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Will the 2021 Women’s World Cup go ahead? Who will host the 2021 and 2022 men’s T20 World Cups?

Nagraj Gollapudi06-Aug-2020The fate of the women’s ODI World Cup in 2021 and the choice of venues for the next two men’s T20 World Cups are the two key issues that the ICC’s Board is set to discuss on Friday.This is the second time the ICC Board is meeting in the past three weeks, having given the nod on July 20 to defer the men’s T20 World Cup, which was originally scheduled for October-November 2020 in Australia.At that meeting the ICC Board agreed to fresh windows for three men’s events: T20 World Cups in October-November 2021 and October-November 2022, and the ODI World Cup in October-November 2023, pushed back from its original March-April window.ALSO READ: ICC wants a biosecurity manager for 2021 Women’s World CupThe ICC Board, though, did not announce who would host the next two editions of the T20 World Cup: would it be India in 2021, as per the original schedule, or Australia who were forced to hold back the 2020 event due to the Covid-19 pandemic?After the July 20 meeting, the ICC said it would take in the “rapidly changing” environment during the pandemic and would take a “considered decision” before determining the hosts for the next two editions of the T20 World Cup.It is understood that although there is no cut-off point, the ICC is under pressure to not delay the decision on the host venues for two reasons: taking a quick decision would provide clarity to all commercial partners including the host broadcasters who would be planning their budgets for the next calendar year, and it would also allow member boards to plan windows for bilateral cricket.While Cricket Australia had raised concerns over its inability to host the event this year, its chairman Earl Eddings had written recently to the ICC, proposing that India swap hosting rights with Australia for the 2021 edition. Doing that, Eddings suggested, would financially help all members. If not, Eddings said it would be “detrimental to cricket” in case the “cancellation” of the World Cup in Australia this year was “replaced by award of” the tournament in October-November 2022.CA has reiterated at ICC meetings that it was halfway through creating the structure for the event, so it would be easier for them to complete the process if they get the rights for the 2021 edition.The BCCI has not revealed its position. Board president Sourav Ganguly has been attending ICC Board calls since March, and is understood to have empathised with CA during ICC Board meetings. Internally, however, the BCCI is understood to still be keen on retaining its right to host the T20 World Cup in 2021. At least that was the BCCI position at the July 20 meeting.One key determining factor, an intangible, would be how the host country has dealt with the pandemic. Currently both Australia and India remain seriously affected, with the latter among the top five countries in terms of official number of cases, which as on Thursday was approaching 2 million, with over 40,000 dead.Doubts linger over Women’s World CupThe women’s event, comprising eight countries, is currently scheduled between February 6 and March 7 in New Zealand, a country that has kept Covid-19 cases in check. The New Zealand government was also the first to remove restrictions on spectators at sporting events.Greg Barclay, the New Zealand Cricket chairman, recently said a final decision on whether the Women’s World Cup would go ahead as scheduled was imminent. Qualifiers for the event, however, have not been conducted yet. It is understood that if the World Cup is given the go-ahead, the plan will be to stage the qualifiers in the UAE at the end of November.Currently New Zealand has kept its borders closed – anyone entering the country would need to undergo a two-week quarantine. It is understood that teams would not be allowed to train if that norm remains in place and would need to isolate in their hotel rooms. Add to that a week-long preparation period which would mean at least 21 days before the event starts. It is understood that the ICC is also concerned about who would bear the costs. The member boards would assume it would be the ICC, since it is a global event.Since the 2017 World Cup in England, women’s cricket has gradually gained global recognition with the T20 World Cup final in March 2020, between Australia and India, witnessed by a record crowd of 86,000-plus at the MCG. Commercially, though, women’s cricket does not fetch ICC big money.Either way the ICC Board will be hard pressed to make a decision sooner rather than later. If it postpones the Women’s World Cup, the ICC would go without organising a global event for 18 months until the men’s T20 World Cup in October 2021.

