By Tony Becca, Senior Sports Editor
Australian paceman Brett Lee is congratulated by teammates after claiming the wicket of West Indian opener Devon Smith at Sabina Park yesterday. Australia won the Cable and Wireless one-day match by eight wickets. - Junior Dowie/Staff Photographer
WORLD CUP champions Australia jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the seven-match Cable & Wireless one-day series with an easy, almost effortless, victory over the West Indies at Sabina Park yesterday.
After nosing out the West Indies by two runs in the first of back-to-back matches on Saturday, Australia returned yesterday to nail the West Indies for 163 in 49 overs before sprinting to victory at 166 for two off 35.1 overs.
Captain Ricky Ponting followed up his 59 in the first match with 57 not out off 71 deliveries.
In winning the match with eight wickets in hand and 14.5 overs to spare, Australia made it 19 one-day victories in a row.
With another bumper crowd on hand and looking forward to some brilliant cricket from the heroes of the fourth Test in Antigua as they bid to level the count after going so close in match number one, Windies captain Brian Lara won the toss and gave it away.
UNDER PRESSURE
Unlike the previous day when he sent Australia to bat, Lara decided to bat first and the West Indies were under pressure from the second over.
After sending out Ricardo Powell with Christopher Gayle on Saturday afternoon, Lara, in another move that suggested a change in tactics, sent out regular opener Devon Smith instead, and the left-hander, pulling at the fastest bowler in the world, tapped a return catch to Brett Lee and was on his way at four for one.
Seventeen runs and seven overs later, Marlon Samuels, who batted at number six on Saturday, hooked recklessly at pacer Glenn McGrath, edged a catch to wicketkeeper Adam Gilchrist.
Apart from the cheers which greeted the arrival of Lara and Ramnaresh Sarwan, a few powerful strokes from Gayle and Powell, Sabina Park, in stark contrast to Saturday, was as quiet as a church as McGrath, Lee, Andy Bichel, Jason Gillespie, and left-arm wrist spinner Brad Hogg stifled and then destroyed the West Indies batsman before leaving Gilchrist, Matthew Hayden, and Ponting to deal with the Windies bowlers.
Lara, from whom so much was expected, aimed a powerful square-drive at Bichel without moving his feet, edged to Gilchrist and was gone at 43 for three in the 15th over.
Gayle, aimed a drive at Bichel without moving his feet and was gone at 50 for four in the 17th over. Sarwan aimed a drive at Gillespie, also without moving his feet, and was gone at 75 for five in the 22 over.
Jamaica staged a late rally and moved towards a respectable total before they lost their last four wickets for seven runs with McGrath, bowling straight at the stumps, picking up three in his last over.
Powell played a few lovely shots while scoring 32 before he went at Hogg, hit into the breeze, and was caught by McGrath at long-on at 103 for six in the 31st over.
Banks and Baugh shared a 53-run seventh-wicket partnership before Banks ambitiously hooked at Lee and skied a catch to Gilchrist and Baugh was bowled by McGrath.
COMFORTABLE PACE
Set a comfortable pace of 3.28 runs an over, Australia started confidently with Hayden driving pacer Corey Collymore over long-on for six in the fourth over and Gilchrist pulling pacer Mervyn Dillon to the mid-wicket boundary and then driving straight, all along the ground four.
Australia lost their first wicket at 50 for one in the 12th over when Gilchrist hooked Collymore to Samuels on the mid-wicket boundary but whatever hope the West Indies may have cherished of at least making Australia fight for victory was immediately destroyed as Ponting eased his left foot forward and drove Dillon over wide long-on for six.
Australia lost their second wicket at 120 in the 25th over when Hayden hit offspinner Banks to Collymore on the long-off boundary.
By then, however, with only 44 needed off 25 overs and the in-form Ponting batted solidly as ever, there was no hope for the West Indies - so much so that half the fans were already on their way home when Ponting stepped past 50 with a back foot shot to the cover boundary and a lovely hit to the mid-wicket boundary off Banks.
The end came when, with two runs needed, Andy Symonds went onto the back foot and pulled Collymore to the wide long-on boundary.
