Coulter-Nile, Smith lift Australia after early setbacks against Windies

Coulter-Nile, Smith lift Australia after early setbacks against Windies

Nathan Coulter-Nile and Steve Smith helps Australia win the match against West Indies after a bad start.

Australia defeated West Indies at today’s World Cup. (AFP pic)
NOTTINGHAM:
Nathan Coulter-Nile and Steve Smith helped Australia overcome a poor start to post a competitive 288 all out against West Indies in their second World Cup match today.

Asked to bat first on a flat pitch at Trent Bridge, champions Australia got off to a terrible start as they were reduced to 79-5 before Coulter-Nile (92) and Smith (73) staged a rescue act with a 102-run stand for the seventh wicket.

Wicketkeeper-batsman Alex Carey (45) had earlier combined with Smith to arrest the slide, after Oshane Thomas, Sheldon Cottrell and Andre Russell put the Windies in a commanding position with their fiery pace in the opening hour.

The trio finished with two wickets each, before Coulter-Nile stole the show with the highest World Cup score for a number eight batsman, eclipsing Zimbabwean Heath Streak’s unbeaten 72 in 2003.

The 31-year-old Australian was eight runs short of his maiden century when he was removed by Carlos Brathwaite, who cleaned up the lower order to finish with figures of 3-67.

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