Run out leads to tied 3rd ODI

Mar 21, 2012 Sports

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KINGSTOWN, St. Vincent – Tension-filled, nerve-tingling, and heart-stopping were just a few of the words used to describe the frenetic finish to the third Digicel One-day International between West Indies and Australia, which ended in a tie on Tuesday.
Opener Johnson Charles led the way with 45, as several batsmen got starts, but failed to carry on and West Indies narrowly unsuccessfully chased 221 for victory before a capacity, holiday crowd that packed into the Arnos Vale Cricket Ground from well before the start.
West Indies captain Darren Sammy was run out with two balls remaining in a mix up with tail-ender Kemar Roach to deny his side their second straight victory in the series – something many in the crowd had come to urge them towards.
The result meant that the five-match Digicel ODI Series is still level 1-1, after West Indies won the second Digicel ODI last Sunday by five wickets at the same venue, following a 64-run win for Australia in the first Digicel ODI last Friday also played here.
The fourth Digicel ODI will be played this coming Friday at the Beausejour Cricket Ground in St. Lucia, where the series also comes to a conclusion on Sunday.
Andre Russell scored 37, Kieron Pollard made 36 and Carlton Baugh Jr got 33, as the hosts played with determination to set-up the dramatic finish, after they recovered from a mid-innings crisis at 78 for five in the 21st over.
This followed tidy bowling, supported by agile fielding, which helped West Indies fight back following a record hundred stand between Mike Hussey and George Bailey after Australia chose to bat.
Off-spinner Sunil Narine collected three wickets for 32 runs from 9.5 overs, as Australia were bowled out for 220 in 49.5 overs.
Part-time off-spinner Marlon Samuels supported with two for 39 from nine overs and Roach took two for 42 from 10 overs.
West Indies bowled with discipline and Australia’s batsmen found scoring difficult on the slow pitch with left-hander Hussey leading the way with 67 that earned him the Man-of-the-Match award and Bailey supporting with 59. Left-handed opener David Warner chipped in with 37.
Openers Kieran Powell and Johnson Charles then started circumspectly for West Indies before getting into stride. They were just getting into the swing of things when left-arm spinner Xavier Doherty struck.
Powell struck the fifth ball of Doherty’s first over high over wide long-on for six, but he was stumped for 12 in the seventh over, charging down the pitch.
Charles was now into full gear and he unleashed three fours off Clint McKay in the eighth over, but two wickets in the space of four balls left West Indies on 52 for three in the 14th over.
Samuels was lbw to Australia captain Shane Watson, bowling his steady fast-medium, and Darren Bravo was caught at extra cover for a third-ball duck off the same bowler.
Charles continued to bat confidently, pulling Watson through backward square leg for four, before he too, was caught at extra cover off the same bowler from an uppish drive.
Dwayne Bravo was caught behind off Doherty in the 21st over essaying a cut before Baugh came to the crease and started the revival with Pollard.
They added 39 before Pollard was caught at long-on from off-spinner Nathan Lyon’s bowling, but a 64-run stand between Baugh and Russell transformed West Indies’ fortunes, putting them back on track.
West Indies still needed 39, when Russell was caught behind top-edging a cut off McKay with 45 balls remaining. He had been fortunate to have been recalled, when TV replays discovered he had been bowled off a Watson no-ball when he was 31 in the 40th over.
Baugh was caught at deep mid-wicket off McKay’s final act of the game and Sunil Narine thumped a couple boundaries off Watson’s final over to inch West Indies closer before he was caught at short cover for 10 off Lee from an uppish drive.
West Indies needed 17 from the last 16 balls and Roach, to his credit, batted with confidence with Sammy to help put West Indies within reach, needing seven from the final over.
They collected singles off the first two balls of the final over from Lee before Sammy swung the fast bowler to the long-on boundary for four to ease the tension and send the large crowd into delirium – but failed to finish the job.
West Indies batting was chiefly undermined by Watson with three for 30 from 10 overs, Doherty grabbed two for 30 from his 10 overs, and McKay ended with two for 50 from 10 overs.
Earlier, West Indies reduced Australia to 58 for three in the 15th over before Hussey, whose knock included four fours and one six from 95 balls, and Bailey, one four and one six from 87 balls, put on 112 for the fourth wicket to give the innings backbone.
But Samuels transformed the course of the innings, when he had Bailey caught at square leg in the 40th over to trigger a slump and Hussey stumped moving down the pitch six overs later, leaving Australia 202 for five.
West Indies again did well to control the closing stages of Australia’s innings, claiming the last six wickets – two apiece to Narine and Roach – for 18 inside the last five overs.

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