Cricket: Ambrose seals West Indian supremacy
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West Indies win by four wickets
THE West Indies extended their perfect record over Australia in the finals of the World Series Cup in Melbourne yesterday, winning a low-scoring match by four wickets to gain an invincible 2-0 lead in the three-match series.
Curtly Ambrose and the rest of an accurate Caribbean attack bowled out Australia for 147 in 47.3 overs, before Brian Lara and Carl Hooper struck measured half-centuries to steer the West Indies home with three overs to spare. The result extended Australia's jinx against their opponents in the tournament's final stages. This season was the sixth time the two teams have qualified to meet in the World Series finals - and the West Indies have won every time.
Australia, who won the toss, carelessly lost David Boon and the Waugh brothers in run-out mix- ups, and once again found Ambrose and company an awkward proposition. Mark Taylor was the top-scorer with 33 but Ambrose, who took 5 for 32 in Saturday's first final in Sydney, made sure there would be no late-innings revival by collecting 3 for 26.
The crowd of 72,492 were briefly jubilant when the West Indies lost Desmond Haynes and Phil Simmons for ducks in the second over. However, a fourth-wicket stand of 86 between Lara and Hooper gave the visitors sufficient breathing space, spoiling Australian captain Allan Border's 250th one-day international appearance.
Ambrose, who finished with 18 wickets in the Australian one-day season at an average of just over 13, was a straightforward choice as the man of the finals series. His speed partner, Ian Bishop, removed Taylor and Dean Jones in successive overs to start the Australian collapse. Boon had already departed in a misunderstanding with Taylor, easily run out by a direct hit from Anderson Cummins.
Mark Waugh, meanwhile, has been run out four times in his last five one-day matches as well as in the recent Test, and has reached the stage where any other dismissal is unthinkable. His communications with brother Steve out in the middle were less than telepathic and he was duly caught out again for eight, failing to regain his ground after backing up too far. A brilliant throw from Hooper at cover then accounted for his brother for 25 after Border had gone, caught and bowled by the same player.
Modest contributions from Ian Healy and Greg Matthews were unable to drag Australia past 150. When they batted, the West Indians suffered a few jitters but Hooper, taking 120 balls to reach 50, supervised the job right to the end. Lara was struck in the groin by a delivery from Steve Waugh when on 48, but recovered to complete his second fifty of the finals, hitting 60 from 100 deliveries with five fours, three of them all-run.
'I'm glad we stuck to our guns with such a small total to defend,' Border said, 'but we were beaten by the better team on the day.'
Australia have reinforced their bowling attack for the fourth Test against the West Indies, starting in Adelaide on Saturday, by naming the off-spinner, Tim May, and the experienced seamer Tony Dodemaide in their squad of 12.
May, who last played a Test four years ago, replaces Greg Matthews, while Dodemaide, formerly with Sussex, comes in for Mike Whitney, who has a broken foot.
AUSTRALIA (v West Indies, fourth Test, Adelaide, starting Saturday): From: A R Border, D C Boon, M A Taylor, S R Waugh, M E Waugh, D R Martyn, I A Healy, A I C Dodemaide, T B A May, M G Hughes, S K Warne, C J McDermott.
MELBOURNE SCOREBOARD
(Australia won toss) AUSTRALIA D C Boon run out. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 M A Taylor c Ambrose b Bishop. . . . . . . . .33 D M Jones c Murray b Bishop. . . . . . . . . . 5 S R Waugh run out. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .25 M E Waugh run out. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 * A R Border c and b Hooper. . . . . . . . . . 8 ] I A Healy c and b Ambrose. . . . . . . . . .16 G R J Matthews c Logie b Ambrose. . . . . . . 15 A I C Dodemaide c Murray b Ambrose. . . . . . .1 P R Reiffel not out. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 C J McDermott b Hooper. . . . . . . . . . . . .0 Extras (lb3 nb7). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Total (47.3 overs). . . . . . . . . . . . . .147 Fall: 1-54 2-63 3-65 4-74 5-94 6-113 7-133 8-137 9-146.
Bowling: Ambrose 10-0-26-3; Cummins 10-1- 24-0; Bishop 9-2-33-2; Benjamin 10-0-33-0; Hooper 8 3-1-28-2.
WEST INDIES
D L Haynes run out. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .0 B C Lara c M E Waugh b McDermott. . . . . . . 60 P V Simmons c M E Waugh b Dodemaide. . . . . . 0 * R B Richardson c Reiffel b McDermott. . . . .5 C L Hooper not out. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59 A L Logie c Healy b Reiffe. . . . . . . . . . 17 J R Murray c Healy b Dodemaide. . . . . . . . .1 I R Bishop not out. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4 Extras (lb7 nb3 w2). . . . . . . . . . . . . .12 Total: (for 6, 47 overs). . . . . . . . . . .148 Did not bat: K C G Benjamin, C E L Ambrose, A C Cummins.
Fall: 1-7 2-8 3-23 4-109 5-125 6-126.
Bowling: McDermott 10-0-35-2; Dodemaide 10-4-19-2; Reiffel 10-1-21-1; Matthews 3-0-19- 0; S R Waugh 10-1-30-0; M E Waugh 4-0-17-0.
WEST INDIES WON BY FOUR WICKETS AND WIN WORLD SERIES CUP
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