The former Australia captain believes Bancroft ‘has shown great character’ in coming back from his ball-tampering ban

George Dobell04-Apr-20190:43

Cameron Bancroft as Durham captain? Marcus North explains

Steven Smith has insisted Cameron Bancroft will prove a “good choice” as captain of Durham.News that Bancroft, who like Smith has recently returned from suspension for his role in the Newlands ball-tampering episode, had been appointed ahead of the 2019 county season raised eyebrows in some quarters, with former England fast bowler Darren Gough labelling it “disgraceful.”But Smith feels Bancroft has shown “great character” in the manner he has returned to the game and will prove an astute choice for the role.”Cam is a good choice for captain,” Smith told ESPNcricinfo. “He’s got a good head on his shoulders and has shown great character in the way he has come back after his time out.”It has been a tough time for him no doubt, but he’s a good guy who will do his best for Durham and will lead them well. He gets the game pretty well and has a good understanding of strategy and players.”He’s found a bit of form with the bat and will be able to use his experience in a positive way.”While Bancroft’s role in the ball tampering episode appeared to be the source of Gough’s displeasure, there is also some unquiet within the English game at the number of Australians gaining experience in county cricket ahead of the Ashes series.Around 10 Australian players – not all of them realistic Ashes candidates – are likely to appear in County Championship cricket in the coming weeks which will only serve to reignite the debate over whether counties should be slightly less obliging to England’s overseas opponents in such circumstances. In Durham’s case, however, their director of cricket is the former Australia allrounder, Marcus North, who played with Bancroft at Western Australia.”He is good mates with Marcus North from WA and he will know what Cam is all about,” Smith, who seemed bemused about recent reports suggesting he could play county cricket this year, said. “They will work well together to get the best out of the team.”It is obviously a shame that he is missing the first game with a prior commitment to WA, but I’m sure he is itching to get out there and show what he can do and give his best. County cricket is a great environment and Cam will make the most of his chance I’m sure to show what it means to him.”While Smith’s recommendation of Bancroft is hardly surprising, he also had warm words for Rajasthan Royals team-mate Ben Stokes. While the relationship between England and Australia players had appeared to have soured by the time the last Ashes series ended, recent days have seen David Warner and Jonny Bairstow form an effective opening partnership for Sunrisers Hyderabad and now Smith and Stokes gelling well at the Royals. That has fuelled hopes the forthcoming Ashes series might be played in somewhat better spirit than the last.”He’s a great guy to have on your side,” Smith said of Stokes. “He has amazing energy – he does everything at 100 miles an hour – and his fitness is fantastic. He’s always in the game, whether with the bat, the ball or in the field, and he’s the sort of guy who can lift a dressing room.”Smith and Warner are expected to be named in Australia’s World Cup squad later this month which would mark their international returns following the year-long bans. They both underwent elbow surgery earlier this year and are using the IPL as a stepping stone to the World Cup. Warner has been in outstanding form with 264 runs in his first four matches while Smith has been more subdued with 86 runs in three innings.

British businessman and family had arranged their trip to Australia round the chance to watch the Ashes

ESPNcricinfo staff02-Jan-2018England’s best-known group of travelling fans – the Barmy Army – were planning to pay tribute before the Sydney Test to the cricket-loving group who died in a seaplane tragedy in the city.Richard Cousins, the head of the catering company Compass, was one of five Britons who died, along with the Australian-based pilot, when the Sydney Seaplanes flight plunged into the sea on a return flight from Rose Bay on Sydney harbour.Mr Cousins, 58, and his sons William and Edward had designed their holiday itinerary in Australia around attending the Melbourne and Sydney Tests. They lost their lives, as did Mr Cousins’ fiancee Emma Bowden, 48, and her daughter Heather, despite frantic rescue attempts.The Barmy Army were to hold a minute’s silence before friendly matches against the The Richies – a group of Australian cricket supporters who attend matches in the guise of Richie Benaud – and then before the ‘The Bashes’, a T20 Series between The Barmy Army and their Australian counterparts, The Fanatics, at Coogee Oval.Mr Cousins, had announced in September that he would retire from Compass this year after more than a decade as chief executive. He was due to marry Ms Bowden, a journalist, later this year.The OCS stand at Surrey’s Kia Oval’s ground was constructed in 2005 in a joint venture with the Compass Group. Cousins was also a Surrey member.Surrey’s chairman, Richard Thompson, said: “Having met Richard last month, we talked at length about his desire to become more involved with Surrey CCC after his retirement. Surrey have lost a great friend and partner.”Richard was both a great man and a great businessman. Sometimes you can be one; but not both. Richard managed both with real sincerity and integrity. He was a one off.”

