Australia win in Trinidad

Australia extended their one day supremacy over the West Indies with an easy 67 run win in Trinidad last night, with an unassailable lead of 4-0 in the best of seven series. Ricky Ponting won the toss for the first time in the series, and elected to bat, with Brett Lee and Ian Harvey returning to the side.


The West Indies too made some notable changes, with Ridley Jacobs and debutant Ryan Hurley coming into the spotlight for the first time in the series.


Adam Gilchrist made a circumspect start to his innings, while Hayden accumulated his runs with relative ease. Mervyn Dillon and Corey Collymore were sharp early on, but lacked consistency.


Hayden was the first to go, when he fell to Vasbert Drakes for 44, but wickets didn’t seem to falter the Australians quest to post an intimidating total. Skipper Ricky Ponting maintained a healthy run-rate, while Gilchrist slowly played himself into form.


Ponting fell in the only over bowled by Ricardo Powell, yet a combination of Andrew Symonds and Gilchrist made for a mouth-watering feast. The two combined for a 52 run partnership, made in just 6 overs.


Gilchrist fell agonizingly short of a century, when he was bowled by Hurley for 84 with “happy hour” approaching. Yet Michael Clarke played the perfect cameo role, smashing an unbeaten 55. In three ODI’s, Clarke is yet to be dismissed. Michael Bevan provided some good support towards the end, and a final total of 5-286 seemed more than enough.


Brett Lee and Jason Gillespie shared the new ball, relegating Glenn McGrath to first change, the first time since the World Cup in 1999. The plan to open the innings with Ricardo Powell backfired, with him back in the pavilion early, when the score was on 20, dismissed by Gillespie.


Wavell Hinds too failed to impress, gone for 3, lbw to Lee, leaving his side at 2-33. The standard of fielding was the difference between the two sides, with Australia executing three run outs, and the West Indies dropping 5 catches.


With the dismissal of Ramnaresh Sarwan, lbw to McGrath for 16, Brian Lara was the last man standing as far as the Australians were concerned. In an attempt to lift the run-rate, he was dismissed by part-timer Andrew Symonds, for 40 off 47 balls.


Meanwhile, Chris Gayle continued his good form with the bat, smashing an entertaining 84 off 113, before he was trapped lbw to Ian Harvey. Marlon Samuels played a brief hand of 27 off 20, before he too was dismissed by Harvey.


Ryan Hurley had an unfortunate debut with the bat, run out without even facing a ball. The tail soon followed, and the Australians completed an impressive rout, to bring up their 21st ODI victory. The series stays in Trinidad, for the second half of the double-header


AUSTRALIA
5-286 (50)
A. Gilchrist, 84 (103) M. Clarke, 55 (40); V. Drakes 2-62 (10)


WEST INDIES
219
C. Gayle, 84 (113) B. Lara, 40 (47); J. Gillespie 2-30 (8) I. Harvey 2-58 (9.3)


Man of the Match: Adam Gilchrist


Posted by Dominic