Australia wins Champions at last

Australia has claimed its first Champions Trophy with a comfortable eight-wicket victory over defending champion the West Indies in Mumbai.

Ricky Ponting's side was set a revised target of 116 runs for victory after a three-hour rain delay reduced its reply to 35 overs.

Earlier, Chris Gayle had top-scored for the West Indies with a whistlestop 37 from 27 deliveries before the Caribbean Islanders capitulated to lose all 10 wickets for a measly 89 runs with more than 19 overs unused.

Shane Watson and Damien Martyn were the pair to steer the Aussies home with a 103-run third-wicket stand after the losses Adam Gilchrist and Ponting within the first four overs.
Gilchrist hung his bat outside off stump and was snapped up by Gayle at first slip off Ian Bradshaw for two.

Ponting then followed his vice-captain the following over when he walked across his stumps and was trapped in front by Jerome Taylor for nought.

But after the enforced break and with Australia now needing just 71 more runs from 25 overs, Watson (57 not out) and the reliable Martyn (48 not out) wound their way to victory with 41 balls remaining.

Australia had earlier recovered from the West Indies' lightning start to skittle them for 138.

They threatened a huge score in the early stages with Gayle and Shivnarine Chanderpaul at the crease before three crucial top-order wickets from Nathan Bracken (3-22).

Gayle and Chanderpaul attacked early, smacking Brett Lee for 36 runs from his opening three-over spell as the Windies' openers piled on 49 runs in the first five overs.

Bracken, though, bought some relief for the world champions when he struck to dismiss Chanderpaul as the opener dragged on for 27 from 18 balls with Ramnaresh Sarwan following in the left-armer's following over with a leading edge to Brad Hogg at mid-off.

Gayle was still taking the attack to the Aussies, crashing Glenn McGrath (2-24) for two sixes as the veteran's first two overs cost 22 runs.

But Bracken came to the rescue again with a late outswinger cannoning into Gayle's off stump for his third wicket, reducing the West Indies to 3-80 within the opening 10 overs.

Then it was time for McGrath to start clawing back his figures beginning with consecutive maidens against an out-of-touch Brian Lara, the captain scratching his way to two from 19 deliveries before Gilchrist snapped up an excellent low diving one-handed catch.

The rejuvenated McGrath then also had Runako Morton caught behind in a spell of 2-2 in five overs before Watson (2-11) and Hogg finished off the tail.

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