Batters still searching for answers, admits Henriques

Moises Henriques insists Australia need to find a way of overcoming the West Indies' cunning defensive bowling strategy, rather than instruct their own bowlers to copy it, after the visitors botched a third consecutive batting innings.

The Aussies introduced two new batters into their middle order but failed once again to post a meaningful total in the third T20I in St Lucia, as a rampant Chris Gayle ensured the Windies took an unassailable 3-0 series lead on Tuesday morning (AEST).

From a bowling perspective, the tourists doubled down on their aggressive instincts for the must-win clash.

With spinner Ashton Agar out injured, they brought in even more pace firepower by recalling Riley Meredith who took three wickets including Gayle and bowled with serious heat, but was one of three bowlers to go at more than 10 runs per over.

Meredith, Josh Hazlewood and Adam Zampa went for 115 from 9.5 combined overs. Mitchell Starc, who did a superb containing job in the third game, had conceded 89 runs from eight overs in the first two matches.

"The bowlers in both teams have very different instincts," Henriques, who struggled to get going in scoring 33 off 29, told cricket.com.au.

"Our guys are big and fast and have some really strong assets in swing and pace. Their natural instinct is to want to use that.

"Whereas their bowlers, their natural instinct is to slow things down and when they do go on-pace they go as wide or as full as possible. Instinctually we're talking about a couple of different skillsets.

"It probably has a lot to do with where we've played a lot more cricket and where they've played a lot more cricket.

While Henriques added that "we've got to adapt to where we play and who we play against," he said Australia's quicks "have these fantastic attributes and assets that you don’t want to waste by being defensive".

The allrounder, who is yet to bowl in this series, also pointed out that his side's bowlers have had to contend with a vastly more effective Windies batting group.

Australian bowlers will surely be having nightmares about Andre Russell, who continued an extraordinary series by blasting the first ball he faced (off Meredith) for six. The right-hander has now cleared the rope eight times from just 38 deliveries.

Gayle hit seven sixes in his blazing 67 off 38, five more than the entire Australian team managed on Monday evening.

"(Russell) is smacking the ball incredibly well and the moment they miss by a little bit whereas we as a batting group haven't been able to match that yet," said Henriques. "So that's up to us as a batting unit.

"As a batting group it's finding a way to score off that defensive bowling … we have to find a way to put them under pressure when they do bowl that way."

After falling in heap chasing 146 in the series opener (following a tidy bowling effort), Australia’s batters have been all at sea against the Windies bowlers, getting bowled for 140 chasing 197 in game two before limping to 6-145 in game three.

Alex Carey, in at four for the omitted Josh Philippe, started strongly with a reverse-sweep for four off his first ball before hitting one to cover for 13, while Ashton Turner, in at six for the injured Ben McDermott, managed 24 from 22.

Henriques concedes Australia must rethink how they deal with the threat of leg-spinner Hayden Walsh, who has made a remarkable return to international cricket with eight wickets at 8.75 and an economy rate of 5.83 in the three victories.

Fellow spinner Fabian Allen (economy rate of 6.54 for the series) has also been a problem, while Dwayne Bravo just about summed up the Australians' struggles by going for just four runs and claiming two dismissals from the final over of their innings in the third T20.

Bravo rubbed it in by waving a finger at Dan Christian and Turner on the last ball of the innings when both players ended up at the striker's end, allowing him to complete a simple run out.

"It's something we've got to look at," Henriques said of Walsh. "We spoke about it briefly after the last game, because in both games he had a fair bit of success against us.

"He's probably a little bit slower than most leg-spinners we're accustomed to facing back in Australia. Even the balls he's missed short, a few of us have missed opportunities to score.

"But we really have to adapt a bit quicker than what he have so far, and I'm a guilty party."

Qantas Tour of the West Indies 2021

Australia squad: Aaron Finch (c), Ashton Agar, Wes Agar, Jason Behrendorff, Alex Carey, Dan Christian, Josh Hazlewood, Moises Henriques, Mitchell Marsh, Ben McDermott, Riley Meredith, Josh Philippe, Mitchell Starc, Mitchell Swepson, Ashton Turner, Andrew Tye, Matthew Wade, Adam Zampa. Travelling reserves: Nathan Ellils, Tanveer Sangha.

West Indies T20 squad: Kieron Pollard (c), Nicholas Pooran (vc), Fabian Allen, Dwayne Bravo, Sheldon Cottrell, Fidel Edwards, Andre Fletcher, Chris Gayle, Shimron Hetmyer, Jason Holder, Akeal Hosein, Evin Lewis, Obed McCoy, Andre Russell, Lendl Simmons, Kevin Sinclair, Oshane Thomas, Hayden Walsh Jr

T20 series
(all matches at the Daren Sammy Cricket Ground, St Lucia)

First T20: West Indies won by 18 runs

Second T20: West Indies won by 56 runs

Third T20: West Indies won by six wickets

Fourth T20: July 15, 9.30am AEST (July 14, 7.30pm local)

Fifth T20: July 17, 9.30am AEST (July 16, 7.30pm local)

ODI series
(all matches at Kensington Oval, Barbados)

First ODI (D/N): July 21, 4.30am AEST (July 20, 2.30pm local)

Second ODI (D/N): July 23, 4.30am AEST (July 22, 2.30pm local)

Third ODI (D/N): July 25, 4.30am AEST (July 24, 2.30pm local)

* Details of five-match T20 tour of Bangladesh are yet to be announced by the Bangladesh Cricket Board. Tours are subject to agreement on bio-security arrangements and relevant government approvals.