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Gayle, Lara power
Windies to a victory; Hussey's magical ton in
vain |
September 18, 2006 (Link to
Scorecard)
 Brian
Lara produced a match winning innings along with
Chris Gayle to help West Indies beat Australia
in the 4th match of the DLF Cup. Chasing a
challenging target of 273 under lights, Windies
had most of their chase under control but for a
mini collapse towards the end which meant that
they had won the match by 3 wickets. Gayle and
Lara had put on a massive 151-run partnership
for the 3rd wicket to script this victory.
Australian Skipper, Michael Hussey's magical
unbeaten hundred in the afternoon had gone in
vain as the Aussies seemed to have fallen short
by about 20 runs due to the early stutters.
Hussey got a consolation by getting the Man of
the Match award.
The World Champs continued to fiddle with their
side and today they had made as many as seven
changes. Skipper Ricky Ponting and Glenn McGrath
were the notable omissions apart from the
dangerous Mitchell Johnson, who had left home
after playing his quota of two games. It was the
return of Brett Lee along with Matthew Hayden,
Andrew Symonds and the dangerous Michael Hussey
who was asked to lead the side. Hussey had won
the toss and elected to bat first in an
intention of putting up a big total and then
have the West Indies under pressure later on.
West Indies had strengthened their batting by
replacing fast bowler Fidel Edwards with Marlon
Samuels.
It wasn't an auspicious start for both the sides
with the pair of Katich and Hayden running
extremely poorly between the wickets and the
West Indies not taking a couple of easy run out
chances. The running was only getting terrible
with both the left handers not really having any
sort of understanding and one such incident saw
Katich (22 in 21 balls, 4x4s) run out after
being sent back by Hayden for a third run in the
10th over. Australia lost three more quick
wickets with a couple of them going through full
blooded shots played straight to the fielders.
Last match hero with the bat, Shane Watson had
played a forcing backfoot shot straight to
covers and he was followed by Andrew Symonds,
who fell playing a cut shot to a ball that
wasn't wide enough. Aussies were struggling at
64 for 4 in the 18th over when Clarke had fallen
to the extra lift that Bradshaw had got. All the
three batsmen failed to get into double figures.
 Matthew
Hayden who was playing his first ODI after about
14 months got some bludgeoning shots in his slow
innings to keep some sort of pace going. He fell
just one run short of a fifty picking up the man
at short fine leg against Bravo playing a chip
shot. Hayden took 77 balls for his 49 and was
out with Australia at 104 for 5 in the 26th
over. What followed after Hayden's exit was an
entertaining 165-run stand between Skipper
Hussey and the wicket keeper, Brad Haddin that
helped Australia to a solid 272 for 6. Both
batsmen displayed their ability of hitting the
ball out of the park with total ease. Brad
Haddin had smashed 4 sixes before paddling a
slower one from Bravo in the final over of the
innings to short fine leg after making 70 in
just 77 balls. Michael Hussey remained unbeaten
on an amazingly paced 109 which came in just 90
balls with 10 fours and 3 sixes. West Indies put
on a better show with the ball and once again
Ian Bradshaw applied the brakes to the innings
with 2 for 35 in his 10.
West Indies were off to a dismal start losing
Shivnarine Chanderpaul to Brett Lee in the 5th
over. The left hander was very unlucky to have
been given out caught behind off the pad and not
the bat by umpire Asad Rauf. West Indies quickly
got over that bad decision and started to build
a decent partnership between Gayle and Sarwan
who took their time to get used to the slow pace
of the wicket. Just when Sarwan was opening his
shoulders to force the pace in the chase,
Bracken got a beautiful inswinger that foxed the
right hander to glove it to the wicket keeper in
his forward prod. Sarwan made a promising 25 in
31 balls with 5 fours to take West Indies to 44
for 2 in the 12th over. The West Indies Skipper,
Brian Lara had arrived at the crease to pair up
with Gayle and the two batsmen went berserk
taking full toll of the inexperienced change
bowlers. Stuart Clark, the tall seamer had a
night to forget and he might have played his
last match for Australia after he had gone for
44 runs in his first three overs. Michael Hussey
had to hold back the third Powerplay but even
that didn't work as Gayle and Lara shifted a
gear down to consolidate their position. Hussey
took the third powerplay in the 29th over and
got back Brett Lee along with Shane Watson. It
was Watson who got Gayle out pulling to mid
wicket off his first delivery of a new spell. By
then Gayle had scored 79 from 93 with 7
boundaries and 3 smashing sixes.
 Lara
ensured that Australians couldn't get back in
the game by putting on a fifty run partnership
with new man Dwayne Bravo. The Skipper did most
of the scoring to take of the pressure from an
edgy Dwayne Bravo. Brett Lee had finally struck
for Australia for the second time in the match
when he got Lara taken at slip. It was a short
delivery to which Lara was through in his pull
shot and the ball came off slowly off the turf
to take the back of the bat. The wicket of Lara
came too late with West Indies at 242 for 4 in
the 41st over. Lara scored a glorious 87 in 80
balls with 11 fours and a splendid six that hit
the sightscreen off Dan Cullen. Drama followed
after Lara's exit with Wavell Hinds, Marlon
Samuels and then Dwayne Smith falling in the
space of seven deliveries. West Indies were at
255 for 7 with still 18 to get. They had Bravo
and Baugh at the crease and Aussies had lost the
services of Brett Lee and Shane Watson who had
bowled out their 10 overs. Carlton Baugh had a
nervy start flashing at deliveries outside the
offstump, but he regained his cool soon to steer
his side home along with Bravo with 16
deliveries to spare. Dwayne Bravo stuck around
for more than an hour to remain unbeaten on a
precious 37 with two fours and a six having
played 53 balls. Aussies had given away as many
as 33 extras which included 16 wides and 11 no
balls.
Brett Lee returned back to the team with 3 for
46 in his 10 overs, good figures to read on
paper but not the bowling that had any real
impact on West Indies. Shane Watson bowled with
lots of heart but couldn't get many wickets,
just the one in his 10 overs going for 42 runs.
One had to feel for Stuart Clark who was the
unfortunate target selected by Gayle and Lara to
attack and he went for 87 runs in the 7 overs he
had bowled. West Indies with this win have
topped the table with 9 points to make it
extremely difficult for India to gain a berth in
the finals to be played on the 24th. Both these
teams meet day after tomorrow for their second
round match and this match and the rest of the
tournament would be played an hour before the
original schedule to cover up for any possible
rain interventions.
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