Rain robs WI of victory

BRISBANE: Desperate for a win to get their VB Series campaign back on track and to boost flagging morale, the West Indies cricketers —  and their captain in particular —  would have been left wondering if a greater power was conspiring against them after persistent evening showers robbed them of a solid chance for victory over Australia yesterday. Despite falling victim to an umpire’s error for yet another occasion in his 14-year international career, Brian Lara was heartened by Wavell Hinds’ determined 107 that proved the foundation of a total of 263 for nine batting first in the day/night fixture at The Gabba.

Having failed to defend 273 two days earlier against Pakistan, the capacity 35,000 crowd would have expected their supremely confident world champion squad to cruise to their third consecutive victory of the tournament and confirm a place in the best-of-three finals. Yet even with the tried and tested trio of Matthew Hayden, Adam Gilchrist and Jason Gillespie returning to further strengthen their already impressive line-up, the hosts were undone by impressive left-arm seam bowling by Pedro Collins that left their reply in ruins at 43 for five after 11 overs before the second shower of the night gave the umpires no option but to declare the match as a no-result with time running out to complete the 20 overs of the Australian innings that were required to constitute a match.

Both teams took three points each from the exercise, leaving the Aussies well clear at the top of the standings with 14 points, eight more than Pakistan and ten ahead of the West Indies. The hosts will be happy to get out of Brisbane, given their poor One-Day International record at that venue, and will be hoping to return to their winning ways when they take on Pakistan in another day/night duel at the Sydney Cricket Ground tomorrow (Tonight Caribbean time). The Pakistanis have resigned themselves to be without the services of Shoaib Akhtar for the rest of the tournament as the pacer will be returning home for further treatment on the hamstring tear sustained in just the third over of his spell against the West Indies on Wednesday. The Caribbean side has some time to ponder on what could have been at The Gabba before turning their attention to two matches at Adelaide as they face Australia on January 26 —  Australia Day —  and Pakistan two days later.

The preliminary phase of the tri-series concludes in Perth with Australia taking on Pakistan on January 30 before Inzamam-ul-Haq’s men oppose the West Indies on February 1 in what is already shaping up as decisive contest. Any growing anxiety over that last match would have been eased considerably had the elements allowed Lara’s men to complete a deserved win. A target of 264 may have been well within their compass before a ball was bowled in the run-chase, but the potency of Collins, supported by Ian Bradshaw, left the Australians in the unfamiliar and uncomfortable position of hoping for a return of the showers that first interrupted their quest after they had already lost two wickets. Two of the returning heroes —  Hayden and Gilchrist —  fell for six runs each to leave the hosts limping at 12 for two after five overs when the rain, heralded by fearsome flashes of lightning, finally arrived.

Collins drew Hayden into an indeterminate prod and Chris Gayle held the sharp chance well to his right at first slip. Bradshaw then had Gilchrist caught behind. Understandably reluctant to leave the field in such an advantageous position, Lara and his teammates were left hoping for a break in the clouds. It eventually came after almost 90 frustrating minutes, giving Australia a revised target of 195 off 28 overs.  With skipper Ricky Ponting and the prolific Damien Martyn set to resume, the World Cup holders would have still fancied their chances of victory. Eleven runs were taken off Mervyn Dillon to ignite home expectations, only for Collins to extinguish them with a devastating double-strike in the very next over.  An inswinging delivery trapped Ponting palpably LBW and two balls later, Andrew Symonds touched a catch to Courtney Browne behind the stumps to leave Australia’s innings in ruins at 25 for four.

Michael Clarke then pulled a short ball from Dillon to Marlon Samuels at mid-on five runs later and sensing that rain was on the way again, the West Indian players tried desperately to rush through their overs as quickly as possible. But they never had a chance as the drizzle became heavier after just 11 overs and the officials, Simon Taufel and Billy Bowden, took the teams off the field for what proved the last time.  The damp anti-climactic finish contrasted sharply with the spectacular start in glorious sunning conditions. Gayle slashed the first ball of the match from Brett Lee to the backward-point boundary and hoisted Jason Gillespie for a straight six at the start of the second over.  The hard-hitting Jamaican looked set for a memorable innings, only to be worked out by Gillespie who changed his line to round the wicket and bowled Gayle for 26 as he backed away to make room for another expansive drive.

Hinds was joined by Ramnaresh Sarwan in a 55-run second-wicket partnership before the consistent right-hander was adjudged leg-before for 27 pushing tentatively forward in Darren Lehmann’s first over of left-arm spin. With the focus inevitably on him, Lara started cautiously, reaching six off 16 balls before he aimed a big drive at Lee and looked up in disbelief as Taufel ruled him caught at the wicket.  Television replays confirmed that he did not touch the ball, although there was a mysterious and distinctive sound that clearly fooled the Australian official. It was a cruel setback, but Hinds proceeded resolutely along in an 89-run fourth-wicket stand with the determined Shivnarine Chanderpaul.  Their stand was hardly spectacular, but steadied the innings and restored momentum at a stage when they could have easily folded.

The vice-captain reached 45 before chipping a catch to Ponting at cover off Michael Kasprowicz and the big Queensland pacer showed remarkable agility in collecting a wayward return and running out Samuels for 13 with a backhanded flick to the stumps at the bowler’s end. Hinds, noted for his own brand of aggressive strokeplay, eventually reached his fifth ODI hundred off 131 balls with just eight fours. There was little more than a smattering of polite applause to acknowledge his third limited-over century against the Aussies, but its value could not be underestimated. He eventually miscued a Shane Watson full toss to be caught by Gilchrist and despite Dwayne Bravo’s 22-ball 27 —  responding to his captain’s criticism —  the late clatter of wickets, highlighted by a fine outfield catch by Kasprowicz to remove the all-rounder, seemed to leave the West Indies with too little to really push the favourites. But for the rain, the total in the end looked more than enough. (CMC)