Clarke 'the all-rounder' sweeps Windies away

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St George's (Grenada), June 28: : Michael Clarke enhanced his reputation with a handy all-round performance that gave Australia a 2-0 lead in their five-match one-day international series with West Indies, when they won the rain-affected second match by 63 runs on Friday.

The Australia vice-captain followed up a vital innings of 56 from 98 balls with three wickets for 26 runs from six overs, as the visitors successfully defended a revised victory target under the Duckworth-Lewis Method of 204 from 41 overs.

Clarke earned the man-of-the-match award, as the Australians restricted West Indies to 140 for eight from their allocation of 41 overs.

Shivnarine Chanderpaul's 45 not out from 77 balls was the top score for West Indies, but no other West Indies batsman suggested substance or stability. Australia won the opening match by 84 runs last Tuesday at the Arnos Vale Sports Complex just outside the St. Vincent and the Grenadines capital of Kingstown.

Clarke, bowling his uncomplicated left-arm spin, snuffed the life out of any ideas West Indies had of a fight back, after they subsided to 49 for four in the 21st over.

He removed Patrick Browne for one, Kieron Pollard for a duck, and Darren Sammy for nine either side of a near hour-long stoppage for rain to leave West Indies 74 for seven in the 31st over.

Australia had set West Indies back from the very first ball of the innings, when Brett Lee had Xavier Marshall caught behind for a duck.

Lee and new-ball partner Nathan Bracken kept up the pressure with mean, purposeful bowling in their opening spells that starved West Indies of a rapid response from the top order.

But Australia had to wait until the eighth over for the second breakthrough, when West Indies captain Chris Gayle was caught at mid-off off Mitchell Johnson for 10 miscuing a cross-batted stroke at a short, rising ball.

Johnson and the other Australia support bowlers made sure that the work of Lee and Bracken was not wasted, and they too, bowled steadily, if not menacingly to keep runs at a premium, and as the pressure mounted, the Windies' batsmen wilted.

James Hopes bowled hometown boy Andre Fletcher for 19 with the second ball after the first drinks break and Shane Watson added the scalp of Dwayne Bravo caught at deep mid wicket for three to leave West Indies in tatters.