West Indies captain Jason Holder has said he is a fan of the concept of day-night Test cricket, urging players to give the format a chance on the eve of his team’s maiden pink-ball Test

ESPNcricinfo staff12-Oct-2016West Indies captain Jason Holder has said he is a fan of the concept of day-night Test cricket, urging players to give the format a chance on the eve of his team’s maiden pink-ball Test against Pakistan in Dubai. Holder said he felt the day-night format would give Test cricket the push it needs to sustain itself in the modern cricket market.”I like the concept and I think it is one that should be there to stay,” he said. “We have to give a chance to something new. Obviously, teams might first take time to adjust to it. Test cricket needs that bit of impetus, needs a bit of a push, and I think, possibly, day and night cricket could be it.”The day-night concept has had its share of support from various corners, including Holder’s counterpart, Pakistan captain Misbah-ul-Haq, who recently stated that the “future belongs to night Tests.” Various concerns remain, nonetheless, on the durability and visibility of the ball. “It is a new thing with the pink ball, everybody is just trying to get accustomed to it,” Holder said. “I personally did not have big problems with the sighting.”Few of the players from the slip cordon said it was bit difficult to pick up, and also fielding square of the wicket, probably looking into the sun, it was difficult to sight. Having said that, it is what it is. Tomorrow starts the pink-ball Test, so we have got to adjust to it, we have got to just go there and just try to be as professional as we probably can.”Holder did have his doubts about the ball’s durability, though. “Personally, it does do a bit with the new ball. Five-six overs and after that it just stops a bit, and what I am basically concerned is just the condition of the ball, whether it will hold up,” he said. “Obviously, we had the experience of playing the warm-up game, and I reckon that around 30 to 40 overs, the ball starts to deteriorate and got really soft as well. It is interesting to see how it goes in this Test match, different conditions here in Dubai, and, hopefully, I just think the most important thing to do is keep it as simple as possible, just assess what the ball is doing, try your possible best and make it swing and move.”West Indies have struggled in the longer formats of late. Their previous Test assignment, against India at home, ended in a 2-0 defeat, with one match being affected by rain.”Obviously, it is a young team and we obviously went down in our last series. But it is a fresh series here and we had a pretty good lead-up to this Test series. We have been here quite a while, and most of the guys had a good camp in the Caribbean for the Test players alone, and they came here early and had a two-day game prior to the three-day game. I feel preparation, we have covered. It is just a matter of executing now. From the talks in the dressing room, everybody seems pretty confident, everybody is in good spirit, and so we can transfer on to the field of play.”West Indies did have some positives in that India series, however, most notably in the second Test where they salvaged what had seemed an improbable draw. Reduced to 48 for 4 and still trailing India by 256 runs in the second innings, Roston Chase led a stoic resistance as West Indies batted out 88.1 overs on the final day, scoring 340 runs while losing just two wickets.Holder said the talent was there in the team, it was just a matter of execution. “We have got some quality players. If you look down our line-up, Kraigg Brathwaite has been around for a little while and he has got a few centuries, Shane Dowrich came back into the squad in the last series and did well for himself. We have got the talent there, it is a matter of execution. We need to play some aggressive cricket.”

Shreyas Iyer’s maiden first-class double hundred and captain Aditya Tare’s unbeaten century helped Mumbai take a 341-run lead over Punjab

The Report by Amol Karhadkar in Mumbai09-Oct-2015
ScorecardFile photo – Shreyas Iyer cracked 200 off 176 deliveries•PTI

