Mitchell Starc (center) claimed five wickets for 32 runs
Merciless Australia crushed West Indies by 54 runs in the second one-day international at Western Australia Cricket Association Ground, Perth on Sunday to claim 2-0 lead in the five-match series.
Riding on George Bailey’s unbeaten 125 after early crises, Australia managed the competitive total of 266-7 and skittled the hosts out for 212 in 38 overs.
Mitchell Starc, who had claimed five-wickets to fold up the tourists for 70 in the series-opener that Australia won by nine wickets, produced his second successive five-wicket haul to finish with 5-32.
Off-spinner Glenn Maxwell claimed four wickets for 32 runs.
Kieran Powell played an enterprising knock of 90-ball 83, hitting 10 boundaries and two sixes, and Dwayne Bravo hit 54-ball 45 but the rest of others failed to make impact.
After Starc removed Chris (4), Ramnaresh Sarwan (0) and Darren Bravo (14) cheaply to leave the tourists 33-1, Powell and Bravo launched a strong recovery and batting sagaciously, put the chase on track with the 126-run stand for the fourth wicket.
But once they two batsmen departed inside three overs, West Indies failed to get the momentum again and lost five wickets in quick succession to be at 8-179.
Sunil Narine injected the drama by smashing four successive sixes off Maxwell to let the total past 200-mark but his cameo was not enough to make impact on bottom-line.
Earlier, witnessing a collapse in the batting-order Australia had slumped to 6-98 at one stage but Bailey combined with James Faulkner (39) for a 100-run stand to ensure a competitive total for hosts.
Bailey’s 110-ball knock was laced with 10 boundaries and four sixes.
The third ODI of the five-match series will be played at Canberra on Wednesday. The ODI series will be followed by one-off T20.
