Date-stamped : 26 Feb95 - 10:34 NZ Centenary ODI Tournament, Match #5 Australia v India Carisbrook, Dunedin, 22 February 1995 Shane Warne was fined $500 for wearing a black wrist band with a sponsor`s name on it during yesterday`s one-day loss to India. The Australian leg-spinner was joined by teammates, Ricky Ponting and Greg Blewett, in drawing fines from the South African match referee Peter van der Merwe. Warne`s fine was 25 per cent of his $2000 match fee. Ponting was fined $300 and Blewett $200. A statement from New Zealand Cricket said the three ``were in direct contravention of ICC regulation 7 (c) two, relating to the wearing of wristlets which were other than plain white with no logos``. It was India`s day from the moment they saw their flag flying correctly at the Carisbrook masthead for the first time in New Zealand`s centenary limited-over tournament. Beaten in their two previous games when the flag was flown upside down, the signal of distress, at Napier and Hamilton when they lost the toss both times, their batsmen at last illustrated why they are accepted as the world`s most flamboyant one-day combination as they scythed past Australia by five wickets. Australia`s defeat was their first in three qualifying games and had no influence on their position in Sunday`s final in Auckland against the winners of today`s Christchurch match between New Zealand and South Africa. India`s captain, Mohammad Azharuddin, engineered early festivi- ties by becoming the first batsman to send a meteorite over Carisbrook`s new Main Grandstand in the direction of mid-wicket from off-spinner Tim May. Australian captain Mark Taylor said wryly: ``Maysie did not look. He just said: `It`s not in Caris- brook any more`. We had to pay its bus fare back.`` Azharuddin said: ``Since I became captain five years ago, my game has changed, but I thought today was my chance to go for it. To- day we had to chase runs. It`s too late, but we salvaged a little prestige. It`s very disappointing that we are not in the final. Whoever wins tomorrow, I think Australia would be favourites for the final.`` Australia have known punishing defeats at Carisbrook in rugby un- ion, recalling the time the Wallabies lost the Bledisloe Cup here in 1993, but it seemed all plain sailing after Taylor won the toss and Australia cruised to 6-250, with No 3 Ricky Ponting stroking 62 from 91 balls and Mark Waugh a spectacular 48 from 32 balls. Then the `Brook lived up to its reputation. Before the game, In- dia were 6-4 outsiders according to Bombay bookmakers` resident expert, and Australia odds-on favourites. By the change-over of innings, India were 3-1 against. Within four overs the bookies were feeling decidedly queasy. Ploughing into the headwind, Jo Angel`s first two overs cost 20 runs, Sachin Tendulkar (47 from 40 balls), as quick as a lynx, lofting the pacemen through mid-wicket and long-off to the fence. Taylor swung Warne into the wind for the sixth over and Tendulkar and partner Manoj Prabhakar (50 from 68 balls) rapturously wel- comed the celebrity with a 19-run onslaught, tearing three boun- daries, two threes and a single from his first over. Gradually, Warne retrieved his length, but not before his first eight deliveries yielded 24 runs. India were flying. Taylor has never seen Warne destroyed in such a manner, but he believes his mind will not wander again on tour. Tendulkar was dragged down at short mid-wicket by Taylor, ending a 97-run opening partnership in 17 overs, after which Prabhakar pointlessly sacrificed his wicket as Angel redeemed himself with two wickets in successive overs downwind. But Navjot Sidhu (54 from 74 balls) brought discipline and strength to the innings at No 3 and after Azharuddin, straining at first and then smashing May for successive sixes, glanced a catch, Vinod Kambli (51 not out from 56 balls) guaranteed victo- ry. Kambli, a gold-encrusted little left-hander, was exposed by the West Indian pace bowlers` head-high attack, but on this dry, slow strip, he was in his element and drove India to the most emphatic of wins, their third successive defeat of Australia. Thanks :: Phil Wilkins, Sydney Morning Herald. Contributed by David.Mar (mar@physics.su.oz.au) ====> more India Scores Consolation Victory - Ihithisham Kamardeen Navjot Sidhu scored an aggressive half-century Wednesday as India defeated Australia by five wickets in a Centenary Series limited-overs cricket match at Carisbrook. India scored 252 for five with 13 balls to spare in reply to Australia`s 250 for six in scoring an impressive consolation win. Australia went into the match assured of a place in Sunday`s final, while India already was eliminated from contention after losing its opening two matches. Australia, which ended the first round with a 2-1 record, will play the winner of Thursday`s match between South Africa and New Zealand in Christchurch in the final. Left-hander Vinod Kambli, one of the three half-centurians in the Indian team, smashed the winning boundary off medium-paceman Greg Blewett to finish unbeaten on 51 off just 55 balls with five fours. Manoj Prabhakar (50) and Sachin Tendulkar earlier got India off to a blazing start by averaging eight runs an over in a 97- run first-wicket stand. Tendulkar, who managed just 51 runs in his previous two in- nings, smashed 47 runs off 40 balls with the help of seven boun- daries. India reached the 100 in 18 overs but lost both openers in the space of three runs to fast bowler Jo Angel. Tendulkar fell to a juggling catch by skipper Mark Taylor while Prabhakar charged and had his off bail dislodged. The openers were particularly punishing on leg-spinner Shane Warne, who conceded 25 runs from his first two overs and 61 in all. Australia was made to pay for dropping several catches as Man-of-the-Match Sidhu, who hit 54 runs off 70 balls for his 25th one-day half-century, and skipper Mohammed Azharuddin (25) joined the scoring spree. ``We weren`t quite switched on,`` Taylor said. ``We dropped six catches today and I think that was because of a lack of enthusiasm. ``We didn`t have the aggression in the field which I`m sure will be there come Sunday.`` Azharuddin hit spinner Tim May for successive sixes _ the second clearing the grandstand _ but he fell to the next ball he faced, edging a catch behind. Sidhu was run out failing to beat a Glenn McGrath throw at the non-striker`s end. He hit a six and four boundaries in his en- terprising innings. After opener Blewett (46) and Ricky Ponting (62) had hit their highest limited-overs scores, Mark Waugh smashed a 32-ball 48 runs to push Australia to the 250 mark. Waugh hit an enormous six off leg-spinner Anil Kumble to add to four boundaries in his whirlwind innings that dominate the Australians` late run splurge. The last 10 overs yielded 88 runs. After Taylor had dropped himself down the order to give David Boon some batting practice, the chunky right-hander got Australia off to a breezy start in a partnership with Blewett. Boon made 32 off 54 balls with five boundaries before falling to a brilliant outfield catch by Kambli, following which the in- nings lost momentum. Blewett faced 103 balls for his 46 runs, inclusive of a six and four boundaries. While Blewett missed out on his 50, Ponting reached his half century, making full use of a dropped catch on 36. He was eventually dismissed holing out to long-on. He struck a six and a four off 91 balls. Source :: AP Worldstream Contributed by Ram.Krishnan (rkrishna@garnet.acns.fsu.edu)