Mumbai’s school of batsmanship is renowned for piling on big scores. Shreyas Iyer, Aditya Tare and Suryakumar Yadav gave a glimpse of the current generation being as hungry as anyone to follow in the footsteps of the giants of yesteryears by piling on the misery on a hapless Punjab attack.Iyer and Yadav’s record partnership, followed by captain Tare’s hundred helped Mumbai tighten the noose around Punjab on the second day at Wankhede Stadium. On a day that saw Mumbai plundering 392 runs, the hosts ended 341 ahead of Punjab’s 154 in the first innings.If Punjab are to get out of the deep hole they have dug for themselves and return with at least a point, they will have to bat even better than Mumbai’s consistent effort. Otherwise, Mumbai are on track for earning an outright victory.Iyer’s onslaught on Thursday evening had not allowed the Punjab bowlers to settle into a rhythm. And the stylish batsman continued in the same vein on Friday morning. With drives and flicks flowing freely off his bat, the Punjab bowlers couldn’t find the desired line and length. Yadav played an uncharacteristically mature innings at the other end, playing in the V mostly.Iyer raced from 81 to 95, driving legspinner Sarabjit Ladda twice in an over and following it up with a straight six in his next. With Yadav also playing straight, Punjab captain Yuvraj Singh employed a straight long-on for Ladda and left-arm spinner Varun Khanna. The fielder was so fine he was almost standing behind the bowler’s arm. The ploy almost worked when Iyer, on 97, decided to go against the turn, but the ball landed in no-man’s land.Iyer treaded cautiously now, taking 14 balls for the next three singles that fetched him his third first-class hundred. Despite slowing down, Iyer had taken just 90 balls to raise three figures with a quick single after pushing Khanna to mid-on. The single also levelled the team totals.Once he had crossed the landmark, Iyer freed himself even more. Yadav, who was given a reprieve at deep extra cover off Khanna on 34, also started accelerating. However, after being hit on the back of the helmet by a Siddarth Kaul bouncer at the stroke of lunch, Yadav began to appear fidgety after the break.He started chasing wide deliveries and also attempted manufacturing shots in vain. Eventually, he stepped out to Ladda and missed for Gitansh Khera to complete an easy stumping. The 233-run partnership overhauled Mumbai’s previous best for the third wicket against Punjab – 221 by Sanjay Manjrekar and Sachin Tendulkar in the 1994-95 final.Iyer, however, continued playing his shots. Soon after Yadav’s dismissal, he took a toll on left-arm seamer Brainder Sran, hitting four successive boundaries on the off side followed by a huge six over his head. Once into the 190s, Iyer decided not to let the 90s syndrome hit him.On 195, he attempted a heave off Khanna but Sran at deep midwicket failed to hold on to a running catch. Iyer pushed the next ball to long-on for a single that fetched him his maiden double hundred in first-class cricket.The very next ball he faced, he failed to clear wide long-off against Yuvraj and Siddarth Kaul didn’t falter while accepting the chance running to his left. It was up to Tare to take over the mantle of scoring from there and the Mumbai captain played a chanceless knock to remain unbeaten after crossing his sixth first-class hundred with a steer to the third-man boundary off Mandeep Singh.

Sri Lanka coach Graham Ford and new captain Angelo Mathews praised Chaminda Vaas’ work with the seam bowlers and hoped his long-term involvement would help build a formidable pace battery

