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Australia get back to winning ways

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KINGSTOWN, St Vincent -- Shaun Tait's four for 33 and a typically aggressive 72 from Adam Gilchrist were the key contributions as world champions Australia restored normal service by beating England by five wickets in a World Cup warm-up in St Vincent.

After losing their previous three one-dayers against the old enemy Australia won comfortably once they ended a stand of 116 between Michael Vaughan and Ian Bell.

England were well placed at 122 for one at the half-way stage of their innings but then lost five wickets for 46 runs.

Left-arm wrist-spinner Brad Hogg started the slump by removing England captain Vaughan (57) and Bell (56) and no other England batsman managed more than Paul Collingwood's 18.

Big-hitters Kevin Pietersen and Andrew Flintoff both failed as their side were bowled out for 197 with nine balls left.

Hogg, wicketless in his previous six limited overs matches, took two for 28 from his full 10 overs, a heartening haul ahead of a tournament where slow bowlers could play key roles.

Paceman Tait (four for 33), who had dismissed opener Ed Joyce in the second over, and Stuart Clark (three for 16) mopped up.

Left-hander Gilchrist, back from paternity leave, put on 140 with fellow opener Shane Watson (55) as Australia romped to their target with more than nine overs to spare.

Watson quickly hoisted new-ball bowler Jon Lewis for six as the seamer's first three overs cost 25 runs.

England opted to utilize the tournament rule allowing 13 players per side in warm-ups to have a look at all their bowlers but may not have been much the wiser about the make-up of their attack after this match.

Misfields did not help and Australia had advanced to 73 without loss, after 13 overs, when Vaughan brought on spearhead quick Flintoff.

But the runs kept coming.

Gilchrist completed a 64-ball fifty with four fours and next ball struck paceman Liam Plunkett for a huge six over mid-wicket and onto the roof of the stand - a shot that brought up Australia's 100 in 115 balls.

Australia were in sight of victory at 124 without loss when Monty Panesar, England's leading spinner, was introduced as the eighth bowler and the left-armer struck when Watson cut to Pietersen at backward point.

Five balls later 140 for one became 140 for two when Gilchrist's glance off Sajid Mahmood was well caught by diving keeper Paul Nixon.

But it was all too late for England.

Australia begin the tournament proper against Scotland in St Kitts on Wednesday in a Group A also featuring South Africa and the Netherlands.

England face fellow Group C heavyweights New Zealand in St Lucia a week Friday before playing Canada and Kenya.

Pitch protest

Pakistan beat South Africa by seven wickets in Port-of-Spain after an early hold-up when players protested at the poor state of the pitch.

The South Africans, put in to bat at the Sir Frank Worrell Memorial Ground, were unhappy with the way the ball was bouncing off the ground and halted proceedings to highlight the problems.

"(Captain) Graeme Smith and (coach) Mickey Arthur are both of the opinion that the pitch is unfit to play." Cricket South Africa liaison officer Gordon Templeton told reporters.

Arthur and his Pakistan counterpart Bob Woolmer came on to the field to discuss the pitch with the umpires Peter Parker and Ian Gould.

"Players weren't happy with the pitch because some balls were flying off... but the umpires are satisfied that the game can go ahead," International Cricket Council official Dhiraj Malhotra told reporters.

The South Africans mustered 199 before Younis Khan and Mohammad Yousuf combined for a 100-run third-wicket partnership to propel Pakistan to 200 for three with nearly six overs to spare.

Sri Lankan Upul Tharanga's 106 was all in vain as New Zealand ran out winners by 18 runs in Bridgetown.

Hosts West Indies suffered a humiliating nine-wicket drubbing by India after being dismissed for a paltry 85 in Jamaica.

Munaf Patel snared four wickets and left-armer Irfan Pathan was untroubled by his shoulder problem as he claimed claim three. India's seamers bundled the West Indies out inside 26 overs.

West Indies captain Brian Lara said the rout left his team with a lot of work to do.

"Our plans for this game did not get anywhere as we did not apply ourselves," Lara said. "We now need to apply our minds to the reason for suffering such batting collapses and hope to turn it around quickly."

Dravid credited his bowlers with unsettling the local batsmen.

"The way Munaf bowled was exceptional, it's delighted us all," he said. "We've got a lot of confidence from this clinical and professional performance."

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