test2wa

Australia International

Shane Watson's maiden ODI century helped Australia secure a seven-wicket win over West Indies.

Responding to the Windies' 223 all out, the tourists recovered from the early loss of Shaun Marsh with a 190-run partnership between Watson and Ricky Ponting steering them to 227 for three with 57 balls to spare.

Sunday's result also means Australia hold an unassailable 3-0 lead in the five-match series.

At the start of the day, a balanced top-order display saw West Indies post a solid if unspectacular total.

Chris Gayle led the way for the hosts with 53 from 54 balls at the National Cricket Stadium, while solid knocks from Xavier Marshall (35), Ramnaresh Sarwan (31) and Shivnarine Chanderpaul (32) also gave the hosts a fighting chance.

Gayle's exploits were far and away the highlight of the innings, the Windies skipper crunching five fours and three maximums as the hosts made a bright start in their bid to claw their way back into the series.

Opener Gayle took off at a run-a-ball pace before registering his 36th one-day international half-century in 53 deliveries.

But the left-hander was dismissed with the very next delivery, run out after backing up with Marshall at the bowler's end.

Marshall rode his luck in his innings, dropped by Michael Clarke on 19 before grinding out a workmanlike 35 from 65 balls.

But Marshall's luck gave way in spectacular fashion in the 21st over when Australia wicketkeeper Luke Ronchi took a superb one-handed diving catch off the bowling of Watson.

Sarwan and Chanderpaul took the score from 99 for two to 160 before the latter fell prey to Andrew Symonds, Ronchi again gloving the catch behind the stumps, while Sarwan fell when Symonds took an assured catch at extra cover off Mitchell Johnson.

Dwayne Bravo failed to shine for the hosts, managing just seven before he was trapped lbw by Symonds, while Andre Fletcher (12) and Denesh Ramdin (21) fared little better as Nathan Bracken dispatched the pair of them.

The Windies tail failed to wag in the latter stages, paving the way for Brett Lee to claim his 300th ODI wicket as he caught and bowled Darren Sammy for just three.

Australia's reply suffered an early setback when Marsh was removed for a duck with the fifth ball of the day - bowled between bat and pad by Fidel Edwards.

That signalled the arrival of Ponting at the crease and, together with opener Watson, the pair set about the Windies attack with aplomb.

Watson raced to his eighth ODI fifty in 48 balls, including nine fours, while Ponting followed with a half-century in 57 balls as the duo made the run chase look easy.

Ponting was then dropped on 66 by Gayle at first slip and, to add to the home side's frustrations, Watson notched up his maiden one-day ton soon after with a flying boundary off the hapless Gayle.

But the Windies paceman made amends in the 34th over with a clean delivery which Ponting holed out to Marshall at long-on for 69.

Watson was also dropped on 126 by Sulieman Benn at deep midwicket, but saw his innings ended by the very next ball from Sammy, which he looped to Sarwan at short fine leg.

It was small consolation for the hosts though as Clarke (11 not out) and Symonds (8no) brought Australia home with room to spare.