Watch the highlights of Australia vs West Indies 4th Match Benson & Hedges World Series Cup 1988-89 - Benson & Hedges World Series Cup one-day international tournament of the 4th ODI match played between West Indies and Australia at Melbourne Cricket Ground, Melbourne in 15th December 1988.
A devastating final spell from Curtly Ambrose's maiden five-wicket gives West Indies crushing 34-run victory over Australia in the fourth match of a Benson and Hedges World Series Cup.
Match Stats :
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West Indies scored 236 for all-out in 49.2 overs with top scorer by Viv Richards struck 58 off 74-balls including 4-fours.
Gordon Greenidge cracked a 57 off 69-balls including 9-fours, Gus Logie hit 44 off 67-balls included 4-fours, Malcolm Marshall 19 and Carl Hooper 17.
Australia best bowler by Craig McDermott claimed a 4-wickets for 38-runs in 9.2-overs including two maidens, Steve Waugh picked up 3-wickets and one for Allan Border - Peter Taylor.
Australia scored 202 for all-out in 47.2 overs with top scorer by Steve Waugh cracked a 54 off 67-balls including 2-fours.
Dean Jones hit 43 off 68-balls including 3-fours, Mark Waugh scored 32 off 37-balls without a boundary and David Boon 20.
West Indies best bowler by Curtly Ambrose 5-17, Winston Benjamin took 2-wickets and one for Viv Richards.
This match reported by Martin Blake (Third Party Reference from The Age)
Australia's world champion one-day cricket team was humbled by the West Indies at the MCG last night, in a match that exposed its most obvious weakness in the game's abridged version-an inability to chase totals.
The Australians collapsed under the strain of a superb spell of bowling by Curtly Ambrose, the lofty Antiguan fast bowler. Ambrose took 4/5 off his last 10 balls to clean up the Australian innings for 202, 35 runs short of the target of 237 set by the West Indies.
Ambrose, who has made a big impression on his first tour to Australia, won the man-of-the-match award for his bowling performance of 5/17 from 8.2 overs.
The Australians had been struggling even before that devastating final spell from Ambrose. Two run-outs at important stages proved costly, particularly the removal of all-rounder Steve Waugh, who had hit a fine half-century and looked as though he might steer Australia to its second victory in this triangular series.
The Australians made their way to the last 10 overs with some chance of victory, with 69 to get and the Waugh twins at the wicket. Then, in the space of three overs, Steve Waugh and captain Allan Border were both run out in the chase for quick runs, although Waugh looked a trifle unlucky to be given out.
Once Mark Waugh (32) was bowled by Ambrose in the 44th over, the match was all but over, and sections of the big crowd of 50,535 began to leave.
The Waugh twins had been supported at the top of the order by Dean Jones, who spanked a fine 43 before he was trapped in front by Viv Richards, attempting to force through the on-side field.
Jones and Steve Waugh put on 57 for the third wicket in quick time, giving the Australians some chance after a slow start. Their running between the wickets was brilliant and, for a time, the tourists' usually-reliable ground fielding weakened under the pressure.
But, as happened in Tuesday night's match in Sydney, Border's team was unable to maintain the impetus. Although the Austra- lians' one-day record in the past few years contrasts strongly with their difficulties in the Test arena, most of their success has come when they have batted first.
Opposition captains have woken to this, and now tend to bat first when they win the toss, as Richards did today. The Australians had done well to restrict the West Indies to 236 after the tourists' leading batsmen, Gordon Greenidge and Richards, contributed half-centuries.
The West Indians seemed set for a total of at least 250 when they reached the 40th over at 4/182, with Richards ominously poised.
But when Steve Waugh had the West Indian skipper caught behind for 58 in the 43rd over, it triggered a batting collapse.
Richards seemed to have set himself up for a big score, playing a controlled innings that featured timing and placement rather than raw power.
Waugh had been passed fit to play despite a groin strain. Having struggled for rhythm in the early part of his bowling spell, he came back to take 3/2 in the space of 10 deliveries at the critical stage.
Jeff Dujon (3) and Carl Hooper (17) quickly followed their cap- tain and Craig McDermott, who was the best of the Australian bowlers, trapped Winston Benjamin in front for a first-ball duck. The West Indies had lost four wickets in the space of three overs and just nine runs.
McDermott bowled a valuable early spell, coming on first- change after Hughes had gone for 20 runs in his opening three overs. The Queenslander was responsi- ble for separating the critical Greenidge-Desmond Haynes opening stand.
Richie Richardson (5) went to an even better delivery that pitched about middle stump and hit off.
McDermott finished with 4/38 from 9.2 overs for his labors. Steve Waugh conceded 57 runs, but only 23 came from the five overs he bowled at the end of the innings.
The West Indies, already 2-0 up in the Test series, have extended their dominance to the limited- overs series, with three wins from as many attempts. They tackle Pakistan in Hobart on Saturday before the series is curtailed.
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