Port of Spain (Trinidad), May 26: Brian Lara led the West Indies to an emphatic 39-run victory that ended Australia's record 21-match consecutive one-day international winning run at Queen's Park Oval here. The West Indies scored 290 for five after winning the toss yesterday and restricted the World Cup champions to 251 for nine for an overdue victory in the fifth one-day international.
The triumph, greeted by joyous scenes from Lara's home town crowd, also snapped a losing 11-game sequence against Australia stretching back to their last win by eight wickets in Bridgetown four years ago.
The Australians, whose last ODI loss was to Sri Lanka in Sydney on January 9, had dominated the West Indies in the four previous games to clinch the one-day series after capturing the Test series 3-1. But it was the West Indies' day yesterday with Lara claiming Man of the Match honours with his 80 off 101 balls.
The Windies lost Chris Gayle for five in the second over but there was to be no further brittleness inside the opening 15 overs as was the case in the other ODI contests.
Lara, who showed his intention when he came into bat at number three, combined with opener Hinds to put on a 178-run partnership off 190 balls for the second wicket to have his team in command by Hinds' dismissal for 79 in the 35th over. It was the Windies' second-highest one-day partnership against Australia, only behind 205 set by Desmond Haynes and Viv Richards at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in 1979-80.
Ponting said the winning sequence had to end sometime and he praised the West Indies' performance.
Aussie fast bowler Brett Lee still managed to shine, finishing with 3-56 off 10 overs with two maidens. Bureau Report