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BASSETERRE (St Kitts), March 19: Brad Hodge hit a maiden one-day hundred and Michael Clarke scored an unbeaten half-century to help Australia achieve a thumping 229-run win over Netherlands here on Sunday to qualify for the Super Eight stage of the World Cup (also partially reported in Monday’s edition).
Australian middle-order batsman Hodge scored 123 and shared an invaluable 204-run fourth wicket stand with Michael Clarke (93 not out) to help Australia reach 358-5 after electing to bat.
The Netherlands were then unable to cope with the Australian bowling attack and were dismissed for 129 in 26.5 overs. Dan van Bunge top-scored with 33, while Darron Reekers (25) and Peter Borren (24) were other notable scorers.
Left-arm spinner Brad Hogg was the pick of Australian bowlers with 4-27.
Paceman Glenn McGrath finished with 2-33 to take 50 wickets in the World Cup.
The 37-year-old paceman now need another six wickets to overhaul Pakistan's left-arm paceman Wasim Akram's World Cup best of 55.
Left-arm paceman Nathan Bracken finished with 2-33 to seal an emphatic win for Australia whose final group match will be against South Africa on March 24.
South Africa and Scotland, the two other sides in Group A, meet each other on Tuesday with the top two advancing to the Super Eight stage.
| Scoreboard | |
| AUSTRALIA: | |
| A.C. Gilchrist c van Troost b de Leede | 57 |
| M.L. Hayden c Borren b de Leede | 29 |
| R.T. Ponting c and b ten Doeschate | 23 |
| M.J. Clarke not out | 93 |
| B.J. Hodge b Borren | 123 |
| M.E.K. Hussey c sub b ten Doeschate | 2 |
| S.R. Watson not out | 12 |
| EXTRAS (LB-9, W-8, NB-2) | 19 |
| TOTAL (for five wkts, 50 overs) | 358 |
| FALL OF WKTS: 1-73 (Hayden, 11.5 ov), 2-116 (Gilchrist, 19.4 ov), 3-116 (Ponting, 20.1 ov), 4-320 (Hodge, 47.3 ov), 5-325 (Hussey, 48.4 ov). | |
| DID NOT BAT: G.B. Hogg, N.W. Bracken, S.W. Tait, G.D. McGrath. | |
| BOWLING: Jonkman 6.1-1-35-0 (1nb); Reekers 6-1-48-0; de Leede 10-1-40-2 (1w); ten Doeschate 10-0-76-2 (4w); Adeel Raja 7.5-0-61-0 (1nb); Borren 10-0-89-1 (1w). | |
| NETHERLANDS: | |
| B. Zuiderent run out | 9 |
| D.J. Reekers c Clarke b Bracken | 25 |
| A.N. Kervezee lbw b Bracken | 0 |
| R.N. ten Doeschate lbw b Tait | 1 |
| L.P. van Troost lbw b McGrath | 0 |
| D.L.S. van Bunge lbw b McGrath | 33 |
| T.B.M. de Leede c Hayden b Hogg | 14 |
| P.W. Borren c Hussey b Hogg | 24 |
| J. Smits lbw b Hogg | 3 |
| Adeel Raja not out | 8 |
| M.B.S. Jonkman st Gilchrist b Hogg | 0 |
| EXTRAS (B-4, LB-3, W-5) | 12 |
| TOTAL (all out, 26.5 overs) | 129 |
| FALL OF WKTS: 1-36 (Reekers, 6.3 ov), 2-36 (Kervezee, 6.5 ov), 3-38 (ten Doeschate, 7.5 ov), 4-40 (van Troost, 0.2 ov), 5-46 (Zuiderent, 10.6 ov), 6-87 (de Leede, 18.4 ov), 7-97 (van Bunge, 9.4 ov), 8-106 (Smits, 22.3 ov), 9-129 (Borren, 26.3 ov). | |
| BOWLING: Bracken 7-1-33-2; Tait 7-0-29-1 (5w); McGrath 8-0-33-2; Hogg 4.5-0-27-4. | |
| RESULT: Australia won by 229 runs. | |
| UMPIRES: S.A. Bucknor (West Indies) and A.L. Hill (New Zealand). | |
| TV UMPIRE: E.A.R. de Silva (Sri Lanka). | |
| MATCH REFEREE: J. Srinath (India). | |
| MAN-OF-THE-MATCH: Brad Hodge.—AFP | |
