Windies fall just short

Australia win again after Watson holds nerve in final over

Last updated: 5th July 2008   Subscribe to RSS Feed

Windies fall just short

Symonds: crucial innings

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Fourth One Day International
St Kitts
Australia 282-8 (A Symonds 87, D J Hussey 50) v West Indies 281-6 (C H Gayle 92, R R Sarwan 63, S Chanderpaul 53)
Australia beat West Indies by 1 runs

West Indies fell agonisingly short of a target of 283 to lose the fourth one-day international against Australia by one run in St Kitts.

Skipper Chris Gayle's run-a-ball 92 at the top of the order looked to have set the hosts on course for their first win of the series.

Gayle shared stands of 137 with Ramnaresh Sarwan (63) and 50 with Shivnarine Chanderpaul (53) but none of the experienced trio saw the job to its conclusion.

Chanderpaul's dismissal, bowled by Nathan Bracken's (1-50) off-cutter from the final ball of the penultimate over, left seventh-wicket pair Denesh Ramdin (5no) and Darren Sammy (3no) requiring eight off the final over, bowled by Shane Watson.

And it was Watson (1-33) who held his nerve to conceded just six singles and keep alive Australia's hopes of a series whitewash.

Symonds to the rescue

Earlier, Andrew Symonds innings of 87 allowed Australia to post a total of 282-8 after being asked to bat.

The tourists were without captain Ricky Ponting, who is returning home early to consult a specialist about the wrist injury he picked up in the third game of the series.

In the Tasmanian's absence, Michael Clarke led his country for the first time in a 50-over one-dayer and David Hussey came into the side for a debut in this format, having previously played two Twenty20 internationals.

Jamaican paceman Daren Powell (2-66) pegged Australia back to 56-2 after a promising start by removing Watson (20) - whose century inspired the tourists to victory in the third one-dayer - and fellow opener Shaun Marsh (16).

Michael Hussey and Clarke put on 60 for third wicket before both fell in the 30s to leave Australia wobbling on 129-4 in the 29th over.

Miller time

The elder Hussey (37) holed out to Dwayne Bravo on the midwicket boundary off the bowling of Sammy (1-18) before Clarke (36 ) went lbw to debutant left-arm spinner Nikita Miller (1-56) after failing to connect with a sweep.

But Symonds piled on the runs later in the innings to get the tourists back on track and even a brief rain delay could not disrupt the Queensland all-rounder, who struck 10 fours and two sixes during a 78-ball knock before becoming Fidel Edwards' first victim in the 47th over.

The Barbados speedster (2-53) then dismissed James Hopes for a golden duck, while David Hussey (50) fell to Gayle's off-spin as Australia lost three wickets for 10 runs at the death.

The five-match series concludes on Sunday in St Kitts.