Symonds and Haddin set up big Australia win

October 2 : Andrew Symonds and Brad Haddin powered to 87 runs apiece to set up Australia's convincing 84-run win over India in the second one-dayer on Tuesday and avenge last month's Twenty20 World Cup semi-final defeat.

Australia, playing their first full one-dayer following their long break after claiming a World Cup hat-trick in April, overcame early trouble to amass 306 for six on being asked to bat first.

India, on a high since winning the Twenty20 title, were all out for 222, conceding a 1-0 lead in the seven-match series which began with a rain-abandoned fixture.

Symonds shared 108 runs for the fifth wicket with Haddin, who was unbeaten after his second successive fifty, after adding 94 runs with opener Matthew Hayden (75) for the fourth wicket to rescue the innings from two for eight runs in the fourth over.

Haddin was named man of the match.

Fast bowler Stuart Clark removed Sachin Tendulkar (16) in his first over and trapped the aggressive Robin Uthappa (41) in reply to reduce India to 87 for four and snuff out the chase.

Skipper Mahendra Dhoni top-scored with a slow 58 before being the last man out as injury-hit Australia stamped their class on the match.

India frittered away advantage in both batting and bowling.

Left-arm Zaheer Khan had stand-in skipper Adam Gilchrist caught at slip for nought and Shanthakumaran Sreesanth removed Brad Hodge for three runs.

Michael Clarke (27), who hit a career-best 130 in Bangalore, led the early recovery before Symonds took centre stage.

Hayden hit five fours and three sixes until he was bowled by left-arm Irfan Pathan, the only bowler to escape punishment while returning two for 47 off 10 overs.

Symonds bludgeoned nine fours and two sixes facing 83 balls and joined forces with Haddin, who hit eight fours and three sixes facing only 69 deliveries.

Symonds got into verbal exchanges with Sreesanth, who had him caught and bowled to claim three for 67.

Sreesanth made a run out appeal against Symonds after he walked down from the non-strikers' end to confront the bowler, who appeared to say something to Haddin after a delivery.

Sreesanth has been fined several times in the last year and was docked 25 percent of his match fee and warned over his behaviour during the Twenty20 tournament.

Tendulkar and Uthappa took 18 runs off one over from Brett Lee but Clark took the pace off the ball to great effect with the fight ending once Rahul Dravid (31), who added 49 runs with Dhoni, was caught in the deep.

The third game will be played in Hyderabad on Friday.

       
         

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