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AAP
Justin Chadwick

Marsh happy to hand opening spot back to Travis Head

Stand-in opener Mitch Marsh says he'll be happy to drop back to No.3. (Richard Wainwright/AAP PHOTOS)

Mitch Marsh says he will happily slot back to No.3 ahead of the T20 World Cup to allow Travis Head to return to the top of the order.

Marsh was promoted to opener for the series finale against the West Indies in Perth on Tuesday night.

It marked the first time in Marsh's 52-match T20I career that he had opened.

The skipper made 17 off 13 balls before holing out in the deep.

The West Indies won the match by 37 runs, but Australia claimed the series 2-1.

Head, who was rested from the series, will return for this month's three-match T20 tour of New Zealand, starting on February 21.

Marsh has spent some time as opener in the ODI arena over the past year, but it seems like his T20 opening stint against the West Indies in Perth will be a one-off.

"I've opened a little bit over the last 12 months and loved it, but I think I'll be back at three," Marsh said.

"Heady will come back in (to open with David Warner), and we've seen how dominant they can be at the top of the order." 

Tuesday's match marked Warner's final international on home soil, with the 37-year-old to retire at the end of the T20 World Cup.

Warner was named player of the series against the West Indies after plundering 173 runs at an average of 57.66 and a strike rate of 166.

He overcame an early knock to his chin in the series finale to post 81 off 49 balls in front of 17,018 fans at Optus Stadium. 

"Look, he's done that for so long, hasn't he?" Marsh said.

"Even at 37, just the energy he brings to every game, the intent, the love he has for playing cricket for Australia - it's a great lesson for all of us. 

"So for him to be able to finish a really strong summer with a knock like that and to keep us in the game for a long period of time was fantastic."

For the West Indies, Tuesday's win marked a positive end to a topsy-turvy tour.

The Windies drew the Test series 1-1 following a remarkable last-gasp win at the Gabba.

They lost the ODI series 3-0 and were 2-0 down in the T20 series before saving face in Perth.

Andre Russell (71 off 29 balls) and Sherfane Rutherford (67no off 40 balls) were the heroes in Perth, with allrounder Roston Chase (37 to go with his 2-19) also crucial in his first T20I since August last year.

"We had two losses up front and then we had a meeting and said we want to make a promise to ourselves to not leave here without a win," Chase said.

"I thought Russell and Rutherford played really well ... and that set the tone for us."

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