Sammy cameo wins it for Windies

Mirpur (Bangladesh), March 28:

Skipper Darren Sammy smashed an unbeaten 34 to fire the West Indies to an exciting six-wicket win over Australia in their Group 2 match of the ICC World Twenty20 here Friday.

With the West Indies requiring 12 from the last over in pursuit of 179 for victory, Sammy twice cleared the ropes with seamer James Faulkner off the third and fourth balls, to deliver a sensational win for the defending champions with two balls to spare.

Sammy, who faced just 13 balls and counted two fours and three sixes, had set the stage for his heroics in the penultimate over when he launched a ferocious assault on left-armer Mitchell Starc in an over that cost 19 runs.

Sammy put on an invaluable 49 runs off 21 balls with one-day captain Dwayne Bravo, whose unbeaten 27 came from 12 deliveries.

Opener Chris Gayle got them going with a top score of 53 off 35 balls while Lendl Simmons chipped in with 26.

Earlier, the Windies produced a measured performance to hold the Aussies to 178/8 off their 20 overs after they had been asked to field first. The spinners did the job for the Windies as offies Sunil Narine (2/19) and Marlon Samuels (2/20) and leg-spinner Samuel Badree (2/37) all picked up two wickets apiece.

Glenn Maxwell top scored with 45 from 22 balls while Brad Hodge got 35 off 26 deliveries but no other Aussie batsman really got going.

(IANS/CMC)