Watch the highlights of Australia vs West Indies 3rd Match Benson & Hedges World Series Cup 1981/82 - Benson & Hedges World Series Cup one-day international tournament of the 3rd ODI match played between West Indies and Australia at Sydney Cricket Ground, Sydney in 24th November 1981.
A fine bowling from Jeff Thomson and Geoff Lawson's combined 5-wickets before An maiden unbeaten century from opener Bruce Laird and Kim Hughes' unbeaten half-century steers to Australia emphatic seven-wicket victory over World champions West Indies in the third match of a Benson and Hedges World Series Cup.
Match Stats :
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WEST INDIES scored 236/8 (49 Overs) with top scorer by Clive Lloyd 63 (59) and Viv Richards 47 (58)
Australia best bowler by Jeff Thomson 3/55 (10) and Geoff Lawson 2/28 (10)
AUSTRALIA chased 237/3 (47 Overs) with top scorer by Bruce Laird 117 not out off 159-balls - which was his 1st ODI hundred and Kim Hughes 62 not out (74)
West Indies best bowler by Michael Holding 1/34 (10) and Andy Roberts 1/44 (9)
This match reported by Brian Mossop (Third Party Reference from SMH)
Bruce Laird shed his stolid tag with a blazing century that set a crowd of 27,008 alight and paved the way for an Australian win against the West Indies in the Benson and Hedges World Series Cup cricket match at the Sydney Cricket Ground.
Laird, 31 three days ago, gave calypso cricket an Australian twist with his own brand of savagery in an innings that was as delightful as it was'out of character. Better known as the reliable half of Australian opening pairings, Laird showed that when the mood takes him there can be just as much devil in his approach as there is generally care.
Australia, beaten by Pakistan in their first match in Melbourne on Sunday, faced a mighty task after the West Indies scored 236-8 off 49 overs. The failure to bowl their 50 overs in the required time cost the Australians $600 — the penalty of $50 a man imposed by Alan Crompton, the match referee.
It may have been the spur Australia needed. The $3,000 winning purse left them with considerably more change than the runners-up prize money of S1,500.
The chase began badly when Australia lost Rick Darling (5) and the captain Greg Chappell (1) with only eight runs on the board. But an 82-run partnership between Laird and Allan Border (29) put the home side back on the rails.
Laird could not have had better support than he received from Kim Hughes, who cracked an impeccable 62 in an unbeaten partnership of 147 as the Australians charged past the West Indian total with two overs to spare.
Laird, who scored an unbeaten 117, which included 10 fours, disappeared in a sea of faces as hundreds of youngsters invaded the ground when he reached his ton. A stump also disappeared during the mid-wicket confusion and play was held up for several minutes while another stump was found.
If the West Indians are generally considered to be the crowd pleasers the Australians, led by Laird and Hughes, showed that they are more than capable of matching the Caribbean Islanders -- particularly as this was the Australians' fourth win in as many day-night matches at the SCG.
The West Indian innings began with patience and ended in a flurry of runs and clattering wickets. Fine bowling by Lawson and Alderman kept the openers Greenidge and Haynes pinned down and only 17 runs came from the first 10 overs.
Ironically, it was the appearance of Thomson that lifted the tourists into overdrive. Thomson's first over cost 12 runs, and Chappell removed him from the attack. By the 19th over the openers had put on 64 runs and were looking like repeating their stand of 182 against Pakistaa in the first match in Melbourne.
Then Thomson came back. Within 21 balls he had removed Haynes (30), Greenidge (39) and Faoud Bacchus (4) to send the West Indies tumbling to 98-3.
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