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75 overs Australia 2 for 124 (Watson 62*, Clarke 1*) need another 97 runs to beat West Indies 220 (Pollard 109*, Johnson 3-36, Cutting 3-45)
Shane Watson maintained his confident batting visage to guide Australia to a comfortable position in their chase for 221 to defeat West Indies in the fourth ODI at the SCG.
Adding 53 with Aaron Finch and 62 with Phillip Hughes, Watson showed there was little bowling joy to be found on a pitch on which the visitors had earlier slipped to 6 for 55 before Kieron Pollard's rearguard.
Watson played handsome strokes all around the ground, but was given a major helping of good fortune on 32 when the wicketkeeper Devon Thomas dropped the sort of chance any gloveman would have been embarrassed to turf.
West Indies were again their own worst enemies when Narsingh Deonarine spurned a chance to run out Hughes, taking the ball but disturbing the stumps with his arm as he did so.
Finch and Watson began the chase with good sense, striding to a second half-century opening stand in as many innings before Finch was pinned lbw by Sunil Narine. Reviewing the decision, Finch discovered the ball was straight enough and clipping the top of the stumps, sending him on his way for another total that indicated more promise than substance.
Hughes was soon playing comfortably in Watson's slipstream, the target steadily reduced, and he did not exploit the missed run out, gloving an attempted paddle sweep to slip and so allowing the captain Michael Clarke to join Watson.
Shane Watson maintained his confident batting visage to guide Australia to a comfortable position in their chase for 221 to defeat West Indies in the fourth ODI at the SCG.
Adding 53 with Aaron Finch and 62 with Phillip Hughes, Watson showed there was little bowling joy to be found on a pitch on which the visitors had earlier slipped to 6 for 55 before Kieron Pollard's rearguard.
Watson played handsome strokes all around the ground, but was given a major helping of good fortune on 32 when the wicketkeeper Devon Thomas dropped the sort of chance any gloveman would have been embarrassed to turf.
West Indies were again their own worst enemies when Narsingh Deonarine spurned a chance to run out Hughes, taking the ball but disturbing the stumps with his arm as he did so.
Finch and Watson began the chase with good sense, striding to a second half-century opening stand in as many innings before Finch was pinned lbw by Sunil Narine. Reviewing the decision, Finch discovered the ball was straight enough and clipping the top of the stumps, sending him on his way for another total that indicated more promise than substance.
Hughes was soon playing comfortably in Watson's slipstream, the target steadily reduced, and he did not exploit the missed run out, gloving an attempted paddle sweep to slip and so allowing the captain Michael Clarke to join Watson.