Associated Press

Adelaide, January 26:

Brett Lee was twice denied hat-tricks in a brilliant all-around performance which gave Australia a 73-run win over the West Indies in a limited-overs cricket match.

Lee scored 38 and joined Jason Gillespie in an unbroken ninth-wicket partnership to help Australia recover from 85-5 in the 19th over to a total of 269-8. Lee then took four wickets in two devastating spells to knock the heart out of the West Indies and speed it toward dismissal for 196 in 44.5 overs.

Lee twice claimed wickets with consecutive balls, dismissing openers Wavell Hinds (0) with the last ball of his first over and Chris Gayle (2) with the first ball of second.

His explosive opening spell left the West Indies two wickets down for three runs. Lee was then astutely recalled by Ricky Ponting to take the vital wicket of Brian Lara with the second ball of the 37th over and to dismiss Courtney Browne with his next delivery. Lara finished with 4-38 from 10 overs.

Chanderpaul, who batted with a runner, recorded the highest score of 55 not out from 87 balls. He shared a third-wicket partnership of 92 with Ramnaresh Sarwan (39).

Australia’s now has 26 points, with Pakistan on six and the West Indies on four. Pakistan and the West Indies will meet each other twice before Australia’s finals opponent is decided. Lee’s 38 came from 44 balls while Gillespie hit 44 off 42. Gillespie took two wickets in his seventh over to wrap up the innings and finish with 2-25.

Pedro Collins took 5-43 for the West Indies to provoke an early Australian collapse, dismissing opener Matthew Hayden for three, Michael Clarke for 21 and captain Ricky Ponting for a duck. Australia was 38-4 in the ninth over when Collins had Darren Lehmann caught for four by Browne who claimed four catches behind the stumps.

Symonds, with 31 from 49 balls, mounted a small revival then recalled middle-order batsman Simon Katich hit 76 to bolster the innings. Katich batted for 86 minutes and hit seven fours, putting on 86 for the sixth wicket with Brad Haddin (32) to lift Australia to 167-6 in the 33rd over.

Bangladesh beat Z’babwe:

Chittagong: Spiner Manjarul Islam Rana took a career best four wickets for 34 runs to give Bangladesh a 40 run victory over Zimbabwe in the third limited-overs match.

Opener Rajin Saleh hit 77 off 93 balls to help Bangladesh post a competitive 244 for nine. Chasing a winning target of 245, Zimbabwe lost the first wicket at 45 when Rana had Stuart Matsikenyeri (16) caught behind by Khaled Mashud. Dion Ebrahim (1) was soon caught by Aftab Ahmed off a Nazmul Hossain delivery. Rana then dismissed Hamilton Masakadza, with 76 on the board.

Zimbabwe opener Barney Rogers hit 51 off 81 balls before he was trapped lbw by Khaled Mahmud with the score at 93. Brendan Taylor (23) went next, at 133.

A 44-run sixth-wicket stand between Tatenda Taibu and Elton Chigumbura propelled Zimbabwe to 177, before Chigumbura (23) was trapped lbw by Rana. Mashrafee Bin Murtaza took the important wicket of Taibu (46) with Rana taking an easy catch with the score at 181.

Rana got his fourth wicket when he had Prosper Utseya stumped by Mashud at 1. Murtaza took out Douglas Hondo (10) to dismiss Zimbabwe for 204 in 47.5 overs. Murtaza, Nazmul Hossain and Khaled Mahmud also took two wickets each.

Earlier, Saleh’s second wicket, 89-run partnership with Aftab Ahmed (38) was the highest in Bangladesh innings.

Saleh’s departure also sparked a top-order collapse as Bangladesh lost three quick wickets for 17 runs and slumped to 164-4. Fast bowler Panyangara, and spinners Utseya and Taylor claimed two wickets each.