no one ever came out and dominated, from either side to be fair, so whether that was the conditions or because we didn’t quite attack enough, we’ll look at that and hopefully come back (better) in the next game.

"All in all it’s a good result, but we’ve got a training session tomorrow which we’ll look at and try and get something out of." 

While the runs did not come as fast as Lanning would have liked, the Australian captain superbly anchored the chase after the early departures of openers Beth Mooney for four and Alyssa Healy for 12, her first score below fifty since arriving in the Caribbean.

It continued Lanning’s excellent form since arriving in the region, following scores of 121 and 58no in the ODIs.

"I didn’t feel like I was batting very freely for the majority of my innings but once you get in and in a chase like that, it’s important you can bat through and see it to the end," she said.

"The wicket was a little bit poppy at times, it wasn’t coming on as nicely as you’d like as a batter but I didn’t think it was too bad to be honest.

"I found myself over hitting at times or not going hard enough, but once you found that mid-range tempo with your bat swing that’s when you could get the best contact on the ball."

Australia have a chance to seal a T20I series win over the West Indies in the second of three T20Is at Kensington Oval on Monday at 7pm local time (9am Tuesday AEST).

Fans in Australia, New Zealand and Papua New Guinea can stream the series live and free on cricket.com.au and the CA Live App, while fans elsewhere can watch on the West Indies Cricket YouTube channel.

CommBank Tour of the West Indies

Australia squad: Meg Lanning (c), Rachael Haynes (vc), Erin Burns, Nicola Carey, Ashleigh Gardner, Heather Graham, Alyssa Healy, Jess Jonassen, Delissa Kimmince, Beth Mooney, Ellyse Perry, Megan Schutt, Tayla Vlaeminck, Georgia Wareham

West Indies ODI squad: Stafanie Taylor (c), Hayley Matthews (vc), Reniece Boyce, Afy Fletcher, Chinelle Henry, Shamilia Connell, Stacy Ann King, Natasha McLean, Kycia Knight, Kyshona Knight, Anisa Mohammed, Karishma Ramharack, Shabika Gajnabi

One-Day Internationals*
*ICC Women's Championship matches

First ODI: Australia won by 178 runs

Second ODI: Australia won by 151 runs

Third ODI: Australia won by eight wickets

Twenty20 Internationals

First T20: Australia won by six wickets

September 16: Second T20I, Kensington Oval, Barbados

September 18: Third T20I, Kensington Oval, Barbados