West Indies' Shivnarine Chanderpaul pulls on his way to 92 against Australia during the Tri-Series cricket tournament in Kuala Lumpur yesterday. - REUTERS

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (CMC):

ANOTHER ASTONISHING batting collapse precipitated a 78-run defeat for West Indies in the day/night opening match of the three-nation limited-overs series against Australia yesterday at the Kinrara Academy Oval.

Chasing a challenging total of 280 from their allocation of 50 overs to win, the West Indies were eyeing an upset of the world champions when they raced to 173 for one in the 24th over.

Things fell apart however, and they were dismissed for 202 in 34.3 overs.

Nine wickets fell for 29 runs in the space of 11 overs in which Australia - and Shane Watson in particular - rose to the occasion to shatter the dreamy start Brian Lara's side may have envisioned.

Shivnarine Chanderpaul - opening the batting - struck 10 fours and four sixes in the top score of 92 from 83 balls to give the innings early momentum.

He added 137 for the first wicket with fellow left-hander Chris Gayle, but once they were removed in the space of 34 balls, there was little fight from the rest of the batting.

Apart from Chanderpaul, Gayle hit seven fours and two sixes in 58 from 46 balls, and Ramnaresh Sarwan scored 22, but no other West Indies batsman passed 10.

Watson was the most successful Australia bowler with four wickets for 43 runs from eight overs. Nathan Bracken took two for 45 from 6.3 overs, and Mitchell Johnson snared two for 65 from eight overs.

Most successful WI bowler

Half-centuries from Michael Clarke and Ricky Ponting had paced the Aussies to 279 for nine from their allocation of 50 overs, after they had chosen to bat. Jerome Taylor was the most successful West Indies bowler with three for 59 from his allotment of 10 overs. Ian Bradshaw collected two for 36 from 10 overs and Dwayne Smith captured two for 41 from nine overs.

Clarke however, struck nine fours in the top score of 81 from 79 balls and shared in two half-century partnerships.

He added 69 for the fourth wicket with Mark Cosgrove, who scored 34, and put on 53 for the sixth wicket with Brad Haddin, who made 24.

Aussie captain Ponting had given the innings early momentum with nine fours in 56 from 54 balls, and shared 97 for the second wicket with opener Simon Katich, who got 36.

Then Gayle and Chanderpaul took their chances and battered the Australian bowling in a frantic opening stand.

Chanderpaul shed his typical dogged demeanour to pummel the bowlers all around the tiny ground. His most memorable stroke was a flick high over mid-wicket for six off Johnson.

Crunching pull

Gayle was a passenger most of the way, but he quickly got into stride, and a crunching pull over mid-wicket off Johnson was trademark stuff.

Watson made the breakthrough in the 18th over, when Gayle was caught at backward point slicing a delivery outside the off-stump.

Chanderpaul was eventually caught behind off Johnson top-edging a cross-batted stroke at a sharply rising delivery in the 24th over.

After his departure, the procession to and from the pavillion continued at a steady rate.

Brian Lara was, for the ump-teenth time in recent innings, adjudged lbw for one walking across the line to a well-pitched delivery, Dwayne Bravo was caught at cover off Glenn McGrath essaying an ill-advised whip and Wavell Hinds was caught behind edging Cosgrove's military medium pace.