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Australia have scored a convincing six-wicket victory to clinch a 2-1 ODI cricket series win over the West Indies in Barbados.

Stand-in captain Alex Carey has paid tribute to his understrength Australian team, saying the 2-1 ODI-series win over the West Indies was great reward for their commitment.

A thumping six-wicket win in the final match in Barbados ensured Australia leave the Caribbean with positive memories and momentum after being thrashed 4-1 in the T20 series.

It was a rousing end to the tour for an Australian squad missing several key players, including David Warner, Pat Cummins, Steve Smith and Glenn Maxwell.

The West Indies were dismissed for 152 off 45.1 overs after captain Kieron Pollard won the toss.

Matthew Wade (51 off 52 balls) and Ashton Agar (19 off 33) combined for an unbroken fifth-wicket stand of 54 that secured a win with 19.3 overs left.

The victory ended the West Indies' hopes of ending a 26-year drought after last beating Australia in an ODI series in 1995.

"We know it's tough leaving home in a pandemic and the commitment that this group has shown is fantastic to see a result go our way tonight," said Carey, who captained the side in the ODI series for the first time after Aaron Finch was ruled out with a knee injury.

"The T20s didn't go our way but that's (ODI series) some great reward," added Carey, who was the leading runscorer in the ODI series.

West Indies slumped to 6-75 in the 24th over, with their batsmen guilty of playing some poor strokes against a probing attack.

Paceman and player-of-the-series Mitchell Starc (3-43 off 9.1 overs) finished with 11 wickets at an average of 10.63.

New-ball partner Josh Hazlewood, back after missing game two with a calf issue, took 2-18 off eight miserly overs and 5-29 over two matches at an average of 5.80 and economy rate of 2.08.

Spinners Adam Zampa (2-29 off 10), Agar 2-31 off 10 - a ODI career-best- and Ashton Turner (1-23 off 8) all profited on a pitch offering turn.

West Indies captain Kieron Pollard was critical of the Barbados wicket.

"I think both teams struggled on the pitch and I think that's unacceptable for international cricket," Pollard said.

"We're not going to make excuses, we accept that we batted badly but I don't think the scores that we have gotten in this three-match series with two top international teams (is acceptable), I think that's very embarrassing for us."

Opener Evin Lewis (55 not out off 66) was the only local batsman to get past 20 in the final game.

Lewis had to retire in the fourth over due to concussion protocols after top edging a short Hazlewood delivery onto his helmet, but resumed his innings following the fall of the fifth wicket.

Australia were 2-27 in the eighth over after openers Josh Phillipe and Moses Henriques were each dismissed cheaply to end low scoring tours for both men.

But Carey (35 off 50), who promoted himself to number three, steadied the ship and Mitchell Marsh (29 off 21) hit three legside sixes before Wade and Agar completed the chase.

Australia head to Bangladesh on Wednesday for a five-match T20 series hoping for less drama than in the Caribbean, where the second ODI game was delayed by two days because of a positive COVID test returned by a non-playing member of the West Indies staff.

"We've got a T20 series now to try and win away from home again, another chance to put some learnings from this tour into progressing into the World Cup," Starc said.

"Another chance for some young guys to push their cases while some guys are sitting at home.

"We'll definitely take some momentum from this one-day series."