West Indies finish five-year deficiency

West Indies 163 for 5 in 38.2 overs (Pollard 47*) hit Australia 154 for 9 in 40 overs (David Hussey 37, Narine 4-27) by five wickets on D/L method

Kingstown, March 18, 2012 (AFP) - Big-hitting Kieron Pollard blasted a usually muscular 47 as West Indies clinched their first win in almost six years over Australia when they took the second one-dayer by five wickets on Sunday.

In a match abridged to 40 over a side because of rain, Australia struggled to 154 for nine beneath overcast conditions with West Indies reaching their Duckworth-Lewis goal of 158 with 10 balls remaining.

Pollard top-scored with 47, an innings which featured four huge sixes, one of which, off spinner Xavier Doherty, cleared the Arnos Vale stands and ended on the runway of the neighboring St Vincent airport.

Carlton Baugh had the honors of hitting the winning runs, another six off the hapless Doherty which flew over midwicket as the home side finished on 163 for five.

Dwyane Bravo also played a crucial role, making 30 in a fifth-wicket organization of 64 with Pollard which swung the game the West Indies' way after they had lost opening Kieran Powell to a first ball lbw off Brett Lee.

"It's a good feeling, the team played much better today, the bowlers did well once more and there was much more responsibility when chasing the runs," said West Indies captain Darren Sammy.

"It was a total team effort. All in all we were searching for a win and we are glad we got over the line. From the last game, when we batted, there was not much change; today we did what we had to do and I'm just happy we won one."

Australian captain Shane Watson admits that his batsmen had come up short. "In the end we were 20-30 runs short. Unfortunately we weren't able to get big sufficient partnerships through the start or middle," said Watson.

"Once the sun got on the wicket it seemed to settle a little more but that's the large challenge of playing in the West Indies and we have to adjust a little better. It's about getting the balance of the batting -- the wickets are a little different from home."

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Sachin Tendulkar make world record : He scored 100th international century

Sachin Tendulkar has scored his 100th international century, in India's Asia Cup ODI alongside Bangladesh in Mirpur. The extraordinary landmark was achieved after 33 international innings without a hundred. It was Tendulkar's 49th ODI century, his first against Bangladesh, to go with his 51 Test hundreds.

It was one of his slower hundreds, as he took 138 balls to reach the hundred. The publicity around Tendulkar's 100th international century began during last year's World Cup, when two hundreds in the group stages put him on 99 international hundreds. However, he failed to get to three figures on India's tour of England, the home series against West Indies and the tour of Australia, and has finally achieve the feat in Bangladesh.

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Clarke to play for Pune Warriors in IPL 5.

Having shunned the Indian Premier League so far, Australia skipper Michael Clarke can turn out for Pune Warriors in the competition's fifth edition opening next month. This was claim by a team official on Tuesday who requested mystery. An official of the Sahara Group though termed this as "market gossip."

If he plays, Clarke would be available for the last eight matches, from May 1. Australia ends their actions in the West Indies on April 27. The IPL 5 begins on April 4 and runs till May 27.

In another development, Pune Warriors captain Sourav Ganguly said on Wednesday that the key to the team's success would be how they bat. "Our bowling unit is good and I think overall we have an honest squad. The difference between leading this team and leading India in a series is that here the squad has previously been picked," he said.

Having relinquished Bengal captaincy - it requires too much of participation, he said - Ganguly didn't commit to helming Warriors next season either. "That's too far away and since I quit international cricket in 2008, I have been taking it season by season." Ganguly was speaking after a promotional event.

Before the IPL, Ganguly long-established he would play for Bengal in the national T20 championship for the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy in Mumbai from March 23 to 27. Ganguly will play beneath Manoj Tiwary's captaincy. Bengal is the reigning champions.

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Runako Morton West Indies batsman killed in road accident

Runako Morton, the West Indies batsman, has died in a road accident on Sunday, police have confirmed. Morton, 33, crashed into a utility pole on the Solomon Hochoy Highway in Chase Village in central Trinidad.

He was on his way home from a cricket match, and was the sole occupant of the vehicle. The accident occurred at around 11pm local time. When news spread about his death, many of his team-mates posted condolence messages on Twitter, like Wavell Hinds: "Gone far too soon brother Runako. I will treasure the great memories for sure. R.I.P. God knows best." Rayad Emrit, Morton's Trinidad team-mate, tweeted: "R.I.P. Morton. You'll always be remembered buddy. Gone but NEVER forgotten. We miss you bro."

Julian Hunte, the president of the West Indies Cricket Board, sent his condolences: "Runako's passing, still in the prime of life, leaves us all in shock," Hunte said. "He will be remembered as a fierce competitor on the field who gave no quarter whether he was playing for West Indies, Leeward Islands, Nevis or Trinidad and Tobago,"

Morton played 15 Tests and 56 ODIs for West Indies, with his last appearance for his country coming against Australia in a Twenty20 international in 2010. He underachieved as a Test batsman, scoring 573 runs at an average of 22.03 with four half-centuries. He had a better record as a one-day player, scoring 1519 runs at an average of 33.75 with two centuries and ten fifties.

Morton's career was blotted by disciplinary breaches. He was expelled from the West Indian Academy in July 2001, and a year later was called up to the injury-plagued West Indies squad as a replacement for Marlon Samuels. He pulled out of the ICC Champions Trophy in September 2002, after lying about the death of his grandmother. His career slipped further when he was arrested (though released without charge) in January 2004, following a stabbing incident.

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