Australia crush WI in opener

Australia crush WI in opener
ASSOCIATED PRESS

Melbourne, January 11: A different game but the same one-sided result. Australia, fresh from a 5-0 Test whitewash of the West Indies, beat the visitors by 74 runs in the opening limited- overs tri-series match at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Thursday.

Chasing Australia’s total of 267-6, the West Indies scored only 16 runs in their first 11 overs and never threatened to make the game a contest before finishing at 193-7.

While Australia came into the match riding a World-record 15 successive Test victories, its recent One-Day record had been poor.

The team had only won two if its past eight limited-overs matches and had lost its opening tri-series match for the past three years.

Australia fielded its most undermanned attack of the summer with Brett Lee and Jason Gillespie sidelined, Nathan Bracken making his debut and Shane Warne returning after a broken finger.

But the West Indian bowlers were unable to contain the Australian batsman as Ricky Ponting made 73 and combined with Mark Waugh (51) for a match-winning 111-run second-wicket partnership.

The visitors did not help their cause with poor fielding, Ponting was dropped twice before Ricardo Powell took a superb diving catch at deep mid-wicket.The West Indian run chase never got going, in part due to a fine debut from left arm quick Bracken. He conceded 13 runs in his first six overs and claimed Sherwin Campbell for four.

He was ably supported by Glenn McGrath, who removed Wavell Hinds for one and conceded only seven runs in his first six overs.

Scoreboard
Australia:M Waugh c Hinds b Williams 51, A Gilchrist c McLean b Cuffy 7, R Ponting c Powell b Cuffy 73, M Bevan c Lara b Williams 17, S Waugh c Nagamootoo b Samuels 29, D Martyn run out 42, A Symonds not out 38, Extras (lb-6, W-6) 10 Total (for 6 wkts, 50 overs) 267.
Fall of wickets: 1-7, 2-118, 3-144, 4-174, 5-193, 6-267.
Bowling: Cuffy 9-1-45-2, McLean 10-1-54-0, Williams 8-0-39-2, Nagamootoo 10-0-50-0, Adams 3-0-19-0, Samuels 10-0-54-1.
West Indies: Campbell c Bevan b Bracken 4, W Hinds c Ponting b McGrath 1, B Lara c Gilchrist b Harvey 28, M Samuels c and b Symonds 57, R Powell c S Waugh b Symonds 12, R Jacobs c and b Symonds 24, M Nagamootoo lbw b Symonds 3, J Adams not out 25, L Williams not out 26 Extras (lb-9, W-4) 13, Total: (for 7 wkts, 50 overs) 193.
Fall of wickets: 1-3, 2-9, 3-57, 4-84, 5-132, 6-139, 7-139.
Bowling: McGrath 6-2-7-1, Bracken 9-3-30-1, Harvey 9-0-55-1, Martyn 6-1-19-0, Warne 10-1-38-0, Symonds 10-1-35-4.
Man of the match: Ricky Ponting (Australia).