Ex-Southern League cricketer flays West Indies

10:28pm Sunday 6th July 2008

Australia completed a series whitewash over West Indies with a comprehensive 162-run victory in the fifth one-day international in Basseterre today.

Mitchell Johnson took five wickets as the Windies could only reach 172 in reply to Australia's 341 for eight, after former Bashley (Rydal) star Luke Ronchi, brothers David and Michael Hussey and Andrew Symonds all helped themselves to half centuries.

Shawn Findlay (59 not out) was the only player to pass 50 for the hosts, with Shivnarine Chanderpaul (38) the only other batsman to make any significant headway against a relentless Australia attack.

Chasing a challenging target, West Indies made a dreadful start by losing Marcus Gayle (five) in the second over, the opener thick-edging Johnson to Ronchi, who played in the Southern Electric Premier League for Bashley in 2003.

Ramnaresh Sarwan (seven) fared little better against the paceman as he was caught by a leaping James Hopes at mid-off in the sixth and Shane Watson trapped Xavier Marshall lbw for 17 to leave the Windies teetering on 56 for three.

Chanderpaul injected some much-needed life into the innings before skying Michael Clarke into the hands of Brett Lee at long-off.

Findlay steadied the ship but Dwayne Bravo's dismissal - caught by David Hussey at long-on off Symonds - sparked a collapse.

Andre Fletcher made only one before he was stumped off Clarke and Denesh Ramdin followed the next over when he was caught by Michael Hussey off Symonds for three.

Findlay continued to push on and made his second one-day 50 with a single, but it became a one-man effort as the wickets tumbled.

Johnson picked up his third wicket, bowling ex-Rose Bowl overseas signing Daren Powell (10) comprehensively in the 36th over, and then grabbed a fourth to send Nikita Miller in for eight.

The bowler wrapped up the comfortable win - and his five-wicket haul - by taking the wicket of Fidel Edwards.

Earlier, Ronchi staked his claim to be Adam Gilchrist's long-term successor with a whirlwind knock that made the recently-retired wicketkeeper-batsman look positively pedestrian.

He struck six sixes on his way to 64 off only 28 balls - his maiden ODI 50 - while David Hussey slammed four maximums in his 52 off 21.

Watson and Shaun Marsh put on 70 for the first wicket but the former (29) was the first to fall when his attempted cut off a Bravo delivery wide of off stump was pounced by Powell at third man.

Marsh (49) then got a thick edge to an Edwards away-swinger and Ramdin took the catch behind the stumps.

It was Ronchi, though, who really caught the eye with an array of huge strokes before Miller got him to edge his first delivery behind to Ramdin.

And Sarwan came up trumps with his first ball too to remove Clarke (five) as the tourists lost two wickets for two runs.

But Symonds, who shared a century partnership with David Hussey in the fourth one-dayer, repeated the feat with his brother Michael as the pair put on 113 for the fifth wicket.

Edwards removed both Symonds and Michael Hussey before Sarwan matched his three-wicket haul by snaffling David Hussey and Hopes (18) with the last two balls of the innings.