07 February 2004	Saturday	15 Zilhaj 1424

MELBOURNE, Feb 6: Captain Ricky Ponting blasted 88 off 80 balls to lead Australia to a seven-wicket victory over India on Friday and a 1-0 lead in the best-of-three limited overs finals series.

Chasing India's 222 all out off 49 overs at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, the world champions reached 224 for three from 40.1 overs to cruise to victory with 59 balls to spare.

Ponting and Matthew Hayden (50) shared a second wicket partnership of 139 off 151 balls to blunt India's attack led by 22-year-old seamer Lakshmipathy Balaji, who took three for 52.

Hemang Badani (60 not out) and Ajit Agarkar (53) put on 102 runs for the seventh wicket to lift India towards a competitive total after the first six wickets fell for just 75 runs in 21.1 overs.

The 27-year-old Badani paced India's innings and hit four boundaries, facing 81 balls in his fourth one-day half-century. The left hander has a highest score of 100.

Agarkar made his third half-century in 127 one-day internationals. The 26-year-old struck four fours and two sixes in an entertaining 62-ball innings after coming to the crease at 75 for six when all hope of a total above 200 had seemed lost.

India's openers Virender Sehwag (3) and Sachin Tendulkar (8) fell inside the first six overs.

Sehwag popped a short ball from Jason Gillespie (2-39) to wicketkeeper Adam Gilchrist in the third over at six for one and eight runs later Tendulkar was bowled by Brett Lee.

Fast bowler Brad Williams removed Vangipurappu Laxman for 24 at 48 for three and Rahul Dravid fell for six to the bowling of Ian Harvey without addition to the team's total.

Twenty-seven runs later India again lost two wickets for nought. Captain Saurav Ganguly was caught behind off Harvey (2-40) for six and three balls later Lee (2-34) began his second spell with the wicket of Yuvraj Singh, also caught behind.

Agarkar was caught at gully by Lee off left-arm spinner Michael Clarke at 177 for seven. Irfan Pathan (19) and Anil Kumble (2) were both run out.

All-rounder Harvey left the field to ice a shoulder injury but it was not known if he is doubtful for Sunday's second final in Sydney.

Australia's Gilchrist hit a swashbuckling 38 off 20 balls including seven fours in a 48-run opening stand with Hayden in six overs before Gilchrist was caught at fine leg off Balaji.

Hayden offered a return catch off the toe of the bat to Balaji who gave a half-hearted appeal that was referred to the third umpire Daryl Harper.

Ponting followed five runs later at 193 for three in the 34th over, caught behind off Balaji after hitting seven fours and two sixes.

Damien Martyn (20 not out off 37 balls) and Andrew Symonds (10 not out off 15 balls) added an unbeaten 31 for the fourth wicket.

Zimbabwe did not score a win in their eight matches in the triangular series and missed the finals.

A third final is scheduled for Brisbane on Tuesday if required. Meanwhile Ponting says his side is peaking at the right time in the one-day finals against India.

Australia won with 59 balls to spare at Melbourne Cricket Ground in the first final and Ponting said they had surfed to victory on the back of their five-wicket win in Perth on Sunday.

"We came into today's game fairly confident. Our record is pretty good in these bigger games," Ponting told a news conference on Friday. "We've got a bit of momentum going in our favour and we seem to be peaking at the right time. "We took early wickets (six for 75) and then (our) batting was very good all the way through.

"Although they did well to get 222 on the board, it was never going to be enough on that wicket." The second match of the best-of-three finals is on Sunday in Sydney.

Ponting, who top-scored on Friday with 88 off 80 balls, said India's stunning batting in the four-Test series, which was drawn 1-1, could not have continued for the entire tour. "Other than the last two games ... we haven't really gone through their top order at all throughout this whole summer so it's very pleasing that we have been able to do that at exactly the right time.

"With the momentum that we've got going in our favour, it's going to be very hard for them to fight back."

Paceman Brett Lee, who returned to form with 3-22 on a bouncy Perth wicket on Sunday, was a crucial ingredient in Australia's success on Friday, taking 2-34 with the wickets of Sachin Tendulkar for eight and Yuvraj Singh for 21.

"They are not getting any drives and not being able to hit through the covers or down the ground. He's testing out their techniques (against short-pitched bowling) at the moment which is exactly what we want to do," Ponting said.

India captain Saurav Ganguly said: "We did not play well at all which is a little disappointing.

"We've got one more chance in Sydney and I hope we forget about this and just look at the way we've batted right throughout the summer and try and put up a better performance in the next final. "We just need to be a bit more hungry for runs in Sydney."

Scoreboard

India

V.Sehwag c Gilchrist b Gillespie 3

S.Tendulkar b Lee 8

V.Laxman c Symonds b Williams 24

R.Dravid c Hayden b Harvey 12

S.Ganguly c Gilchrist b Harvey 6

Y.Singh c Gilchrist b Lee 21

H.Badani not out 60

A.Agarkar c Lee b Clarke 53

I.Pathan run out 19

A.Kumble run out 2

L.Balaji b Gillespie 2

Extras (lb-6 nb-4 w-2) 12

Total (all out, 49.0 overs) 222

Fall of wkts: 1-6 2-14 3-48 4-48 5-75 6-75 7-177 8-209 9-217

Bowling: Gillespie 10-0-39-2, Lee 9-0-34-2 (nb-3), Williams 10-1-38-1 (nb-1), Harvey 10-0-40-2, Symonds 7-0-47-0 (w-2), Clarke 3-0-18-1.

Australia

A.Gilchrist c Tendulkar b Balaji 38

M.Hayden c & b Balaji 50

R.Ponting c Dravid b Balaji 88

D.Martyn not out 20

A.Symonds not out 10

Extras (b-6 lb-2 w-8 nb-2) 18

Total (for three wickets, 40.1 overs) 224

Fall of wkts: 1-48 2-187 3-193

Did not bat: S.Katich, M.Clarke, I.Harvey, B.Lee, J.Gillespie, B.Williams.

Bowling: Agarkar 9.1-0-58-0 (w-1), Balaji 10-0-52-3 (nb-2, w-2), Pathan 8-0-36-0 (w-5), Kumble 7-0-36-0, Sehwag 5-0-29-0, Ganguly 1-0-5-0.

Result: Australia won by seven wickets.

Man-of-the-Match: Ricky Ponting.

Next game: second final, Australia v India, in Sydney, February 8. -Reuters