Lara’s genius spells victory

WEST Indies cricket captain Brian Lara hit a sparkling 80 yesterday to pilot his team to an upset victory against World Cup champions Australia at the Queen’s Park Oval in Port-of-Spain. One day after the Aussies clinched the seven-match Cable and Wireless rubber 4-0, “Man of the Match” Lara engineered the unexpected result, halting his opponents’ 21-match winning streak in One-Day Internationals. Bating first, after Lara won the toss, the fourth time in five matches, the Caribbean cricketers posted 290 for five wickets and restricted the Australians to 251 for nine with a disclipined and well-cordinated bowling and fielding performance. 

Again the Oval was blessed with brilliant sunshine and a near capacity crowd. Lara however came to the wicket at the early fall of opening batsman Chris Gayle’s wicket with the score on five. He then proceeded to clinically take apart the Australian bowling attack. The double world record-holder featured in a 178-run partnership with the struggling Wavell Hinds to set the stage for a challenging total on a wicket that played true for the duration of the back to back matches over the weekend. Hinds and his Jamaican team-mate opened the batting but Gayle, after making five, was sent back to the pavilion, adjudged leg before wicket to a delivery by Brett Lee that looked to be heading down the legside.

Promoting himself in the batting order, Lara came out to a thunderous ovation from the Oval crowd and proceeded to demoralise the much vaunted Australian bowling attack with an array of dazzling strokes all around the wicket. And following the lead of his captain, Hinds gained in confidence and in the latter part of his confidence boosting innings produced some awesome strokes of his own including two massive sixes on his way to a well-played 79 off 102 balls. The left-hander  hit eight fours before snicking Andy Bichel to wicketkeeper Adam Gilchrist. Lara, seemingly set on his third one-day century on his home ground, was deceived once again by Bichel, the third consecutive time in the series, beaten outside the off stump in the previous two balls only to get the faintest edge with the next, which was gleefully accepted by Gilchrist.

During his 143-minutes at the crease, Lara faced 101 balls and hit ten scintillating boundaries departing with the score on 192 and his team well set to post a big score. Vice-captain Ramnaresh Sarwan and Marlon Samuel built on this foundation with a 70-run partnership with sensible strokeplay and running between the wickets. Sarwan hit 32 in a 37-ball innings with three fours before departing, another caught behind victim off Bichel while Samuels came into his own, striking five beautiful fours on his way to a 38-ball 42. He left, trapped leg before wicket, hit on the toe by a yorker from Australia’s fastest bowler, Brett Lee.

Ricardo Powell and Ridley Jacobs rallied to the end pushing the score to 290 at the end of the 50 overs. Lee was the best bowler for the men from Down Under, with three for 56; while the persevering Bichel took two for 67. Australia, attempting to make one of the highest scores to win a One-Day International at the Oval got off to a poor start when their enigmatic opener and vice-captain Adam Gilchrist lasted only 13 balls, caught by Hinds off the square leg boundary off Corey Collymore for 11. This let in Australian captain Ricky Ponting, who togetether with opener Jimmy Maher tried to force the scoring along but were bogged down by some accurate bowling and creative bowling  choices by the captain Lara,. After the opening spell by Collymore and Mervyn Dillon, Lara introduced Ricardo Powell for one over, then the off-spin of Chris Gayle followed by the leg spin of Ramnaresh Sarwan whose ten overs cost 53 and the wicket of Brett Lee.

Marlon Samuel also featured prominently in the Caribbean attack, his ten overs yielding  two wickets for a miserly 48 runs. But the best bowling came from an improved Dillon who took three for 40. Faced by the unorthodox strategy, Ponting was powerless to make any impression and was sent back for 10, caught by Hinds on the deep square leg boundary off Dillon. Maher contributed a pateient 21 before being brilliantly caught by debutant Ryan Hurley behind the bowler. The Australian hopes then rested on the dangerous Andrew Symonds who compiled a courageous 77 off 85 balls with eight fours but had his offstump knocked back by Samuels. Michael Clarke, who had not been dismissed in his three previous innings attemped to pull his team out off trouble but was well caught by Lara at deep mid-on for a quick-fire 39 off 53 balls with three fours. From then it was a steady procession as Ian Harvey was bowled by Gayle for two; Andy Bichel was bowled by Samuels for seven; Lee fell to leg-spinner Sarwan, caught by Gayle leaving Hauritz unbeaten on 20 and McGrath, three not out. The sixth match is in Grenada on Friday with the final contest on Sunday, also in St George’s.