Andrew Fidel Fernando in Galle07-Mar-2013Sri Lanka coach Graham Ford and new captain Angelo Mathews have praised Chaminda Vaas’ work with the seam bowlers in the lead-up to the series against Bangladesh, and hoped his long-term involvement would help build a formidable pace battery. Fast bowling has long been Sri Lanka’s worst suit in Tests, and they have struggled to find a spearhead since Vaas retired in 2009.Left-armer Chanaka Welegedara is the closest thing to an attacking lead bowler that Sri Lanka have but, at 31, he has been worryingly susceptible to injury over the past 18 months. In Welegedara’s absences, Nuwan Kulasekara, 30, has become part of Sri Lanka’s Test plans after spending some time out of the team, and Shaminda Eranga, Suranga Lakmal and Nuwan Pradeep have emerged as younger contenders for regular places in the side.Vaas’ work with the visiting New Zealand side in November had been noted by Sri Lanka’s team management, after the New Zealand seamers outstripped the success of Sri Lanka’s pace bowlers in their own conditions. Vaas has been a part of the Sri Lanka set-up for three weeks but Ford believes his expertise is already bearing results.”He’s done some fantastically good work, with some of those who are in the squad and some of those who are on the fringes,” Ford said. “Sri Lanka Cricket have done a fantastic thing in appointing him. To have his expertise, along with Champaka Ramanayake, in the coaching unit that we have for fast bowling is fantastic.”Sri Lanka have produced several bowlers capable of touching speeds of 145 kph since Vaas, but their lack of control and inability to generate considerable movement has limited their success in Tests. Vaas rarely bowled faster than 130 kph, but was among the most consistent fast bowlers of his time. He developed methods to generate troubling movement even on unresponsive subcontinent surfaces during his career.”Chaminda’s such an experienced cricketer,” Ford said. “He’s got so much knowledge about fast bowling, swing bowling and seam bowling, and about the conditions – there’s just so much for him to pass on. It’s really up to the bowlers to absorb all that wonderful information that he has.”Mathews also stressed that Sri Lanka’s players had put the contracts dispute behind them and were solely focused on winning the Tests. The captain and 22 other players had been locked out by the board last weekend over a pay dispute, and their involvement in this series was in doubt.”The past week was not easy because there were some issues, but we have sorted them out. As a team, we are trying to concentrate on cricket now,” Mathews said. “We can’t be complacent against Bangladesh because they are a talented team and they have done well in the recent past. We’ve got to play some really good cricket.”Sri Lanka are also set to field an inexperienced team, with the selectors having approached the series as an opportunity to test young talent. Sri Lanka are likely to play four batsmen with less than ten matches’ experience in the top seven, including a debutant, while 19-year-old offspinner Tharindu Kaushal is also in the fray for a debut. Mahela Jayawardene misses his first Test in almost 11 years due to injury, while Thilan Samaraweera has retired after the selectors omitted him from the squad.”Mahela and Thilan are two of our most experienced players, so we will definitely miss them,” Mathews said. “Mahela has been an extremely important player for Sri Lanka over the years, but the youngsters we have in the team are also good, and I am confident we can be successful.”

A round-up of matches that took place on February 17 in the MiWAY T20 Challenge

ESPNcricinfo staff18-Feb-2012The match between Knights and Cape Cobras in Kimberley was tied after rain ended play with the scores level on the D/L method during the chase. Pursuing 182, Rilee Rossouw made an explosive start, scoring 29 at a strike-rate of 241 to lead Knights to 40 in 2.5 overs, when he was dismissed. Wickets began to fall before partnerships could be built after that, and though they maintained a run-rate of close to 10, Knights had slipped to 119 for 5 when rain ended play after the 13th over. As it turned out, they were on par with the D-L score. In their innings, the Cape Cobras top three produced quick and substantial contributions to lead their team to 181 for 4. Andrew Puttick made 51, Stiaan van Zyl 48 and Owais Shah 45.Half-centuries from Martin van Jaarsveld and Farhaan Berhadien helped set up Titans‘ 29-run victory against Warriors in East London. The pair lifted Titans from 45 for 3 in the sixth over, after they had decided to bat, with a 94-run partnership. van Jaarsveld made 77 off 46 balls and Behardien an unbeaten 54 off 37. Both batsmen hit three sixes, and Titans finished with 174 for 5 from 20 overs. Titans’ decision to open the defense with Roelof van der Merwe’s spin paid off as JJ Smuts was dismissed in the first over. van der Merwe went on to have figures of 2 for 21 in four overs. Left-arm spinner Paul Harris also had a good outing, taking 3 for 22, his wickets being those of the Warriors’ top-scorer Ashwell Price, for 49, and middle-order batsmen Justin Kreusch and Kelly Smuts. The Warriors lost wickets at regular intervals and were restricted to 145 for 7 in their 20 overs.Impi made their debut against Lions in Potchefstroom and it was not a happy one. They were restricted and dismissed for 92 in 19.5 overs in pursuit of 154. Only two Impi batsmen – Cobus Pienaar and Ryan Canning – made double-figure scores. Ethan O’Reilly had figures of 4-1-4-2 for Lions, and Aaron Phangsio and Dwaine Pretorius also took two wickets apiece. Lions did not perform impressively with the bat either, slumping from 89 for 2 to 108 for 7 in 16.3 overs, before Chris Morris blasted 31 off 13 balls to lead them to 153.

