Thursday, March 15, 2007

Live Scores-Australia Too strong for Scotland


World Cup, Group A, St Kitts: Australia 334-6 beat Scotland 131-9 by 203 runs
Here are the Live Scores.

Glenn McGrath
Veteran McGrath took 3-14 off six overs in St Kitts

Australia's bowlers were too strong for Scotland as they cruised to a 203-run win in the World Cup game in St Kitts.

Chasing Australia's total of 334-6, Scotland could only muster 131, with injured John Blain unable to bat.

Colin Smith offered Scotland's only real resistance, making a plucky 51 after his stand of 47 with Dougie Brown had rescued the Scots from 42-5.

Earlier, Ricky Ponting hit 113 for Australia after a solid start by Adam Gilchrist (46) and Matthew Hayden (60).

Scotland's bowlers looked like they might restrict Australia to under 300 runs at one point but Brad Hogg smashed 40 off 15 balls as he and Shane Watson added 53 runs off the last four overs.

In reply, Scotland were soon reeling as the top order failed to cope with Australia's attack, in which veteran Glenn McGrath took three wickets operating as first change.

He forced Fraser Watts to play on, had Ryan Watson caught hooking and then found the edge of Gavin Hamilton's bat with a superb delivery as he took 3-14 from six overs.

He was supported well by paceman Shaun Tait (2-45), who whistled a yorker through Navdeep Poonia's defence and later had Craig Wright lbw, and there was a wicket each for Brad Hogg and Brad Hodge.

The latter ended the Smith-Brown partnership when Brown holed out at long-on but Smith went on to become only the second Scottish batsman to score a half century in the World Cup, and hit seven fours in his 76-ball knock before falling to Hogg at the start of the 41st over, a dismissal which ended the match.

At the start of play, the Australians began their innings cautiously and opener Gilchrist was troubled on more than one occasion by Scotland's Australia-born seamer Paul Hoffmann.

But he and Hayden brushed off their early cobwebs and indulged in some sumptuous strokeplay, reaching 50 in the eighth over.

Glenn McGrath
Veteran McGrath took 3-14 off six overs in St Kitts

Scotland did manage to keep some sort of lid on the fireworks before Brown trapped Gilchrist lbw in the 17th over, but Ponting and Hayden kept up the pressure, though the Australian captain was dropped on 23 by Smith off Brown in the 25th over.

Two overs later, spinner Majid Haq struck to remove Hayden lbw after the big opener, back following a broken toe, had faced 73 balls.

Michael Clarke joined Ponting on 139-2 and the pair shared 54 before Haq claimed his second victim by bowling Clarke for 15.

After a short rain delay, Hodge (29) holed out to Hoffmann on the long-on boundary off Glenn Rogers but Ponting carried on serenely to reach his fourth World Cup century and 23rd in all one-day internationals.

He fell to Wright soon after facing only 93 balls and hitting nine fours and five sixes, and two overs later Scotland removed Hussey, stumped Smith off Hoffmann.

But that was as good as it got for Scotland as Australia cut loose, with Wright going for 12, Hoffman for 17 and Brown for 24 off the last three overs.


Australia: Ricky Ponting (captain), Adam Gilchrist, Matthew Hayden, Michael Clarke, Brad Hodge, Michael Hussey, Shane Watson, Brad Hogg, Nathan Bracken, Shaun Tait, Glenn McGrath

Scotland: Craig Wright (captain), Ryan Watson, Fraser Watts, Majid Haq, Navdeep Poona, Dougie Brown, Colin Smith, Glenn Rogers, John Blain, Gavin Hamilton, Paul Hoffmann.

Umpires: Steve Buckner (WIS) and Asoka de Silva (SRI)

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