BASSETERRE (St Kitts), July 5: Shane Watson kept his nerve, and the seventh-wicket pair of Denesh Ramdin and Darren Sammy failed to carry West Indies over the threshold, as Australia completed a thrilling one-run victory in the fourth One-day International on Friday.

Australia had set West Indies 283 for victory from 50 overs, and successfully defended the target score, when Watson — with the home team needing eight runs from the last over — conceded six runs from the final six balls.

The victory handed Australia a 4-0 lead in the five-match series.

Australia looked set to suffer their first defeat in the series, as West Indies captain Chris Gayle marched to a run-a-ball 92, Ramnaresh Sarwan coasted to 63 from 79 balls, and Shivnarine Chanderpaul gathered 53 from 71 balls.

But Australia responded with a crucial wicket every time West Indies appeared to be getting into the swing of things.

Brett Lee was the most successful Australia bowler with three wickets for 64 runs from 10 overs.

After Lee had Xavier Marshall adjudged lbw for a two-ball duck with the third ball of the West Indies’ innings, Gayle and Sarwan added 137 for the second.

Lee returned for a second spell and broke the stand, when he had Sarwan caught behind in the 24th over.

Australia were again put on the back-foot, when Shivnarine Chanderpaul joined Gayle and they added 50 for the third wicket. But Shane Watson had the West Indies captain caught at extra cover in the 34th over.

The Aussies were put through the ringers again, when Dwayne Bravo joined Chanderpaul and added 59 for the fourth wicket before James Hopes bowled him for 31 in the 43rd over.

Australia then made two crucial strikes, when ODI newcomer Shawn Findlay was caught at mid-wicket for nine off Lee in the 48th over, and Nathan Bracken then bowled Chanderpaul in the penultimate over to leave West Indies 275 for six.

But Ramdin and Sammy failed to carry the home team to “the promised land” much to the consternation of near capacity, holiday crowd at Warner Park.

Earlier, Andrew Symonds hit the top score of 87 and David Hussey supported with 50, as Australia, sent in to bat, reached 282 for eight from their allocation of 50 overs on a hard, true pitch.

Dreadlocked Symonds and ODI newcomer Hussey put Australia back on a track, after the visitors wobbled to 129 for four in the 29th over.

When Symonds was caught at mid-off off Fidel Edwards in the 47th over, they had added 127 for the fifth wicket.

Australia lost Hopes caught at mid-wicket for a first-ball duck off Edwards’ next ball, and as they chased quick runs late, Hussey was caught inside the deep mid-wicket boundary off Gayle in the 48th over before Luke Ronchi was caught inside the long-off boundary for 12 in the final over.

Australia had started steadily before Shane Watson was caught behind off Daren Powell for 20 in the eighth over, and Shaun Marsh was also caught behind off the same bowler for 16 to leave the visitors on 56 for two in the 12th over.

Michael Clarke, leading Australia for the first time in an ODI, joined Mike Hussey, David’s elder brother, and they stabilised the innings with a stand of 60 for third wicket before they both fell within in the space of five overs.

Hussey was caught on the deep mid-wicket boundary for 11 mistiming a pull at a short ball from Bravo in the 24th over, and Clarke was adjudged lbw for 36 to become left-arm spin bowler Nikita Miller’s first wicket in ODIs.

Scoreboard

AUSTRALIA:

S.E. Marsh c Ramdin b Powell 16

S.R. Watson c Ramdin b Powell 20

M.E.K. Hussey c Bravo b Sammy 37

M.J. Clarke lbw b Miller 36

A. Symonds c Bravo b Edwards 87

D.J. Hussey c Roach b Gayle 50

J.R. Hopes c Sarwan b Edwards 0

L. Ronchi c Marshall b Bravo 12

B. Lee not out 7

M.G. Johnson not out 0

EXTRAS (LB-7, W-7, NB-3) 17

TOTAL (for eight wkts, 50 overs) 282

FALL OF WKTS: 1-41, 2-56, 3-116, 4-129, 5-256, 6-256, 7-266, 8-279.

DID NOT BAT: N.W. Bracken.

BOWLING: Edwards 10-0-53-2 (2nb, 5w); Powell 10-1-66-2 (1w); Bravo 10-0-57-1 (1w); Sammy 4-0-18-1; Miller 10-1-56-1; Gayle 6-1-25-1.

WEST INDIES:

C.H. Gayle c Hopes b Watson 92

X.M. Marshall lbw b Lee 0

R.R. Sarwan c Ronchi b Lee 63

S. Chanderpaul b Bracken 53

D.J. Bravo b Hopes 31

S.E. Findlay c M. Hussey b Lee 9

D. Ramdin not out 5

D.J.G. Sammy not out 3

EXTRAS (LB-6, W-17, NB-2) 25

TOTAL (for six wkts, 50 overs) 281

FALL OF WKTS: 1-1, 2-138, 3-188, 4-247, 5-271, 6-275.

DID NOT BAT: N.O. Miller, D.B.L; Powell, F.H. Edwards.

BOWLING: Lee 10-0-64-3 (2nb, 2w); Bracken 10-0-50-1 (1w); Johnson 10-0-40-0 (11w); Hopes 10-0-63-1; D. Hussey 2-0-20-0 (1w); Watson 7-0-33-1 (2w); Clarke 1-0-5-0.

RESULT: Australia won by one run.

UMPIRES: S.A. Bucknor (West Indies) and Asad Rauf (Pakistan).

TV UMPIRE: N. Malcolm (West Indies).

MATCH REFEREE: R.S. Mahanama (Sri Lanka).

MAN-OF-THE-MATCH: Andrew Symonds.

—AFP