Australia seals 2-0 series win over Windies
June 17th 2008 08:18
Australia has completed a 2-0 series victory in the West Indies with a hard-fought 87 run win in the third and final test overnight.
The Windies - needing a world record 475 for victory - scored a ground-best 387 in the fourth innings but came up 87 runs short after they were bowled out shortly before tea. The day started brightly for the hosts who had seven wickets left and needing another 240 runs.
Dwayne Bravo (69) and Shivnarine Chanderpaul (5) put up a strong resistance until shortly before lunch when both players fell in consecutive overs - first to go was Bravo and then Chanderpaul with their wickets going to test debutant Beau Casson (3-86) and Stuart Clark (3-58) respectively.
Australian captain Ricky Ponting was delighted with Casson's 'top' debut performance and how the young spinner handled the pressure against top opposition.
"I thought the way he handled himself throughout the game was terrific," said Ponting.
"He kept changing things up. He never let the batsmen get too settled.
"What you want from your spinner on day five is to get you those crucial breakthroughs, and he got those for us today. That was a top debut for him."
The skipper also reserved praise for opening batsmen Simon Katich and Phil Jaques.
"Simon Katich has been terrific for us at the top of the order and Phil Jaques bounced back to form in this game.
"All the guys that have come into the side can hold their heads up high and say that they've done a really good job for the team over the last few weeks."
The series win comes at a time when the Australian team is going through a transition phase after the retirements of six or seven players in the last 12 months including the likes of talismanic Shane Warne, Glenn McGrath and Adam Gilchrist.
Australia's next test tour is against India in October.
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Comment by Muralidaran Ramesh Somasunderam
The tour of West Indies by the Australian national cricket team highlighted again that Australia has the best team in Test Match cricket.
The reason Australia has the best team in Test Match cricket is because of the Cricket Academy in Adelaide, South Australia, and national domestic cricket competition is the best among the countries playing Test Cricket at present. Therefore Australia will continue to succeed in Test Match cricket, due to its infrastructure, and good administration, which the other counties are lacking, as too much emphasis is being paid to One Day cricket, especially in the Asian Subcontinent.
Yours Faithfully,
M. R. Somasunderam.
Comment by Anonymous