Watch the highlights of Australia vs West Indies 8th Match Benson & Hedges World Series Cup 1988-89 - Benson & Hedges World Series Cup one-day international tournament of the 8th ODI match played between West Indies and Australia at Melbourne Cricket Ground, Melbourne in 05th January 1989.
Geoff Marsh, Dean Jones, Graeme Wood, Steve Waugh, Terry Alderman, Craig McDermott and Peter Taylor guided Australia thrilling 8-run victory over West Indies, despite a 92-run stand for the third-wicket between Richie Richardson and Jeff Dujon in a nail-bitter game of the eighth match of a Benson and Hedges World Series.
Australia scored 226 for all-out in 47.4 overs with top scorer by Geoff Marsh cracked a 52 off 82-balls including three boundaries.
Dean Jones hit 43 off consuming 89-balls including a boundary, Graeme Wood scored 39 off 54-balls without a boundary and Steve Waugh blasted a 34 off 24-balls.
West Indies best bowler by Curtly Ambrose captured three-wickets for 26-runs in 9-overs including two maidens with economy rate of 2.88, Ian Bishop picked up 3-wickets and one for Viv Richards.
West Indies scored 218-8 in 48 overs with top scorer by Richie Richardson cracked a 63 off 81-balls including 4-fours.
Viv Richards hit 48 off 55-balls - who fell two-run short of his half-century - including 3-fours, Jeff Dujon scored 39 off 61-balls included 2-fours and Roger Harper 15.
Australia best bowler by Terry Alderman picked up 3-wickets for 30-runs in 9-overs including a maiden, Peter Taylor, Craig McDermott both took 2-wickets and one for Allan Border.
Steve Waugh named Player of the match for his superb batting performance to scored a whirlwind 34 off 24-balls Including 4-fours with strike rate of 141.66.
This match reported by Martin Blake (Third Party Reference from The Age)
Australia scored Its first win over the West Indies in a one-day cricket international at the MCG with an eight-run World Series Cup victory.
With six overs to go, the West Indies needed 61 to win, but superb hitting by Viv Richards helped reduce the target to 25 off 16 balls before he was caught at long on off the bowling of Terry Alderman.
Alderman and Craig McDermott restricted the tailenders' scoring and the Windies finished with 8/218 against Australia's 226 all out.
The beleaguered Australian cricketers extracted a morsel of hope from an otherwise barren season when they pipped the West Indies by eight runs in a World Series Cup encounter at the MCG.
Already 3-0 down in the Test series, the Australians had waited all summer for something to celebrate. They did it in the most extraordinary circumstances, managing to drop the West Indies captain Viv Richards four times along the way. How they escaped penalty for those indiscretions can only be put down to the many vagaries of limited-overs cricket.
It was the West Indies' first loss since they were conquered by Western Australia in October. Last night's win was also Australia's first over the Caribbean champions in a one-day game at the MCG.
And they were tasty morsels, if not necessarily a turning point to the season. Fresh from a dressing down from coach Bob Simpson in Perth at the weekend and willed on by a crowd of 66,000, Allan Border's team at least looked hungrier than it has for weeks.
The West Indies seemed to have the target of 227 for victory in hand when Jeff Dujon (39) and Richie Richardson (63) put together a stand of 92 for the third wicket.
But, as the Australians had done earlier, the tourists fell away badly as the pressure was applied. A tight spell of off-spin by Peter Taylor turned the tide Australia's way, and when nine of the scheduled 48 overs remained (20 minutes was lost because of rain), the West Indies needed 70 for victory.
Richards clearly emerged as the key man, and for a time he seemed to have divine help in his bid to steer his team to another win. He was dropped four times- by David Boon at deep square leg, Dean Jones at deep mid-wicket, Merv Hughes at long-on and Taylor missed a return catch. Of those, Boon's was the only culpable miss, but still it seemed that the errors would cost Australia the match.
Richards appeared to be run out by Ian Healy's direct hit when he was 13, and caught behind off Steve Waugh when he was 16. Both times, the umpires ruled in his favor. His luck ran out in the 46th over when Geoff Marsh held a catch at long-on off Terry Alderman. The West Indies skipper had made 48, but it was the wicket that sealed Australia's victory.
In the previous over, Steve Waugh had held one of the great catches to remove Roger Harper, running back 25 metres to grab a swirling, lofted drive that took ages to descend.
The tourists needed 21 from the final two overs, and 14 by the time the last came around. In the end, they simply ran out of deliveries.
Waugh won a $500 award for man-of-the-match, probably as much for that catch as for his whirlwind 34 earlier in the day.
Sent in to bat by Richards, Australia's innings of 226 was highlighted by the return to form of opener Marsh, who spanked a fine 52.
The stoic Western Australian finally broke the shackles of the accurate and hostile West Indies attack to hit his half-century in 82 balls, including three 4s. His best shot, a blistering cover drive off Winston Benjamin, rattled the pickets an instant after it left his bat. His hand was ended by a direct hit from Harper, the first of three runouts in the Australian innings.
Support came from Dean Jones, who compiled 43, Graeme Wood (39) and all-rounder Waugh.
Jones and Marsh had the most substantial partnership of the innings, a stand of 76 for the second wicket after Boon (8) had played on to Curtly Ambrose.
Jones again showed signs that he is nearing his old form, after a slow start that saw him take 17 deliveries to open his scoring. Once the Victorian found his timing and footwork, he improvised well, dancing around the crease in that cocky manner and striking the ball powerfully.
Jones was dropped at 32 when Richards put down a hot one at mid-wicket off Harper, and eventually fell lbw to Richards after attempting a sweep. Jones later learned that he had compiled most of his runs with a broken finger, received from a blow earlier in the innings.
Once he left, the cause was taken up by Wood and Waugh. Running aggressively and applying pressure to the West Indies fielders, they added 58 in just 43 deliveries.
Waugh, in particular, was in sparkling touch. He took 14 off one Richards over and his 34 took just 24 deliveries to compile. At 3/202 in the 43rd over, he and Wood looked set to take Australia to a total of about 240.
But any hope of that sort of total was quickly snuffed out. Within the space of two deliveries, Waugh had inexplicably played inside a full toss from Ambrose and had his stumps disturbed, and Wood slashed Ian Bishop to Carl Hooper in the gully.
From there it was a procession as the run chase accelerated. The Australians lost their last seven wickets for just 24 runs.
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