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 Wickets, wickets everywhere Warne's batting, bowling abilities make him Man of the Match
Posted: Monday April 19, 1999 12:01 PM
PORT-OF-SPAIN, Trinidad (AP) -- Australia fought back from a seemingly hopeless position to beat the West Indies by 20 runs in a fourth, low-scoring cricket one-day international here Sunday and level the seven-match series 2-2. Batting first on winning the toss for the fourth successive time, they were reduced to 104 for eight by incisive West Indies fast bowling by Courtney Walsh, Curtley Ambrose and Merv Dillon before Michael Bevan and Shane Warne led them to a final 189 for nine from their 50 overs with a record ninth wicket partnership of 77. Australia then exploited lackluster West Indies batting and panicky running, effecting three run outs as they dismissed them for 169 off the second ball of the 47th over. The left-handed Bevan and Warne, who added 77, the best for the ninth wicket for Australia in all one-day internationals, came together in the 29th over after the lively Dillon had sent a home crowd of 25,000 into frenzied celebration with four wickets for two runs from his first five overs. They were not separated until the final over, when Warne was run out for 29 but Bevan, known as "The Finisher" for his run-scoring ability in the final overs, remained unbeaten 59 from 103 balls with five fours. The Australians then kept chipping away at the home team's batting after new opener, left-handed wicketkeeper Ridley Jacobs, gave them a confident start with 29 off 42 balls with four fours. He was the first run out victim while Ricky Ponting figured in the other two. His quick pickup and return to wicketkeeper Adam Gilchrist removed left-hander Jimmy Adams for 27 and his direct hit of the stumps took care of Carl Hooper for 23. Warne then backed up his batting with three wickets for 35 from 10 overs of leg-spin bowling. Among his victims was West Indies captain and premier batsman, Brian Lara, who was bowled for six attempting a difficult sweep shot. It was a performance good enough to earn Warne the Man of the Match award. Phil Simmons kept the West Indies' hopes flickering with a typically belligerent topscore 42 off 49 balls with six fours on his 36th birthday. He was ninth out to Gilchrist's brilliant catch off medium-pacer Shane Lee, who then completed Australia's victory by bowling last man Walsh. As Simmons, a Trinidadian, left the field, he raised his cap and bat to the crowd. In the game since 1983, he said earlier in the season he would retire from regional cricket at the end of the series. When Australia batted earlier, openers Mark Waugh and the left-handed Gilchrist put on 39, but once Gilchrist was leg before wicket to Walsh for 25, the innings faltered. Walsh struck again as he had Ponting well taken by the tumbling wicketkeeper Ridley Jacobs for 7 and Ambrose followed suit by bowling Mark Waugh with a shooter for 18 and hitting Darren Lehmann's leg-stump after he had made 12. Australia's problems were compounded once Lara introduced Dillon, a 24-year-old native of the north Trinidad village of Toco. He claimed Steve Waugh lbw for 16 in his second over, had Lee caught by Jacobs for 1 in his third and removed Tom Moody, bowled off-stump for 4, and Brendon Julian, caught by Jacobs for 0, in his fourth. Bevan and Warne changed the course of the innings with a stand that proved decisive in the end. The fifth match in the series is in Georgetown, Guyana, on Wednesday.
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