The West Indies' Jerome Taylor celebrates after taking the wicket of Australia's Brett Lee (not pictured) during their match in the ICC Champions Trophy tournament in Mumbai yesterday. Lee was one of Taylor's hat-trick victims. - Reuters
MUMBAI, India (AP):
JAMAICAN PACE bowler Jerome Taylor claimed a hat-trick as defending champions the West Indies clinched a 10-run victory yesterday against world champions Australia in the ICC Champions Trophy.
The West Indies posted 234 for nine, then restricted Australia to 224 for nine after Taylor dismissed Michael Hussey, Brett Lee and Brad Hogg with successive deliveries to stop Australia's victory chase.
Taylor, 22, became the first West Indies bowler to claim a hat-trick in limited-overs internationals, although the feat has been accomplished 22 times earlier.
Riding on opener Adam Gilchrist's sparkling 120-ball 92, Australia had recovered from a top-order slump and were heading for a win in their first Group A match before Taylor came back into the attack and struck with the last two deliveries of his ninth over.
Taylor's hat-trick
Playing only his 20th limited-overs international, Taylor clean bowled Hussey (13) and then trapped Lee lbw for a first-ball duck in the 48th over of the Aussie innings.
Delivering the final over of the match, Taylor shattered the stumps of Hogg (10) with the first ball to shape the Windies' triumph. He finished with a haul of four for 49.
"I didn't realise I was on a hat-trick when I came on to deliver the final over," said Taylor, adding that his attention was drawn to the possible feat by teammate Ramnaresh Sarwan just before he delivered the ball that clean bowled Hogg.
"I'm elated, a hat-trick doesn't come often," said Taylor, who appeared surprised that no West Indies bowler had done so before him.
Australia got off to a jittery start as opener Shane Watson (0) and skipper Ricky Ponting (one) were back in the pavilion after 22 balls. They slumped further after Damien Martyn (17) and Andrew Symonds (18) departed, but Gilchrist shared an innings-building stand of 102 with Michael Clarke.
Gilchrist struck 11 boundaries before he was run out going for a sharp run, and Clarke's 85-ball knock of 47 ended when he gave a return catch to Dwayne Bravo.
Australia were still on the victory course until Taylor returned to bowl his last two overs and turned the contest in the Windies' favour.
Earlier, Runako Morton slammed 90 and Brian Lara scored 71 to revive Windies from a start reminiscent of the dismal batting performance in its previous match - all out for 80 in a nine-wicket loss to Sri Lanka at this ground Saturday.
The Windies recovered via Morton and Lara's combined 137 from 176 balls.
Morton led the revival and finished 10 short of his third ODI hundred.
Dropping down to No. 6, star batsman Lara stepped in with his lineup reeling at 63 for four.
Opener Wavell Hinds (four) and Dwayne Smith (eight) were out cheaply, while Chris Gayle (24) and Sarwan (21) faltered after getting good starts.
Perfect foil
Lara found a perfect foil in Morton, who benefitted from a dropped catch on 41 by Ponting at extra-cover off Nathan Bracken.
Lara hit two huge sixes and seven fours off 94 balls, while Morton had one six and seven boundaries from 103 balls.
Australia's fast bowlers made an early impression as Bracken had Hinds snapped up by Ponting in the slips, and tearaway pacer Lee - playing his first international on Indian soil - had Smith caught by Hogg at square leg.
Watson had Gayle out edging to wicketkeeper Gilchrist before offspinner Clarke trapped Sarwan lbw.
But the Aussies were then frustrated by the Morton-Lara partnership. Morton crossed the half-century mark for only the fifth time, but was content to let Lara guide the partnership until the West Indies captain slashed a Glenn McGrath delivery into the hands of Symonds at extra-cover.
Despite being champions in 2004, the West Indies had to play in the qualifiers after slipping out of the top six in international rankings.
West Indies innings
| W. Hinds c Ponting b Bracken | 1 |
| C. Gayle c Gilchrist b Watson | 24 |
| D. Smith c Hogg b Lee | 8 |
| R. Sarwan lbw Clarke | 21 |
| R. Morton not out | 90 |
| B. Lara c Symonds b McGrath | 71 |
| C. Baugh c Ponting b Bracken | 13 |
| M. Samuels not out | 1 |
| Extras (1lb, 1nb, 3w) | 5 |
| TOTAL (for six wkts - 50 overs) | 234 |
| Fall: 1-10, 2-25, 3-47, 4-63, 5-200, 6-233. |
Bowling: Brett Lee 8-0-45-1 (1nb, 2w), Nathan Bracken 10-1-42-2, Glenn McGrath 8-0-42-1, Shane Watson 8-0-34-1, Michael Clarke 5-0-18-1, Andrew Symonds 8-0-35-0, Brad Hogg 3-0-17-0 (1w).
Australia innings
A. Gilchrist run out | 92 |
| S. Watson c Sarwan b Bradshaw | 0 |
| R. Ponting b Taylor | 1 |
| D. Martyn c Bravo b Bradshaw | 17 |
| A. Symonds b Gayle | 18 |
| M. Clarke c and b Bravo | 47 |
| M. Hussey b Taylor | 13 |
| B. Hogg b Taylor | 10 |
| B. Lee lbw Taylor | 0 |
| N. Bracken not out | 3 |
| G. McGrath not out | 3 |
| Extras (8lb, 3nb, 9w) | 20 |
| TOTAL (for nine wkts - 50 overs) | 224 |
Fall: 1-12, 2-17, 3-44, 4-81, 5-182, 6-206,
7-214, 8-214, 9-219.
Bowling: Ian Bradshaw 10-0-38-2 (3nb, 3w), Jerome Taylor 10-0-49-4 (1w), Dwayne Smith 3-0-16-0, Marlon Samuels 10-1-36-0 (2w), Chris Gayle 10-0-39-1 (1w), Dwayne Bravo 6-0-33-1 (1w), Ramnaresh Sarwan
1-0-5-0 (1w).
Result: West Indies won by 10 runs.
