Sloppy Windies give it away

ADELAIDE: Frustrated by an Australian lower-order revival and then blitzed by searing pace and ultra-professional out-cricket, the West Indies crashed to a 73-run defeat in a day/night encounter yesterday, a result that leaves them having to win their two remaining preliminary matches against Pakistan to advance to the finals of the VB Series. The Caribbean side will return to the Adelaide Oval tomorrow (Tonight Caribbean time) for the all-day duel with the Pakistanis knowing that a second loss in three days will render their last encounter against Inzamam-ul-Haq’s squad next Tuesday in Perth as only of academic interest.  Yet with a career-best performance from Pedro Collins reducing the hosts to 38 for four, it was almost unbearably frustrating for West Indian fans to have such a strong position reversed to the extent that could not even enjoy the minor consolation of a bonus point to pull within one point of the Pakistanis.

Collins, whose development as a quality left-arm seamer has been one of the few bright spots in another disappointing foreign campaign, claimed five for 43, improving on his previous One-Day International best of three for eight just a few days earlier against the same opponents in Brisbane. Yet the satisfaction of that effort was minimised by the Aussies rallying from a perilous position courtesy of Simon Katich’s determined top-score of 76 and then adding insult to injury through a rousing unbroken ninth-wicket partnership of 73 between Jason Gillespie (44) and Brett Lee (38). A final total of 269 for eight still left the West Indies with a fighting chance on an excellent batting pitch, at least until the first three overs of their innings.

Already buoyed by his batting performance, Lee quickly moved into high gear with the new white ball in hand, disposing of Wavell Hinds, who edged his first delivery to wicketkeeper Brad Haddin. The pacer then accounted for the other opener, Chris Gayle, when a lifting delivery on the line of the body just brushed the batsman’s gloves and Haddin took off in goalkeeper fashion to snare a spectacular diving leg-side catch. Rocked back at three for two, Brian Lara delayed his arrival in the middle, sending in his deputy, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, who joined the former vice-captain, Ramnaresh Sarwan, in a 92-run third-wicket stand that offered some hope of putting the Australians under pressure in the final overs. But the pair never really managed to dominate the disciplined bowling attack and with frustration growing as the overs went by, Sarwan gave Haddin his third catch of the innings, prodding at the left-arm wrist-spin of Brad Hogg to depart for 39.

Expectation filled the warm evening air with Lara’s arrival, but by then Chanderpaul was already falling victim to the elements as the battling left-hander was hobbled by cramps and needed a runner. That setback proved critical for even though he fought on in reaching to 55, he was a helpless spectator when Hinds, his runner, was adjudged run out by Michael Clarke’s direct hit. On-field umpire Steve Davis called for the assistance of the television official although it was clear to the naked eye that Hinds was well out of his ground.  As it transpired, the television camera angles available to the third umpire were not completely conclusive but Simon Taufel still ruled Chanderpaul out by virtue of Hinds’ error of judgment. Lara smashed Hogg for a six over midwicket and swept a four in the same over to create some anxiety in the Australian camp. 

His burden grew when Marlon Samuels drove Darren Lehmann to Ricky Ponting at cover, and when Lee had the star batsman caught and bowled off a mistimed pull for 29, the match was as good as over in just the 37th over. Courtney Browne fell LBW to a yorker first ball from Lee, who finished with the figures of four for 38 and was the obvious choice as “Man of the Match.” At 153 for seven, Bradshaw denied him the hat-trick, but Gillespie and the miserly Glenn McGrath mopped up the tail with clinical efficiency, a task the West Indies failed to accomplish earlier in the day. Clarke, the golden boy of Australian cricket, blazed a succession of boundaries off Collins to get the match off to a rousing start. But the Barbadian medium-pacer responded with a double-strike in his next over.

Matthew Hayden, woefully out of touch, got an under-edge to an attempted pull and Browne completed the good low catch behind the stumps.  Two balls later, Ponting looked to play to the on-side and a jubilant Dwayne Bravo took the comfortable catch at cover. Charging in with real purpose and gusto, Collins then bowled an overconfident Clarke through the gate as he aimed an ambitious off-drive, and when Lehmann fell in the identical manner to Hayden, the West Indies’ most improved bowler had claimed four wickets in 16 deliveries. Unfortunately, the experienced Mervyn Dillon could not maintain the pressure, conceding 23 runs off his first three overs and was quickly pulled out of the attack by an exasperated Lara.  Katich and Andrew Symonds (31) started the recovery job with a 47-run fifth-wicket partnership, and after Hinds had Symonds caught at the wicket, Haddin contributed 32 in an 82-run stand with the quietly efficient left-hander.

Bravo accounted for the wicketkeeper-batsman and Hogg in successive overs, and when Collins trapped Katich leg-before with just the second delivery of a new spell to reduce Australia to 196 for eight in the 39th over, it seemed the world champions would commit the cardinal sin of failing to occupy their full allotment of 50 overs. That they did, and with some considerable style, was due to the determination and belligerence of Lee and Gillespie, aided by a fading West Indian team. Hinds let a straightforward catch at mid-off slip through his hands off Gillespie while the bowling and fielding became increasingly ragged, Bravo eventually conceding 71 runs off his ten overs. By the time the innings ended, the momentum had already shifted Australia’s way, a status that was solidified by Lee’s new ball burst and eventually formalised to the delight of an Australia Day holiday crowd in excess of 26,000.