After posting an imposing total of 286 for five in their 50 overs, Australia put the hand-cuffs on the West Indies’ batsmen before arresting them for 219 and extending their unbeaten streak to 21 consecutive victories.

Left-handed opener Adam Gilchrist, who smashed nine fours and a six in a knock of 84 to gain the man-of-the-match award, built the foundation for Australia’s daunting total while exciting young New South Wales stroke-maker Michael Clarke beefed up the Australian total with a rapid unbeaten 55, enriched by six fours and a six off just 40 balls.

In response, the West Indies, needing to score at a rate of 5.74 runs an over to win the first of the back-of-back encounters here and prevent Australia from wrapping up the series, again gave an inept batting performance much to the disappointment of the capacity crowd of over 20 000 spectators.

Only left-handed opener Chris Gayle, who made 84 with seven fours and a six off 113 and to a lesser extent captain Brian Lara, with 40 off 47 balls, threatened the Australian bowlers, who kept the West Indian batsmen in the jail house throughout their innings.

After winning the toss and batting, Gilchrist launched Australia’s innings in grand style by featuring in an opening stand of 78 runs with fellow left-hander Matthew Hayden, who made an attacking 44 off 61 with five fours and a six.

After Hayden was caught at mid-wicket by debutant Ryan Hurley off his uncle Vasbert Drakes’ bowling, captain Ricky Ponting joined Gilchrist and they pushed the score along at five runs an over in a second-wicket partnership of 60 runs in 13 overs.

Gilchrist, dropped on 37 by wicket-keeper Ridley Jacobs off Drakes, reached his 32nd One-day fifty off 71 balls with six fours but lost Ponting at 148 for two when he was caught inside the mid-wicket boundary by Hurley off part-time off-spinner Ricardo Powell.

Powell was surprisingly used for this solitary over by Lara, who recalled the luckless Drakes for a second spell.

The move almost brought about Gilchrist’s downfall with his score on 62 but he escaped when a slow-moving Wavell Hinds badly mis-judged a high catch coming off the mid-wicket boundary.

Drakes also had a third catch dropped off his bowling when Jacobs, making a return to the team after missing the first three matches while resting a groin injury, spilled another chance when Symonds was on 10.

Hurley eventually bowled Gilchrist in his final over at 200 for three and Symonds followed 23 runs later, bowled by Corey Collymore for 24.

But Clarke, who made an unbeaten 75 in the last match in St Lucia on Wednesday, joined forces with the experienced Michael Bevan, who was out off the last ball of the innings for 21, to add 63 runs in the final eight overs for the sixth-wicket.

The 22-year-old Clarke, showing great improvisation skills, hoisted Collymore a six over mid-wicket and followed up with a lofted four over wide long-on.

He rode his luck to reach his second consecutive fifty in his fourth One-Day International as he was bowled by a no ball from Collymore on 41 and dropped by Powell on the mid-wicket boundary off Gayle’s bowling when 47.

Clarke’s 50 came off just 38 balls and was studded with five fours and a six.

Fast bowler Mervyn Dillon, whose 10 overs cost 46 runs, was the only West Indian bowler, apart from Powell, who did not concede over 50 runs while Drakes was the most successful with two for 62.

In response, the West Indies started shakily, losing the potentially dangerous Powell for eight and Hinds (3) with only 33 runs on the board.

Powell, elevated to the pinch-hitting opening spot once again, pulled a short ball from Jason Gillespie straight to Ponting at short mid wicket while Hinds, hitting across the line against Brett Lee, was trapped leg before wicket.

Ramnaresh Sarwan added 44 runs for the third wicket with Gayle, taking the score to 77 when he was trapped leg before wicket by Glenn McGrath for 16.

Lara joined Gayle and the pair cautiously added 69 for the fourth-wicket with the only real fireworks coming when the West Indies captain hit medium pacer Ian Harvey for three fours in one over.

Just when it seemed the West Indies were mounting a challenge even though the required rate had risen to eight runs an over, Lara cut part-time off-spinner Symonds to point where Hayden held a low catch.

Gayle was next to go, trapped leg before wicket by a slower delivery from Harvey.

Marlon Samuels tried to keep the scoreboard ticking, hitting four boundaries in a cameo knock of 27 off 20 balls before holing out to long off where Brad Hogg took a good catch off the bowling of Harvey.

The slide continued as in the next over, Hurley was run out without facing a ball when Jacobs steered a delivery from Harvey straight to Symonds at point and attempted a suicidal single.

Jacobs was also run out for 13 at the bowler’s end by Gillespie when he failed to beat Lee’s throw from deep mid-wicket while coming back for a second run.

Drakes was then leg before wicket to the next ball from Gillespie for nine and last man Collymore became the third of the last four wickets to fall by the run out route.

The teams meet again today at the same venue for the fifth One-day International.

AUSTRALIA’S innings
A.Gilchrist b Hurley 84

M.Hayden c Hurley b Drakes 44

R.Ponting c Hurley b Powell 38

A.Symonds b Collymore 24

M.Clarke not out 55

M.Bevan c Lara b Drakes 21

Extras (lb8, nb1, w11) 20

Total (5 wickets, 50 overs) 286

Fall of wickets: 1-78, 2-148, 3-200, 4-223, 5-286.

Bowling: Dillon 10-0-46-0 (w1), Collymore 9-1-58-1 (w1, nb1), Gayle

10-0-52-0 9w2), Hurley 10-0-58-1 (w5), Drakes 10-0-62-2, Powell

1-0-2-1.

West Indies innings
C.Gayle lbw b Harvey 84

R.Powell c Ponting b Gillespie 8

W.Hinds lbw b Lee 3

R.Sarwan lbw b McGrath 16

B.Lara c Hayden b Symonds 40

M.Samuels c Hogg b Harvey 27

R.Jacobs run out 13

R.Hurley run out 0

V.Drakes lbw b Gillespie 9

M.Dillon not out 0

C.Collymore run out 2

Extras (lb8, nb1, w8) 17

Total (all out, 45.3 overs) 219

Fall of wickets: 1-20, 2-33, 3-77, 4-146, 5-174, 6-198, 7-202, 8-217,

9-217

Bowling: Gillespie 8-1-30-1 (w1, nb1), Lee 8-0-30-2 (w4), McGrath

7-0-21-1, Hogg 9-1-41-0 (w1), Harvey 9.3-0-58-2 (w1), Symonds 4-0-31-1 (w1)