Andrew Fernando03-Feb-2011Waqar Younis hinted that Shahid Afridi would be named Pakistan’s captain for the World Cup following their 41 run victory over New Zealand at Seddon Park. Pakistan are the only team who have not named their captain for the tournament that starts in 17 days, and Afridi and Misbah-ul-Haq, Pakistan’s Test captain, were believed to be the frontrunners for the position.When asked whether he believed Afridi would retain the captaincy following a successful one day series in New Zealand, Waqar responded: “It’s a difficult question but I think so – let’s just put it that way.”Waqar had been issued a show cause notice by the PCB asking him to explain his remarks after he had claimed that it “would have been better” if the selectors had named a captain along with the final squad and that not doing so “would only lead to issues.”Former Pakistan captain Moin Khan also weighed in on the issue, backing Afridi as captain after he led the side to their first one-day series victory since 2008, claiming that Afridi “deserves to get the World Cup captaincy as a reward.” The victory in Hamilton saw Pakistan take a decisive 3-1 lead in the series with one match yet to played at Eden Park on Saturday.Both Afridi and Misbah have put in strong claims to the captaincy through a string of impressive performances in the series. Afridi has performed solidly with the ball, bowling tidy middle over spells and making crucial breakthroughs to keep New Zealand in check, while his swashbuckling 65 from 25 deliveries in Christchurch put the game out of reach of the opposition. Misbah meanwhile has notched up 203 runs in four innings at an average of 67.66 and has provided stability to the middle order. His perfectly paced 93 in Napier guided Pakistan to victory in a close run-chase and earned him the man-of-the-match award.Waqar praised his side for their allround performance in the victory in Hamilton as the batsmen put up a competitive total and the bowlers made regular breakthroughs to keep New Zealand under pressure during their chase. “It was a very professional approach by the Pakistanis in the entire game, not only just the batting and bowling. In the field we were pretty sharp, we held our catches, we broke the partnerships, so spot on in all departments.”The series against New Zealand is the eighth bi-lateral series and twelfth one-day trophy overall since their last series win and Waqar claimed it meant a lot to the team to finally get a win on the board. It was also Pakistan’s first one day series win in New Zealand since 1994. “It’s been a while. We’ve come very close to winning series and the Asia cup recently. We played good cricket but unfortunately we didn’t win anything and that’s why the boys were excited and they enjoyed it. We haven’t won anything for a long while in New Zealand in the one-dayers, so it’s definitely pleasing for everyone.”Nineteen year old opener Ahmed Shehzad played a scintillating innings at the top for the visitors, scoring 115 from 109 balls to set up the Pakistan innings, scoring his maiden one day hundred in the process. The innings was particularly impressive for its variety of strokeplay, as Shehzad unleashed a dazzling array of shots to entertain the Hamilton crowd. Twice Shehzad scooped James Franklin over the shoulder for four with fine leg in the circle and he also made room to crash a full Scott Styris delivery over the covers. His knock also included three majestic straight sixes off Hamish Bennett.”That’s where we’ve been struggling; our top order hasn’t been clicking,” Waqar said. “Ahmed Shehzad played an outstanding knock. He took his time and he made full use of a beautiful pitch to bat on. And then the middle order and late middle order chipped in and put up partnerships.”Waqar Younis claimed Pakistan would look to wrap up the series 4-1 on Saturday to further boost the side’s confidence ahead of the World Cup.”It’s important to keep the momentum and finish with a win so when it comes to the World Cup we are all nice and ready and pumped up.”

