WI vs AUS 2025: ‘We didn't put together a proper display’ - Shai Hope blames batting failure for loss

West Indies captain Shai Hope has expressed disappointment over his team's inability to deliver a complete performance with the bat, following a 5-0 T20I series whitewash at the hands of Australia.

The final match, held in St. Kitts, saw the visitors claim a narrow three-wicket victory after bowling West Indies out for 170, their lowest total of the series. Despite a promising start with the ball, where they reduced Australia to 60 for 4 during the powerplay, a key setback came when Alzarri Joseph was forced off the field just one ball into his third over due to injury. His absence weakened an already stretched bowling attack.

Throughout the series, West Indies struggled to build meaningful partnerships. In the first match, they were cruising at 123 for 1 but faltered to finish at 189. The second game saw another collapse, as they slipped from 63 for 0 to 172 for 8.

When the series moved to St. Kitts, Hope and Brandon King offered a bright spot by putting on a 125-run partnership for the first wicket. However, the middle order once again failed to capitalise on the foundation. Although the West Indies showed late improvement in the final two matches, Australia remained firmly in control throughout. On each occasion, the visitors chased down the targets with room to spare.

"I just didn't think we put together a proper batting display. We either started well and finished poorly or the other way around. When you're playing against quality opposition like Australia, you've got to put things together for a more complete game,” Hope said in the post-match presentation.

"As a batting group, we didn't really give ourselves the best chance to put a big score on the board consistently. And that's probably where we fell short… We've always been one step behind the eight ball," he added.

Dwarshuis stars as Australia seal T20I whitewash

Also Check

Dwarshuis stars as Australia seal T20I whitewash

Hope managed a smile when asked about the fact that West Indies did not get the chance to chase in a single game, as Australian captain Mitchell Marsh won all five tosses, which consistently handed Australia the upper hand.

"I think here in the Caribbean, we all know the stats show chasing is always the better thing to do. Whether it's the dew factor, wind factor, you always have that scoreboard in front of you, so you have an idea of how to go about the chase. But it's something that I can't control. Unfortunately, I didn't win any [tosses]… It's just one of those things for us," Hope said.

Despite the scoreline, Hope did find encouragement in the progress of his bowling unit as the series went on. The young left-arm pacer Jediah Blades impressed with three wickets in the fourth match, while Alzarri made a notable impact in the final game before his injury. Hosein, after a delayed introduction to the series, made an immediate impression with the ball in the final encounter.

"We understood the struggles of bowling spin here on this ground and surface. But [Hosein] is a quality bowler and we just backed him to come and do the job, and he did exceptionally well for that four-over spell. Just unfortunate that, again, we didn't have as many runs on the board as we would have liked,” Hope stated.

"I still must commend the guys for the effort that they showed in the back end, to give ourselves a chance to win the game. But once you don't have that many runs on the board, then you [have] got to hope everything goes perfectly in the field. It just didn't happen for us," he added.

There is little time for Hope and his team to reflect, as they now face a quick turnaround with Pakistan arriving for six white-ball games from August 1.

"I think that we're a little bit clearer in the bowling unit. We certainly executed a lot better than we did in the first few games. We've got to put this one behind us, and look ahead for the Pakistan series, and see where we can get that combination and that success going,” Hope concluded.