|
|
| November 06, 2006 | Monday | Shawwal 13, 1427 |
Australia dethrone West Indies in rain-hit final
MUMBAI, Nov 5: World champions Australia wrested the Champions Trophy from the West Indies with an eight-wicket victory in a disappointing rain-hit final here on Sunday.
Ricky Ponting's men won the biennial event for the first time bowling out the defending champions for 138 and then cantering home in the 29th over at the Brabourne stadium.
The target was revised to 116 from 35 overs after rain prevented play for two hours and 15 minutes after the dinner break which Australia took at 45-2 in 10 overs.
A buoyant Australia return home to prepare for the Ashes series against England starting later this month after adding the only major trophy missing from their overflowing cupboard.
Left-arm seamer Nathan Bracken took three wickets for 22 runs as the West Indies lost their last eight wickets for 58 runs after sailing merrily at 80-2 in the 10th over on a slow wicket.
A sell-out crowd of 35,000, noisily backing the underdogs from the West Indies, erupted when Australia slipped to 13-2 in the fourth over.
Adam Gilchrist was caught in the slips by Chris Gayle off Ian Bradshaw for two and Ponting was leg-before to Jerome Taylor for no score.
Damien Martyn and Shane Watson boosted the world champions with an unbroken third-wicket stand of 103 on either side of the rain interruption.
Watson returned unconquered on 57 and was declared the Man-of-the-Final.
Martyn was unbeaten on 47.
“It's a great feeling to win what we had not been able to do till now,” said a beaming Ponting.
“When it comes to the big games the boys put their hands up and deliver.
“It does not hurt us at all that we continue to do well ahead of the Ashes but before that we will like to celebrate this win tonight. It's quite special.”
West Indian captain Brian Lara rued the batting failure but complemented his team for reaching the final.
“We worked hard to get here so it is obviously a bit disappointing that we did not do well today,” he said.
“Maybe it was a bit of stage fright. But the boys have started to believe in themselves and this will hold us in good stead for the World Cup we host in March.
“I am quite proud to lead this team. It has the potential to go far.”
It was Australia's second consecutive win in a final against the West Indies, having beaten them in the title-clash in the Malaysian tri-series in Kuala Lumpur in September.
Australia also avenged the shock defeat by Lara's men in the league stage of the Champions Trophy here last month.
The West Indies, fielding seven players who won the last Champions Trophy in England two years ago, made a rollicking start as openers Gayle and Shivnarine Chanderpaul plundered 49 off the first five overs.
Chanderpaul, who took 10 runs in Brett Lee's first over, hit 27 off 18 balls when he was bowled by Bracken with the first ball of the sixth over.
Left-hander Gayle, the top-scorer in the tournament with 437 runs from seven previous matches, hit Glenn McGrath for two sixes as he raced to 37 off 27 balls.
Gayle ended with 474 runs including three centuries and was named the Man-of-the-Tournament. Team-mate Taylor was the leading bowler with 13 wickets.
Lara, given a rousing welcome to the crease by the crowd, plodded for 26 minutes for two runs before falling to a brilliant diving catch by wicket-keeper Gilchrist off McGrath.
Scoreboard
WEST INDIES:
S. Chanderpaul b Bracken 27
C.H. Gayle b Bracken 37
R.R. Sarwan c Hogg b Bracken 7
D.J. Bravo lbw b Hogg 21
B.C. Lara c Gilchrist b McGrath 2
R.S. Morton c Gilchrist b McGrath 2
M.N. Samuels c Ponting b Watson 7
C.S. Baugh lbw b Watson 9
I.D.R. Bradshaw b Lee 7
J.E. Taylor not out 5
C.D. Collymore run out 0
EXTRAS (LB-5, W-7, NB-2) 14
TOTAL (all out, 30.4 overs) 138
FALL OF WKTS: 1-49, 2-65, 3-80, 4-88, 5-94, 6-113, 7-125, 8-125, 9-136.
BOWLING: Lee 7.4-0-49-1 (2nb), Bracken 6-0-22-3 (3w); McGrath 7-3-24-2 (2w); Symonds 3-0-16-0; Watson 3-0-11-2 (1w); Hogg 4-1-11-1 (1w).
AUSTRALIA:
S.R. Watson not out 57
A.C. Gilchrist c Gayle b Bradshaw 2
R.T. Ponting lbw b Taylor 0
D.R. Martyn not out 47
EXTRAS (LB-4, W-5, NB-1) 10
TOTAL (for two wkts, 28.1 overs) 116
FALL OF WKTS: 1-12, 2-13.
DID NOT BAT: A. Symonds, M.J. Clarke, M.E.K. Hussey, G.B. Hogg, B. Lee, N.W. Bracken, G.D. McGrath.
BOWLING: Gayle 1-0-5-0; Taylor 7-0-42-1 (1w); Bradshaw 6-0-21-1 (1nb, 1w); Collymore 6-1-19-0 (1w); Samuels 5-0-9-0; Sarwan 3.1-0-16-0 (2w).
RESULT: Australia won by eight wickets (target revised under D/L Method to 116 from 35 overs due to rain).
UMPIRES: Aleem Dar (Pakistan) and R.E. Koertzen (South Africa).
TV UMPIRE: B.F. Bowden (New Zealand).
MATCH REFEREE: R.S. Madugalle (Sri Lanka).
MAN-OF-THE-FINAL: Shane Watson.
MAN-OF-THE-TOURNAMENT: Chris Gayle.—AFP
|
|
