Coulter-Nile, Smith guide Oz to 288 after early slump

Nottingham, June 6 (IANS) Nathan Coulter-Nile and Steve Smith saved Australia from an early slump to post a challenging 288 in 49 overs against West Indies in their World Cup clash on Thursday.

Coulter-Nile scored a career-best 92 off 60 balls, his innings laced with eight four and four sixes as he took the Windies bowlers to the cleaners after they reduced the Aussies to 38/4 inside the first eight overs after asking them to bat first.

Former skipper Steve Smith (73 off 103 balls; 7x4) started the fightback by holding fort at one end as batsmen fell around him, but once Coulter-Nile joined him in the middle after the dismissal of Alex Carey (45 off 55 balls; 7x4), the defending champions got the much needed push, bludgeoning 43 runs in the last overs.

Smith and Coulter-Nile shared a 102-run stand for the seventh wicket off just 83 balls after Smith and Carey put on 68 to bring the team back in the game and wrest the advantage.

For the Windies, Carlos Brathwaite was the pick of the bowlers with figures of 3/67 as he cleaned up the tail, while Oshane Thomas (2/63), Sheldon Cottrell (2/56) and Andre Russell (2/41) did the damage up front.

The Aussies were off to the worst possible start, losing their top four batsmen inside 40 runs.

Skipper Aaron Finch (6) was the first to go, caught behind after failing to negotiate a Thomas beauty of a delivery which angled in towards off stump and scratched the batsman's outside edge for Shai Hope to take a simple catch behind the stumps.

David Warner (3) mistimed a square drive off Sheldon Cottrell to Shimron Hetmyer at backward point, prompting the bowler to celebrate in his trademark "salute" fashion.

Usman Khawaja (13) was set up by Andre Russell with a barrage of bouncers, to then catch him off guard by bowling a fuller delivery angled across.

Khawaja tried to drive on the up but only got a thick-edge behind the stumps for Hope to take a brilliant one-handed catch diving full length.

Glenn Maxwell threw his wicket away, going for a needless pull in only his second ball off a Cottrell bouncer which ballooned up in the air and was caught by Hope.

Tottering at 38/4, Stoinis and Smith tried to steady the ship with a 41-run stand for the fifth wicket before the former was sent back by skipper Jason Holder with a short one on off stump which the batsman slapped to Nicholas Pooran in the ring at midwicket.

Smith brought up his fifty off 70 balls with a crisp boundary off Cottrell as Carey carted three fours in the 24th over off the same bowler to up the ante.

Once Carey was out, the Windies raised hopes of sealing the issue and restricting the Aussies to under 250 but in came Coulter-Nile and played an inspired knock to take the team to a fighting 288.

Brief scores: Australia 288 all out in 49 overs (Nathan Coulter-Nile 92, Steve Smith 73, Alex Carey 45; Carlos Brathwaite 3/67)