- DELLMAR
West Indies batsman Chris Gayle drives to the boundary during his innings of 84 against Australia yesterday in Trinidad.
PORT-OF-SPAIN, Trinidad (AP):
AUSTRALIA SWEPT to another comfortable victory over the West Indies in yesterday's fourth one-day international, notching their 21st straight success and a winning 4-0 lead in the seven-match series.
Man of the Match Adam Gilchrist's assured 84 and Michael Clarke's blazing, unbeaten 55 off 40 balls launched Australia's formidable 286 for five off 50 overs.
The West Indies lost early wickets and their pursuit never ignited, despite Chris Gayle's top score of 84 and captain Brian Lara's 40. The home team was bowled out for 219 in the 46th over to lose by 67 runs.
The visitors launched their winning platform through their batsmen. All contributed to the large total after captain Ricky Ponting won the toss for the first time in the series.
Powerful Matthew Hayden (44) put on 78 for the first wicket with a more circumspect Gilchrist. The left-hander from Queensland hit five fours off 61 deliveries before he clipped a catch to deep square leg off Vasbert Drakes, who took two for 62.
Ponting contributed 38 off 47 balls with a six and a four. He and Gilchrist added a further 70 for the second wicket before the Aussie skipper fell to another leg-side boundary catch.
Another half century partnership followed between left-hander Gilchrist and Andrew Symonds as the home team's scrappy fielding began to let them down.
Gilchrist, dropped at 37 and 62, was eventually bowled for off-spinner Ryan Hurley's maiden one-day wicket on debut. The left-hander from Western Australia struck nine fours and a six off 103 balls.
Symonds was soon afterwards bowled for 24 by Corey Collymore, but the pacer was clouted in his last spell as 83 runs came off the last 10 overs.
Clarke and Michael Bevan (21 off 22 balls) provided the acceleration in adding 63 for the fifth wicket in just 49 balls.
Clarke was bowled off a Collymore no-ball when 41 and dropped by Powell in the deep at 47. But the 22-year-old was in the zone and notched his second successive fifty off just 38 balls.
Bevan fell to the final delivery of the innings, scooping a catch to extra cover as Drakes gaining some reward after poor luck earlier.
New-ball pair Brett Lee and Jason Gillespie each claimed an early wicket to put the skids under West Indies' reply at 33 for two.
Power-hitting Ricardo Powell (eight) miscued a pull to midwicket off Gillespie, while Wavell Hinds (three) was plumb leg before to Lee.
Gayle shared reconstructive stands of 44 with Ramnaresh Sarwan and 69 with Lara, but the West Indies team was never able to lift the tempo of its innings.
Sarwan was leg before to McGrath for 16 and, once Lara sliced Symonds' off-spin to point at 146 for four, the die was cast.
The 34-year-old energised his packed home crowd with four boundaries off 47 balls, but his demise sent many fans heading to the exits.
Ian Harvey administered the final rites by removing Gayle and Marlon Samuels toward the end with slower deliveries.
Gayle hit seven fours and a six off 113 balls before he was leg before playing across the line, while Samuels smacked four fours in 27 off 20 deliveries before he holed out to long-off at 197 for six.
SCOREBOARD
Australia innings
A. Gilchrist b Hurley 84<
M. Hayden c Hurley b Drakes 44
R. Ponting c Hurley b Powell 38
A. Symonds b Collymore 24
M. Clarke not out 55
M. Bevan c Lara b Drakes 21
Extras (9lb, 10w, 1nb) 20
Total (50 overs - five wkts) 286
Fall: 1-78, 2-148, 3-200, 4-223, 5-286.
Bowling: Dillon 10-0-46-0 (1w), Collymore 9-1-58-1 (1w, 1nb), Gayle 10-0-52-0 (2w), Hurley 10-0-57-1 (4w), Drakes 10-0-62-2 (2w), Powell 1-0-21-0.
West Indies innings
C. Gayle lbw Harvey 84
R. Powell c Ponting b Gillespie 8
W. Hinds lbw Lee 3
R. Sarwan lbw McGrath 16
B. Lara c Hayden b Symonds 40
M. Samuels c Hogg b Harvey 27
R. Jacobs run out 13
R. Hurley run out 0
V. Drakes lbw Gillespie 9
M. Dillon not out 0
C. Collymore run out 2
Extras (4b, 4lb, 8w, 1nb) 17
Total (45.3 overs - all out) 219
Fall: 1-20, 2-33, 3-77, 4-146, 5-174, 6-197, 7-201, 8-217, 9-217, 10-219.
Bowling: Lee 8-1-30-1 (1w), Gillespie 8-0-30-2 (4nb), McGrath 7-0-21-1, Hogg 9-1-41-0 (1w), Harvey 9.3-0-58-2 (1w), Symonds 4-0-31-1 (1w).
Result: Australia won by 67 runs.
Man of the Match: Adam Gilchrist.
