Hayden holds firm for Aussies

Matthew Hayden kept Australia in position to post a challenging total against West Indies in the first World Cup Super Eight match at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium.

The world champions endured plenty of anxious moments on the way to 130 for two after 25 overs. They had Hayden (55 not out) chiefly to thank for their relative prosperity, in an unbroken third-wicket stand of 54 with Michael Clarke.

Captain Ricky Ponting was the only player who was run out, but there were at least four other close calls as Australia tried to make up for a paucity of boundaries on this large playing area.

After losing an important toss on a cloudy morning, they had to be cautious - with the ball moving around in the air and off the seam under cloudy and occasionally wet skies.

Adam Gilchrist eventually got a delivery he could do little about from Daren Powell, cutting back off the pitch to take the inside edge and carry through for a neat catch behind by Denesh Ramdin.

Number three Ponting quickly began to put some pace to the innings, his pull off Powell for six in the seventh over the first time Australia found the boundary.

Hayden, who had taken 18 balls to score his first run, added to Ponting's maximum with two off-drives for four from successive balls - at the start of Jerome Taylor's next over.

Ponting could have gone on 16, had Ramnaresh Sarwan's throw from mid-off been better directed when the Aussie captain had to retreat following a push for an attempted single to mid-on.

Sarwan made no mistake next time Ponting tried a quick single, though, his direct hit at one stump from extra cover doing the job. An assortment of Windies fielders narrowly missed another clutch of run-out attempts.

Clarke could have gone before he had received a ball - and again on three - while Hayden had 28 when he was sent back and would not have beaten a more accurate shy from mid-on by Brian Lara. The opener survived to continue to a hard-working 73-ball half-century which contained six fours.