Gayle-forced Windies knock the sails off Oz

New Delhi: Australia were on Saturday reduced to a team looking bereft of ideas as the West Indies thrashed them by seven wickets with 4.1 overs to spare at the Oval to take the first step to a place in the Super Eights.

To say that Australia was humiliated would be an understatement. They were out-played, out-gunned and out-thought. And the one man who did it all was Chris Gayle. The Aussies continued to throw whatever they could and the man just stood there smacking them to all parts of the park before he was eventually dismissed for 88. But it was a case of too little, too late.

Australia, West Indies and Sri Lanka are in the group being called the 'group of death' and the Aussies are now just one step away from crashing out of the tournament.

Surely, the Lankan lions will be sharpening their teeth for the kill when they take on the Kangaroos on Monday.

Well, it could also be a plan for the two teams who would clash for the Ashes next month. A loss for both England and Australia would give them both some extra time to prepare for the Tests.

The Australian team and management may not agree with the 'exit Symonds' factor but the Aussies really missed big Roy in the match against the Windies.

After losing early wickets, they needed a man like Symonds to take them to a challenging total. But the Haddins and the Warners and the two Husseys couldn't do that. They played their part, but they couldn't fit in to the Symmo's shoes.

Had Symonds been there, his lusty blows would have given the Australian bowlers, who were made to look like a bunch of school cricketers, a bigger target to defend.

Their pace spearhead Brett Lee went for almost three runs per ball and in one over went for 27 runs with Gayle hitting three mighty sixes, one that travelled 105 metres.

Also, when it came to bowling the Aussies missed a specialist spinner in their ranks and this is where Symonds' slow spin could have come in handy. All in all, the Aussie thinktank went horribly wrong in sending back Symonds.

The Aussies have dug a hole for themselves and their once formidable reputation now lies in tatters. If you can't remember when was the last time the Aussies crashed out of a tournament at this level in the first round, don't forget to see their second and final league game on Monday.

Australia's next match after Monday could well be day one of the first Test on July 8.