Cool Dhoni, gutsy Shami edge out Windies

PERTH/NEW DELHI, March 6: A superlative bowling performance and a cool Mahendra Singh Dhoni eventually helped India muster a four-wicket win against the West Indies to notch their fourth consecutive World Cup Pool B victory on a tricky WACA pitch here on Friday.

A brilliant bowling performance helped the defending champions skittle out the Windies for 182 in 44.2 overs with Man-of-the-Match Mohammed Shami clinching 3-35. In reply, India struggled throughout their chase but level-headed captain Dhoni saw the team through in 39.1 overs to qualify for the quarterfils.

Meanwhile, Indian batting legend Sachin Tendulkar and present One-Day Intertiol (ODI) skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni along with three other cricketers are the leading contenders to clinch the crown of the greatest one-day cricketer of all time.

Former Australian opener Adam Gilchrist, Pakistan fast bowling legend Wasim Akram and West Indies great Vivian Richards are the other nominees in the list of an exercise conducted by the Cricket Monthly.

The winner - determined by a jury of 50 players, commentators and cricket writers from around the world - will be announced in the March issue of the magazine which will be published next week.

Tendulkar has had one of the best careers in ODIs spanning 23 years. He scored 18,426 runs from 463 matches at an average of 44.43. The little master also has 49 hundreds in the format and 96 fifties. He also has a double ton to his credit.

Dhoni on the other hand has been a revelation as a finisher in the modern ODIs. His power-packed performances have played a key role in India’s staggering success in the last few years which includes clinching the 2011 World Cup.

The Cricket Monthly’s 50-member jury includes legendary cricketers Ian Chappell, Clive Lloyd, Martin Crowe, Rahul Dravid, Ricky Ponting and Graeme Smith; veteran commentators Tony Cozier, Mark Nicholas, Mike Haysman and Sanjay Manjrekar; and writers Gideon Haigh, Mike Coward, Suresh Menon and Mike Selvey.