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Mark Waugh (83) helps Aussies to pile up 282/6

LONDON, Friday - Australia set India a tall task of making 282 for 6 wickets off 50 overs for victory after Mark Waugh had made the highest score for his team in the current competition with a superbly struck innings of 83 off 99 balls in the first match of the World Cup Super Six played at the Oval here today.

A superb opening stand of 97 off 20.1 overs between Mark Waugh and Adam Gilchrist set Australia on the way towards their big total after being put into bat first by Indian captain Mohammed Azharuddin under overcast skies.

The Australian openers survived the opening overs from Javagal Srinath, Debasish Mohanty and Venkatesh Prasad to provide a good platform to build their innings.

Although Robin Singh checked the Australian onslaught by grabbing the wickets of Mark Waugh and Ricky Ponting in one over, Darren Lehmann and Steve Waugh ran the singles well for Michael Bevan and Tom Moody to provide the final flourish that saw Australia score 78 runs off the last ten overs.

Mark Waugh's classy innings of 83 during which he reached his half-century off 65 balls with one six and four fours beat the previous highest in the current competition of 76 by Darren Lehmann against New Zealand at Cardiff.

Part-time medium-pacer Sourav Ganguly provided India with the initial breakthrough which they were anxiously looking for when he had Gilchrist miscuing a drive to cover for 31.

Mark Waugh and Ricky Ponting added 60 off ten overs for the second wicket, before Singh came on for his double success. Waugh was looking good to score his first hundred of the tournament when he flicked a ball uppishly off his legs only to find Prasad running around from long leg to hold the catch. Three balls later Ponting who had made 23 off 36 balls got an inside on a drive and was bowled.

Steve Waugh and Lehmann added a further 60 runs off 55 balls for the fourth wicket when the Australian captain got the leading edge to a delivery from Debasish Mohanty. He scored 36 off 40 balls and at 35 became the fourth Australian to complete 6,000 runs in one-day internationals after Allan Border, Mark Waugh and Dean Jones.

Lehmann was brilliantly run out for 26 off 33 balls by Ajay Jadeja's direct hit after a mix up with Bevan. Bevan himself was out in the final over edging a catch behind, but Moody carried on till the finish to remain unbeaten on 26 off 20 balls.

Paceman Srinath although going wicketless was the pick of the Indian bowlers conceding 34 runs off his 10 overs.

A win is a must for both sides who have qualified for the Super Six without carrying forward any points from the first round.