West Indies opener Xavier Marshall cuts to the boundary on his way to a top score of 36 against Australia, in their rain-shortened Twenty20 international at Kensington Oval, Barbados, yesterday. - Dellmar

BRIDGETOWN, Barbados (CMC):

Superb hitting by opener Xavier Marshall and stand-in captain Dwayne Bravo lifted West Indies to an exciting seven-wicket victory over Australia in their rain-affected Digicel Twenty20 International at Kensington Oval yesterday.

Set 98 to win in a match that was restricted to 11-overs-a-team because of steady rain during the day that delayed the start by almost two-and-a-half hours, West Indies lost only three wickets before winning with 11 balls remaining in fading light well past 6 p.m.

The exciting Marshall sustained his form from the preceding Test series by stroking 36 off only 15 balls to set West Indies on the way, while Bravo brought up the victory with an unbeaten 28 from 15 balls and the pair combined to share six sixes.

Before a packed ground, West Indies raced to 50 in less than three overs as Marshall roughed up the Australia new ball pair of Brett Lee and Mitchell Johnson.

Run out

Marshall pulled the first ball of the innings from Lee over mid-wicket for six and followed up by lifting Johnson for two leg-side sixes in the second over that cost 25. Both Marshall and fellow opener William Perkins fell by the run out route, prompting a reduction in the scoring rate, but Bravo got together with Andre Fletcher (7 not out) to add an unbroken 38 in 3.4 overs to give West Indies victory in the first Twenty20 International in the Caribbean.

It gave the more than 9,000 spectators great delight following a 2-0 defeat in the preceding Test series and the victory was all the more satisfying in the absence of key players Chris Gayle, Ramnaresh Sarwan and Shivnarine Chanderpaul, who were all suffering from niggling injuries.

Steady rain during the day created the possibility of abandonment, but the showers finally abated to allow the match to start at 4:25 p.m.

Australia, sent in, benefited from a frenetic start by debutants Luke Ronchi and Shaun Marshall, who bludgeoned 57 off six overs.

AUSTRALIA

S. Marsh c Marshall b Roach	29
+L. Ronchi c Taylor b Roach	36
S. Watson not out	17
D. Hussey c Perkins b Bravo	0
C. White not out	10
Extras: (lb2, w2, nb1)	5
TOTAL: (3 wkts, 11 overs)	97

Fall wickets: 1-57, 2-72, 3-72.

Did not bat:R. Ponting, M. Clarke, M. Hussey, J. Hopes, B. Lee, M. Johnson.

Bowling: Taylor 2-0-23-0 (w1), Benn 2-0-19-0 (w1), Edwards 2-0-12-0, Roach 3-0-29-2 (nb1), Bravo 2-0-12-1.

WEST INDIES

X. Marshall run out	36
W. Perkins run out	9
+D. Ramdin c Johnson b Watson	8
D. Bravo not out	28
A. Fletcher not out	7
Extras: (b6, lb1, w7)	14
TOTAL: (3 wkts, 9.1 overs)	102

Fall of wickets: 1-53, 2-59, 3-64.

Did not bat: K. Pollard, D. Sammy, J. Taylor, S. Benn, K. Roach, F. Edwards.

Bowling: Lee 2-0-26-0 (w1), Johnson 2-0-30-0 (w1), Watson 2.1-0-17-1, Hopes 2-0-14-0, White 1-0-8-0.

Result: West Indies won by seven wickets. Toss: West Indies.

Man-of-the-Match: Xavier Marshall.

Umpires: Billy Doctrove, Clyde Duncan. TV replays: Goaland Greaves.

Match referee: Roshan Mahanama.