Lehmann and Bevan lead Aussie win Rick Eyre - 14 April 1999 CricInfo report

Darren Lehmann and Michael Bevan showed that they will be two of the batsmen to watch in Australia's World Cup campaign. The two shared an Australian fifth wicket partnership of 172 as Australia won the second match in the seven one-day international series against the West Indies at St George's, Grenada, yesterday, by 46 runs to level the series at one match apiece. Lehmann was named man of the match after scoring his second one-day international hundred.

Steve Waugh won the toss and elected to bat first, Damien Martyn replacing the injured Ricky Ponting (stomach muscle) in the Australian eleven. Glenn McGrath was rested again. For the West Indies, Carl Hooper, Reon King and Curtly Ambrose replaced Nehemiah Perry, Mervyn Dillon and Courtney Walsh.

The opening stand of Mark Waugh and Adam Gilchrist lasted 30 runs as Hooper removed the Australian wicketkeeper with his second ball, Gilchrist (17) playing a sloppy shot edged to Chanderpaul at first slip. Australia scored 66 runs in their first 15 overs before Mark Waugh became Hooper's second victim, hitting a return catch after he had scored 41 from 58 deliveries.

Darren Lehmann joined Damien Martyn at the crease. The West Australian was the next man to go, beaten by a Reon King off-cutter which removed his stumps. Martyn (28) was followed by Steve Waugh, who smashed a King delivery wide of off straight to Lara at point. Australia's fourth wicket to fall in the 26th over was the last dismissal of the innings.

The rest of the Australian innings was dominated by Lehmann and Bevan. Lehmann raised his half-century from 48 deliveries, followed by Bevan's from 53.

Lehmann brought up his hundred in the second-last over of the innings, his second 50 scored off just 40 deliveries. He remained unbeaten on 110 (from 92 balls) as Australia finished their fifty overs on 288 for four - their highest total against the West Indies in 86 ODI's stretching back 24 years (prev. best 286/9 at Georgetown, 1995).

With Lehmann making his highest ODI score in 40 appearances, Bevan remained not out on 72, lifting his career batting average to 61.42. Their 172-run partnership was an Australian limited-over record for the fifth wicket against all countries, beating 159 by Bevan and Ponting against Sri Lanka at Melbourne in 1995.

Hendy Bryan's second match for the West Indies was much less spectacular than the first - 41 runs from seven overs without claiming a wicket. Curtly Ambrose, bowling medium pace for most of his spell, took 0/47.

The West Indies' assault on the target of 289 started to unravel in the first over, thanks to a brilliant catch from an unlikely source. Shane Lee took a sharp one-handed catch to his left at cover point from a full-blooded Shivnarine Chanderpaul drive, the Guyanese batsman out second ball without scoring. Lara took a boundary off each of Reiffel and Fleming, but on 9 he dragged a Fleming delivery onto his stumps. West Indies 18 for 2.

With Jimmy Adams being especially severe on the bowling of Brendon Julian, WI advanced to 78 for 2 when the 15-over field restrictions came to an end. Adams' innings came to an end on 40 when he played on to the bowling of Shane Warne. Sherwin Campbell's 77-ball 46 ended when he misjudged a drive to Shane Lee's bowling as was clean bowled.

The West Indian run rate had been the equal of the Australians until two quick wickets in the middle order. Steve Waugh, making a rare appearance as a bowler, removed Carl Hooper (17) when the batsman spooner a slower ball straight back to him. Then Keith Arthurton became yet another batsman in this game to edge the ball onto his own stumps. Arthurton scored 0 in his 100th ODI to follow his 10 on Sunday.

With the match slipping away from the home side, Phil Simmons (39 from 40) and Curtly Ambrose (23 from 19) played entertaining innings, but the team was all out after 47.3 overs with the total on 242 - 46 runs behind.

The two Shanes, Warne and Lee, had outstanding games. Lee took 2/22 from his six overs, plus a runout and an excellent catch. Warne took 3/39 from his ten overs, with the flipper back in action to remove Hendy Bryan lbw. Despite all of his Test match woes, Warne has taken 24 wickets in 14 one-day internationals since his 1998 shoulder operation.

The day was a special occasion for the island of Grenada. The match was the first cricket contest at any level on the new Queens Park Oval at St George's, the capital of Grenada. The match was the second international played in Grenada, the first a one-day match against India at the old Queens Park Oval in 1983. The old ground, adjoining the new, has been converted into a football and athletics stadium.

Yesterday's match was a sellout, the day having been proclaimed a national holiday. The next two matches in the series will be played at another more famous Queens Park Oval, this time at Port-of=Spain, Trinidad, this Saturday and Sunday.