Australia avoided a first series defeat at the hands of West Indies in 17 years with a 30-run victory in the fifth and final one-dayer in St Lucia.
A magnificent counter-attacking knock of 84 from skipper Darren Sammy couldn’t quite get the hosts, who had looked dead and buried at 118-7 when Kieron Pollard
departed for 33, to their target of 282.
Sammy smashed six sixes and the same number of fours as he and Andre Russell, who made 41 off 33 deliveries, put on a record eighth-wicket stand of 101 in less than 10 overs, putting the game right back in the balance.
In the end, however, West Indies simply didn’t have enough wickets in hand and were dismissed for 251, meaning the series finishes all square at 2-2.
Last out
The key wicket came when Russell was trapped lbw by Xavier Doherty, the left-arm spinner successfully using the DRS system to get Australia a much-needed breakthrough.
Although he kept on swinging until the end, Sammy simply ran out of partners. He was eventually the last man out, caught at deep square leg looking to clear the rope again having faced just 50 balls for his runs.
Brett Lee finished with impressive figures of 3-42 off his nine overs, the first three of which were maidens. His early burst put the home team on the back foot, with Johnson Charles and Marlon Samuels both falling for ducks.
Australia, in contrast, had been given a superb start in their total of 281-9, their top three all making half-centuries after being asked to bat first.
David Warner (69) and skipper Shane Watson (66) provided a perfect platform with an opening stand of 118 inside 20 overs.
The hosts eventually got a breakthrough when Warner, having struck 10 fours and a six during his 60-ball stay at the crease, was caught by Dwayne Bravo off the bowling of Sunil Narine.
Watson also failed to push on after getting to 50, becoming the first of four victims for Russell when he was comfortably caught by Samuels.
Lee promoted
George Bailey contributed 19 while the promotion of Brett Lee, who hit a half-century in a losing cause in the fourth match, yielded 12 runs off just 10 balls before he was bowled by Narine.
Russell (4-61) ended Peter Forrest’s innings on 53 in the 45th over and then, with the very next ball, tempted David Hussey into a hook that resulted in him being caught behind without troubling the scorers.
Matthew Wade (26) provided some late impetus, hitting a four and two sixes in a penultimate over went for 21 runs, as he and Michael Hussey (25) put on 38 in a hurry.
Paceman Roach claimed two victims in a final over which only gave up two runs, giving him decent final figures of 3-53.
The two teams will next go head-to-head in a two-match Twenty20 series, starting with the opener in Gros Islet on Tuesday, which can be seen live on Sky Sports.
(Source http://www.skysports.com/cricket/match_report/0,,11066_87056,00.html)
