First one-day international, Melbourne:
Australia 256-8 (50 ovs) bt West Indies 143 (34.2 ovs) by 113 runsMatch scorecard

For the second match running Australia redeemed themselves in the field

Australia sealed a comfortable 113-run victory against West Indies in the opening game of the five-match one-day international series at Melbourne.

Shane Watson made 59, Ricky Ponting hit two sixes in his 49 and Mike Hussey added a rapid late 28 but Australia were limited to an average 256-8.

But the Windies lost Chris Gayle to the first ball of the third over and were 12-3 two overs later.

Keiron Pollard hit 31 but the innings ended on 143 in the 35th over.

Windies skipper Gayle had reportedly made a bold prediction that his team would win the series 4-1, but unless losing the first match emphatically was part of a plan to lull the Australians into a false sense of security, that statement may now have to be revised.

It was optimistic enough given that the Windies had lost eight of their last nine one-day internationals in Australia with the other abandoned because of rain.

But the tourists were deprived of half their first-choice XI, with batting lynchpins Shivnarine Chanderpaul and Ramnaresh Sarwan, pace bowlers Fidel Edwards and Jerome Taylor and key all-rounder Dwayne Bravo all sidelined by injury.

Gayle confidently asked Australia to bat first and the home side compiled 50 without loss in the opening 10 overs.

Shaun Marsh edged a wide one from Smith to bring in Ponting, and the captain soon strode down the wicket to launch Dwayne Smith over long-off for six to pass 2,000 runs at the MCG, the iconic stadium with its outfield mown in artistic, psychedelic stripes.

There was then a gap of 10 overs without a boundary off the bat but before long Ponting was down the wicket again to dispatch slow left-armer Nikita Miller several rows back at long-off.

Ponting struck some impressive shots but Australia were pegged back

Watson was deceived in the flight by Gayle and fell at long-on and three overs later Ponting departed on 49 when Kieron Pollard got one to jag back and it clipped the inside edge before uprooting the off-stump.

The Windies pegged Australia back admirably, and picked up wickets at regular intervals, Michael Clarke given out caught behind edging a wide one, although replays were inconclusive.

Big-hitting Cameron White managed only one boundary before he was too early swinging at a slower ball and Denesh Ramdin took a good catch behind having initially been wrong-footed.

The reliable Hussey hit two fours in four balls off Pollard but departed in the 48th over backing away and feathering an edge, and the Windies would no doubt have been pleased to have restricted their hosts to little more than five an over.

But Gayle, after one four off the bottom edge in the opening over, was caught trying to flay Doug Bollinger, top-edging to mid-off where Mitchell Johnson took an excellent catch running back.

Runako Morton edged one and four balls later Travis Dowlin edged one moving across him from Bollinger to second slip.

Narsingh Deonarine hit three stylish fours through the off-side before he was brilliantly caught by a leaping Ponting at backward point.

Pollard shared 64 in 12 overs with Lendl Simmons before launching spinner Nathan Hauritz high into the sky and Johnson took a well-judged catch, standing so remotely on the long-on rope that at many venues he would have been outside the ground.

606: DEBATE Well a disappointing chase but it can only get better from here... surely? KoolkatChrisGayle

Simmons departed in the next over, expertly caught low to his right by Haddin and the end was nigh.

The Australians remain unbeaten at home in their summer and Ponting said: "I thought we could have got a few more runs and bowled and fielded a bit better. We've got to make sure we don't take the foot off."

Referring to team selection he added: "We've been really careful the last few series to make sure we're not tinkering too much. Everyone's happy with what they've achieved and we just want to keep improving."

Asked about his 4-1 forecast Gayle joked: "That's the only one they're going to get," before admitting: "We wanted to start the series on a high but it didn't happen.

Gayle was happy with his decision to bowl first after winning the toss and said: "It was a tough decision but this is what we wanted to do. I thought we did well to restrict Australia to 256 but we fell way short.

"It's very disappointing to lose three wickets in the first five overs. Hopefully we can get everyone up and move on to Adelaide."

That match at the Adelaide Oval takes place on Tuesday.

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