Aussies bowl Windies out for105

GROS ISLET, Saint Lucia: West Indies were on the verge of being eliminated from the World Twenty20 after they were bowled out for just 105 by Australia in their final Super Eights match here on Tuesday.

In a match they had to win by 24 runs to deny Sri Lanka a place in the semi-finals and so join Group F leaders Australia in the last four, the hosts suffered a dramatic collapse as they failed to bat out their 20 overs

From the relative safety of 52 for two, the West Indies lost their next five wickets for 25 runs as they slumped to 77 for five.

Only Ramnaresh Sarwan (26) and Shivnarine Chanderpaul (24) made it past 20.

Australia leg-spinner Steven Smith took two wickets in two balls on his way to figures of three wickets for 20 runs as West Indies failed to sparkle under the Beausejour floodlights.

But having been 85 for nine, the West Indies did at least avoid the embarrassment of being bowled out for under a hundred thanks to a six from Sulieman Benn off Shane Watson.

But Watson bowled Benn (10) to end a last-wicket stand of 20 as the innings finished with an over to spare. Nikita Miller was 10 not out.

West Indies saw captain Chris Gayle out second ball after he''d won the toss.

Having struck the first legal ball of the innings from Dirk Nannes, the tournament''s leading wicket-taker, for a four straight past the bowler, Gayle was bowled second ball by a delivery that jagged back off the seam.

Then Chanderpaul, having flicked Mitchell Johnson''s second and fifth balls for four was out to the left-arm quick''s sixth.

The left-handed batsman launched Johnson high over the bowler''s head but didn''t quite time his shot and David Hussey, running back from mid-on, took a superbly judged catch.

The slump really took hold started in unlucky fashion when all-rounder Dwayne Bravo (six) was run out, backing up, after Johnson touched a Sarwan drive onto the stumps at the bowler''s end.

Smith then got in on the act as recalled batsman Narsingh Deonarine holed out for a duck, caught by Michael Hussey at deep midwicket.

Denesh Ramdin (one) then edged Johnson through to opposing wicketkeeper Brad Haddin before Smith struck twice in two balls in the 13th over.

Kieron Pollard (13) tried to work the ball legside but was beaten by the turn and Haddin completed a neat stumping.

Next ball Darren Sammy, in front of his St Lucia home crowd, chipped a simple return catch back to Smith.

Jerome Taylor survived the hat-trick but, at 77 for seven, the West Indies''s semi-final hopes had all but disappeared.

Sarwan, the last of the specialist batsmen, tried to clear long-off but simply holed out off part-time spinner David Hussey to David Warner.