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.

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 Nathan Bracken kept up the pressure with mean, purposeful 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.

James Hopes bowled 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.

Earlier, the two Michaels — Hussey and Clarke — helped Australia recover from a shaky start.

Hussey hit the top score of 62 from 105 balls, and with Clarke shared a crucial fourth-wicket stand, as Australia reached 213 for five from their allocation of 50 overs after choosing to bat on a hard, true pitch.

The two Michaels added exactly 100, after Australia courted early strife at 35 for three in the ninth over.

Scoreboard

AUSTRALIA

S. Marsh c Browne b Powell 12

S. Watson lbw b Taylor 0

R. Ponting c Gayle b Taylor 13

M. Clarke lbw b Benn 56

M. Hussey c Marshall b Bravo 62

C. White not out 40

J. Hopes not out 17

EXTRAS (B-3, W-9, NB-1) 13

TOTAL (for five wkts, 50 overs) 213

DID NOT BAT: L. Ronchi, B. Lee, M. Johnson, N. Bracken.

FALL OF WKTS: 1-3, 2-19, 3-35, 4-135, 5-175.

BOWLING: Taylor 10-2-47-2 (1nb, 1w); Powell 10-2-29-1; Bravo 10-2-35-1 (2w); Sammy 5-0-18-0; Pollard 2-0-11-0; Benn 10-0-54-1 (5w); Gayle 3-0-16-1(1w).

WEST INDIES (target: 204 from 41 overs)

X. Marshall c Ronchi b Lee 0

C. Gayle c Ponting b Johnson 10

A. Fletcher b Hopes 19

S. Chanderpaul not out 46

D. Bravo c Hussey b Watson 3

P. Browne c White b Clarke 1

K. Pollard c Watson b Clarke 0

D. Sammy c Johnson b Clarke 9

D. Powell b Watson 21

S. Benn not out 23

EXTRAS (LB-1, W-5, NB-2) 8

TOTAL (for eight wkts, 41 overs) 140

DID NOT BAT: J. Taylor.

FALL OF WKTS: 1-0, 2-23, 3-41, 4-49, 5-53, 6-53, 7-74, 8-105.

BOWLING: Lee 7-1-26-1 (1nb, 1w); Bracken 9-0-32-0 (1w); Johnson 4-0-14-1 (1nb, 2w); Watson 7-1-22-2; Hopes 8-3-19-1 (1w); Clarke 6-0-26-3.

RESULT: Australia won by 63 runs (D/L Method).

SERIES: Australia lead five-match series 2-0.

UMPIRES: Asad Rauf (Pakistan) and N. Malcolm (West Indies).

TV UMPIRE: B. Doctrove (West Indies).

MATCH REFEREE: Roshan Mahanama (Sri Lanka).

MAN-OF-THE-MATCH: Michael Clarke (Australia).—AFP