Cricket
Windies end 16-year drought
2013-02-13 14:36
Brisbane - The West Indies ended their
disappointing tour of Australia with a morale-boosting 27-run win over
Australia in a one-off T20 international on Wednesday, their first win over Australia in Australia in any format of the game for 16 years.
After
losing all five one-day internationals and a warm-up game against the
Prime Minister's XI, the T20 world champions cruised to an easy win
against a below-strength home side.
The West Indies romped to 191 for six in their 20 overs, then restricted Australia to 164 for eight on a perfect batting strip.
Australia, whose five-man pace attack was badly exposed by the West Indies batsmen, started brilliantly.
But
they were reined in by the off-spin of Sunil Narine and the run outs of
Sean Marsh (21) and Adam Voges (51) when both were in full flight.
Voges and Marsh put on 74 at better than a run a ball until they were run out within three runs of each other.
Narine,
who finished with 2-19 from his four overs, then chipped in with the
key wicket of Australian skipper George Bailey (15) to put the hosts
under intense pressure.
Wicketkeeper Brad Haddin (22) and debutant
Ben Rohrer (16) threatened briefly, but the asking rate was too much
and the innings fell away towards the end.
Earlier West Indies
opener Johnson Charles scored a blistering 57 off just 35 balls as the
visitors dominated the Australian attack.
Charles took control
after fellow opener Chris Gayle (8) failed once again, and hit seven
fours and a six in a sparkling innings.
Any thoughts Australia had
of keeping the West Indies under control after Gayle's early departure
were soon ended by a brilliant partnership between Charles and Darren
Bravo.
They added 88 in quick time before Charles played on to Nathan Coulter-Nile.
Bravo
followed soon after when he was run out for 32 following a dreadful
mix-up with Kieron Pollard, which left both batsmen stranded at the
non-striker's end.
Pollard was looking dangerous until he miscued a
drive off Faulkner and holed out to Marsh at long on for 26, with
Dwayne Bravo (13) clean bowled two balls later.
But Darren Sammy (20) and Andre Russell (23 not out) took the Australian attack apart, smashing 35 runs off the last two overs.
Left-armer
James Faulkner was the pick of the attack, with 3-28 from his four
overs, but the other four seamers were all expensive on a flat batting
track.