Australia cruise to comfortable win

Andre Fletcher fell when he played accross the line to a James Hopes delivery

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Australia made light work of the West Indies to take a 2-0 series lead after a slow and rain-affected second one-day international at St George’s.

Although they were made to labour to make 213 for five off their 50 overs, Australia were well on course for victory before rain - and the Duckworth/Lewis rule - intervened in the afternoon to make their task even easier.

The West Indies eventually finished their rain-shortened innings on 140 for eight to give Australia victory by 63 runs.

Having been set a target of 214, the Windies got off to a dire start as Xavier Marshall was out first ball. Debutant wicketkeeper Luke Ronchi - who replaced the injured Brad Haddin at the last minute - had a dream start to his career as he took the catch behind off Brett Lee.

As Australia had in the morning, the hosts found the scoring painfully slow, and it took them until the seventh over to pass the 10-run mark.

Almost as soon as they had, they lost the key wicket of Chris Gayle as he made an aggressive swing at a Mitchell Johnson delivery and sent the ball into the hands of Ricky Ponting at mid-off.

Andre Fletcher was next to go after a wild swing saw him bowled by James Hopes for 19, and Dwayne Bravo soon followed for just three, caught at deep midwicket by Michael Hussey off Shane Watson’s delivery.

Australia then put another nail in the Windies’ coffin in the 25th over as Michael Clarke took two wickets in three balls, first seeing Patrick Browne caught by Cameron White for one, with Pollard then sent back for a duck as Watson took the catch to leave the Windies on 53 for six.

Rain then struck in the 27th over, and the revised target of 204 left the hosts needing a mammoth 146 from 14 overs.

On such a slow track, that was never on the cards and the game petered out as Australia took two more wickets, removing Darren Sammy for nine and Daren Powell for 21.

Earlier, a late surge lifted Australia over the 200-mark as they laboured on the slow pitch.

A flurry of wickets and four consecutive maiden overs stifled the tourists in the early stages but White and Hopes took advantage of some sloppy fielding in the final overs to pile on the runs.

Michael Clarke and Michael Hussey dug in to grind out a respectable score for the Australians

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Australia’s problems had started in the opening over. After Shaun Marsh had put the first runs on the board, Watson was out to the third ball he faced, going for a duck as Taylor trapped him leg before with a delivery that struck him on the foot.

Marsh soon followed, edging Powell’s delivery behind to Browne to depart for 12.

That brought Ponting to the crease in his 300th ODI, but he did not stay there long, adding to Australia’s misery as he hit a shot straight to Gayle at short midwicket, out for 13.

The Windies then turned the screw with Powell and Taylor combining for four consecutive maidens as Clarke and Hussey toiled in the middle.

The pace was painfully slow throughout the middle of the innings before Hussey and Clarke began to find their groove.

They found the boundary rarely, but Clarke managed to amass 56 runs before he was out, trapped leg before by Sulieman Benn with the score on 135.

Hussey might have been out on the next ball, but he was dropped by Bravo.

He eventually went five overs from the end, sending a tired looking shot into the hands of Bravo to depart for 62.

The Windies were not done dropping catches yet though, and let two more slip their fingers as White escaped the clutches of Fletcher at deep square leg and then, with one ball to go, White was again dropped, this time by Gayle at extra cover.

White finished on 40 with Hopes adding 17 at the other end.