PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad, 26 May 2003 — Brian Lara led an overdue West Indian batting onslaught to place Australia’s unbeaten 21-game One-Day International record run under threat in the fifth match of the series at Queen’s Park Oval here yesterday.

The West Indian skipper clubbed 80, his highest score of the series, to push the home side to 290 for five off 50 overs to set the World Cup champions a daunting challenge in their turn at bat.

It was the third highest innings in an ODI at the ground and came after Australia had wrapped up the series on Saturday with an unassailable 4-0 lead in the seven-game series.

Lara bounced back from a run of low scores to hit 11 fours and a six off 101 balls. Just when he looked poised to reach his 17th ODI century he was caught behind by Adam Gilchrist off Andy Bichel, the seventh time he had fallen to Bichel in the Caribbean Test and ODI series.Bichel, who took some stick, also picked up the wicket of Wavell Hinds in his previous over for 79 off 102 deliveries.

Hinds, back to opening the innings, began slowly but finished with a flourish of seven fours and a straight-hit six off young spinner Nathan Hauritz.

Lara and Hinds put on a 178-run partnership off 190 balls after Saturday’s topscorer Chris Gayle was out in the second over for five. Ramnaresh Sarwan and Marlon Samuels continued to push along the West Indian run flow with a stand of 71 off 73 balls for the fourth wicket before both fell in Brett Lee’s ninth over and 47th of the innings.

Sarwan offered a thin edge to Gilchrist for 32 off 37 balls and Samuels went two balls later, deceived by an inswinging yorker which struck his back pad in front of the wicket for 42 off 38 balls.

Ricardo Powell added some late bucaneering strokemaking when he came in with 19 balls left and struck 20 off 13 balls with wicketkeeper Ridley Jacobs not out seven.

Lee finished Australia’s best bowler with 3-56 off 10 overs with two maidens and Bichel claimed 2-67 off 10 overs.

No Plan to Withdraw Bangladesh’s

Test Status: ACC Official

In Karachi, the International Cricket Council (ICC) has no plans to withdraw Bangladesh’s Test status and was committed to improving cricket in the country, the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) said yesterday.

“ICC and ACC are particularly committed to all out support to improve cricket in Bangladesh and reports giving (the) impression that Bangladeshs Test status would be taken back are totally wrong,” ACC development manager Zakir Husain Syed said.

“ICC has plans to improve the infrastructure and domestic competitions in Bangladesh and has allocated around 0.5 million dollars for that purpose.”

Bangladesh became the tenth Test-playing nation in June 2000 but has since failed to justify the status, losing 18 of 19 Tests. The national team has not won a one-day match for four years.

Syed told reporters before leaving to attend the ICC development committee meeting from May 31 to June 1 in New York, that ICC development manager Andrew Ead had nominated certain areas where the ICC and the Pakistan-based ACC could work together for Bangladeshs improvement.

“The ICC has planned an elite training programme in Bangladesh and ACC will also conduct a sports medicine program besides various other coaching and umpiring programs there,” Syed said.

While Bangladesh failed to win a single match in the February-March World Cup in Africa, non-Test playing Kenya finished as losing semifinalists, prompting critics to call for the African nation to be granted Test status.