Australia take rain-hit win

Rain brought the contest to a premature end

Chris Gayle: Scored 54 as the Windies set a daunting total

Shane Watson: Scored 41 not out before rain intervened

Australia claimed a 17-run Duckworth-Lewis victory in their ICC World Twenty20 Group B match with West Indies in Colombo.

The 2010 runners-up secured their place in the Super Eights with the success, while the Windies will now face Ireland for a place in the next stage.

Despite being set a mammoth total of 192 to win, Australia had reached 100-1 by the time the rain arrived at the start of the 10th over.

Australia looked on track to reach the full target with Shane Watson in full flow on an unbeaten 41 from just 24 balls but the weather ensured there was an anti-climactic end to proceedings.

The Windies had earlier made 191-8 after winning the toss and choosing to bat, with Chris Gayle and Marlon Samuels smashing four sixes each in their knocks of 54 and 50 respectively.

Mitchell Starc struck in the second over of the Windies innings as he bowled Dwayne Smith for just two, but Gayle was quickly getting the scoreboard ticking over with a string of boundaries.

Boundaries

His total was brought up from just 33 balls - including five fours and four sixes - before he fell victim to a soft dismissal, caught and bowled by Watson.

Samuels, meanwhile, plundered three fours and four sixes in reaching 50 off 32. He holed out to David Warner at long-on off the bowling of veteran spinner Brad Hogg.

Dwayne Bravo was the only other batsman to offer a meaningful contribution as he notched 27 from 21 balls before being bowled by Pat Cummins.

Paceman Starc (3-35) and all-rounder Watson (2-29) were the pick of the Australia bowlers, the former having been passed fit after recovering from gastroenteritis.

Australia suffered an early setback in their response when Warner - much to his displeasure - was given out caught behind by Denesh Ramdin off Fidel Edwards in the third over, but not before the opener had racked up 28 from 14 balls.

However, they continued at a decent pace as Watson and Mike Hussey (28) set about reducing the 9.6 required run-rate, which ultimately proved crucial.

The result left West Indies facing a winner-takes-all clash with Ireland on Monday to determine who will join Australia in the Super Eights.

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