Australia One Up In the Caribbean

George Bailey made his ODI debut

Two collapses have cost the home side an opening victory in the five ODI series being played against Australia in the Caribbean. After Australia could only just top 200 batting first, the West Indies lost 3-33 at the start of their innings and then 6-7 when they were cruising at 3-97.

Xavier Doherty (4-49) and Dan Christian (2-12) were the innings wreckers after Brett Lee (1-25), Clint McKay (2-22) and a sharp run out reduced the West Indies to 3-33 in the 11th over. DJ Bravo, returning to the side after an exclusion which has been largely self-induced, then added 64 with Marlon Samuels before the innings imploded.

Earlier, Australia struggled on a slow and low wicket the Arnos Vale Ground in Kingstown on the island of St Vincent. George Bailey, batting at six, took 67 balls to make a top score of 48 and even Dave Warner plodded, taking 55 balls over 40. Five of the top seven made starts but failed to go to play a decisive innings around which the rest could build. David Hussey and Matthew Wade made ducks: the Australian keeper a first ball effort to an off spinner from Sunil Narine which turned across him and was edged to slip. At 6-162 in the 44th over, Bailey and the tail did enough to set a reasonable target in the circumstances.

Kemar Roach was the best of the West Indian bowlers and looks to be approaching the sort of form which made heads turn when he first came on the international cricket through the ODI squad in 2008. If he can carry this form to the Test matches in April and the West Indies batsmen can adjust to the longer game after these frivolous preliminaries, it could yet prove to be interesting.