Scorecard

Runako Morton and Brian Lara scored brilliant half-centuries to guide the West Indies to a competitive 234 for 6 against Australia in the Group A match of the ICC Champions Trophy, at the Brabourne Stadium in Mumbai, on Wednesday.

Electing to bat first, the West Indies collapsed to 63 for 4 by the 15th over, but Lara and Morton added 137 runs for the fifth wicket to rally the team.

Morton was the top-scorer with an unbeaten innings of 90 from 103 balls, including seven boundaries and a six. Lara sizzled in the middle overs, scoring a brisk of 71 off 94 balls, including seven boundaries and two sixes.

The West Indies' total is the highest at the venue, bettering Pakistan's 205 for 8 against Australia in October 1989.

This is only the sixth ODI played at the Brabourne.

Left-armer Nathan Bracken was Australia's most successful bowler, claiming 2 for 42, on a Mumbai pitch that seemed good for batting than the previous two matches played on it.

West Indies innings:

Australia opted to open their bowling with Brett Lee and Nathan Bracken, holding back Glenn McGrath. Maybe they wanted the ace pacer to have a go at Brian Lara when he walked in.

Bracken struck the first blow when he forced Wavell Hinds (1) to edge one to the slips in the fourth over.

Dwayne Smith was promoted to number three to make use of the Powerplay overs, but the experiment failed as the right-hander was caught at square leg off Brett Lee for 8.

Ramnaresh Sarwan got off to a confident start, hitting two boundaries from the first two balls he faced, from Lee. The signs were clear -- the pitch was not as bad it was in the last two matches here. The question remained to be seen whether it would stay true throughout the duration of the match.

Gayle fell to a pretty tame dismissal as he tried to run the ball down to third-man region. He opened the face of the bat to Shane Watson, but could only guide the ball straight to wicketkeeper Adam Gilchrist. He scored a brisk 24 off 26 balls, but his dismissal left the West Indies in a spot of bother at 47 for 3, in the 12th over.

Runako Morton came in at number five, as Lara decided to drop further down the batting order. It simply defied all logic. Lara, the best batsman and most experienced in the Windies line-up, preferred to stay in the dressing room instead of coming out and taking charge as his team slipped into trouble quite early in the match.

He, however, did not have to wait long, as Ramnaresh Sarwan fell leg before wicket to part-timer Michael Clarke for 21. The West Indies were 63 for 4 after 15 overs.

It must be mentioned that the pitch was not to be blamed for the four quick wickets that the West Indies lost. It was just disciplined line and length bowling and poor shot selection by the batsmen.

Lara and Morton set about repairing the damage cautiously, making sure they did not lose another wicket soon.

Lara, especially, after a slow start, blossomed and the boundaries started flowing with regularity.

The pair brought up their 50-run partnership for the fifth wicket in 86 balls and things finally started to look bright for the Windies. They enjoyed another slice of luck in the 33rd over, when Morton, on 41, was dropped by Ponting off Bracken on the off-side.

Morton though continued to play aggressively and reached his fifth one-day international half-century in the 35th over. The 28-year-old now had to ensure that he did not throw his wicket away at this crucial stage of the match and forge a big partnership with Lara so that the West Indies could post a challenging total.

When Lara is on song, he can dismiss even good deliveries with relative ease. A six off Watson in the 38th over was proof of that. The ball was not that short in length, but he pulled it high and handsome over the mid-wicket boundary and without much ado.

The 100-run partnership between the two batsmen came off 145 balls in the 40th over. Off the very next ball, Lara brought up his half-century, his 61st in ODIs, off 77 deliveries, inclusive of five boundaries and a six, as the West Indies reached 162 for 4.

The Mumbai heat and humidity seemed to take its toll on Lara as he started feeling pain in his back in the 44th over. A runner was called for as the West Indies captain struggled while running between the wickets.

But his timing and shots were still intact as McGrath was welcomed back to the attack in the 45th over with a lofted off-drive straight that rocketed past him. But the champion bowler had his revenge next ball when Lara was caught in the covers trying to hit another boundary.

Lara played a superb knock of 71, adding 137 runs for the fifth wicket with Morton. His 94-ball knock included seven boundaries and two sixes and had given his team a big chance of a challenging total. It remained to be seen whether Morton and the tail-enders could carry on the momentum and make maximum utilisation of the final five overs.

Morton kept the runs coming in the final overs with powerful shots, including a huge six off McGrath. But his partner Carlton Baugh Jr struggled and it really made the difference as the Australian bowlers managed to control the scoring rate after Lara's dismissal, giving away just 29 runs in the last five overs.

Morton finished unbeaten on 90 as the West Indies reached 234 for 6 in their 50 overs.

Morton, playing in just his 23rd ODI, hit seven boundaries and a six in his 103-ball knock, helping West Indies recover after the early fall of wickets. The West Indies will certainly be delighted with this score, considering the early cluster of the wickets and the 80 all out in the previous match here against the Sri Lankans.

For Australia, Bracken was the most successful bowler, taking 2 for 42 in his 10 overs. Surprisingly regular spinner Brad Hogg bowled just three overs, with Andrew Symonds and Michael Clarke doing much of the work.

The pitch looks good for batting and Australia's powerful batting line-up should not be too worried with a target of 235. But the West Indies have some good, effective spinners in Chris Gayle and Marlon Samuels, who can prove quite handy on such surfaces.