Another series, another opponent, same result. Two days after completing a tri-format clean-sweep against Pakistan, Australia continued their unbeaten summer with a 113-run victory over West Indies

The Bulletin by Brydon Coverdale at the MCG07-Feb-2010
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsDoug Bollinger’s two early strikes were key moments in Australia’s win•Getty Images

Another series, another opponent, same result. Two days after completing a tri-format clean-sweep against Pakistan, Australia continued their unbeaten summer with a 113-run victory over West Indies, set up by Shane Watson’s half-century and Doug Bollinger’s new-ball efforts. Chris Gayle’s prediction of a 4-1 West Indies win can still come true but they have only one day to regroup before Tuesday’s second match in Adelaide.The result was understandable given the number of stars missing from West Indies’ line-up through injury, but disappointing after Kieron Pollard’s career-best bowling performance helped peg Australia back following a strong start from Watson and Ricky Ponting. Keeping Australia to 8 for 256 after they were 1 for 135 having been sent in was a good effort and a brisk start from Gayle would have caused some flutters in the Australian camp.Sadly for the sake of a close contest, Gayle departed for 7 in the third over when his miscued pull off Bollinger was well caught by Mitchell Johnson, running back with the flight at mid-off. His opening partner Runako Morton looked awfully scratchy, having not played the warm-up game, and edged behind off Ryan Harris for 3.By the time the fifth over was finished, Travis Dowlin had edged Bollinger to second slip, the score was 3 for 12, and the result was all but decided. There was a token recovery. Lendl Simmons looked like threatening the 23-ball ODI duck once made by his uncle Phil but eventually got off the mark from his 13th delivery and put together a 64-run stand with Pollard.However, they departed within the space of an over, Pollard having skied Nathan Hauritz to long-on for 31 and Simmons well taken by Brad Haddin off Watson. The final four wickets fell for eight runs and Harris and Hauritz cleaned up the tail to finish with three wickets each as West Indies were dismissed for 143 in the 35th over.The day before the match, Gayle said the absence of senior players like Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Ramnaresh Sarwan and Dwayne Bravo due to injury gave the younger men the perfect chance to shine. That will have to wait for another day. That West Indies suffered their biggest ODI loss in terms of runs since Australia thrashed them by 169 in Basseterre in 2008 was disappointing after their bowling effort.West Indies stopped Watson (59) and Ponting (49) from capitalising on their starts and it severely halted Australia’s momentum as none of the batsmen who followed found their touch. Ponting and Watson put on 85 for the second wicket and were comfortably finding runs with the field back when Watson misjudged an attempted swipe off Gayle.Watson had handled the fast men with ease and pulled a pair of well-timed boundaries but when he tried to hit across the line off the spinner, he skied a catch to long-on. It was Pollard who made use of that change in flow as his accurate line gave the batsmen little room to work in. An over after having Ponting dropped at cover by Gayle, Pollard had his man when he moved the ball back in to take Ponting’s off stump.After removing Australia’s captain he followed with the vice-captain Michael Clarke, who had laboured to 18 from 30 balls without a boundary when he was judged to have edged behind. Pollard’s third wicket came when Brad Haddin scooped a slower ball back towards the bowler, who stuck his right hand out and clasped the catch.Pollard is in the side primarily as a batsman and in 15 previous ODIs he had never taken more than two wickets in an innings. His 3 for 45 was important and he had good support from Kemar Roach, whose speed peaked at around 152kph. He didn’t have the benefit of the same pitch on which Shaun Tait hit 160kph on Friday – a different surface was used – but he will remain a handful throughout the series.Although Australia pushed on through Michael Hussey (28) and Mitchell Johnson, who made 21, they could have got closer to 300 had Ponting and Watson been allowed to continue. The innings had started slowly and the openers crawled to 0 for 14 from five overs before Shaun Marsh departed for 20.Ponting signalled his intentions early by driving Smith over long-off for six but it took 11 overs for Ponting to score another boundary. He wasn’t alone in his struggles. Cameron White, usually a clean hitter, struck just one four in his scratchy 35-ball 22 before he miscued a hook off Roach and toed a catch to Denesh Ramdin, who reacted smartly diving to his right.Nobody but Ponting and Watson passed 30. But perspective was gained when West Indies’ top scorer made 31. In the end, Australia did enough with both bat and ball. The victory took Australia’s winning streak against West Indies to nine one-dayers in a row, stretching back to the 2006 Champions Trophy. They have not lost any of their past ten ODIs against any opponents. They will need to lose their next four for Gayle’s prediction to come true.