AUSTRALIA BRUSHED aside a lacklustre West Indies by seven wickets on Tuesday (Monday night TT time) in their ICC Women's World Cup encounter at Wellington, New Zealand.

With the result, Australia moved to the top of the eight-team group with a perfect eight points from four games, while the West Indies, who lost the second successive match (after winning their first two), are fifth with four points.

The West Indies decided to bat after winning the toss, but were dismissed for 131 off 45.5 overs. Veteran pacer Ellyse Perry set the tone early with two wickets, in successive balls, in her first (and Australia's second) over - opener Hayley Matthews and Kycia Knight scoring ducks. Perry would later remove the other opener, Deandra Dottin, for 16.

Captain Stafanie Taylor, who made 50 (91 balls, three fours) and wicketkeeper/batter Shemaine Campbell (20 off 51 balls with two fours) featured in a fourth-wicket partnership of 36, but when Campbelle was dismissed, there was little fight from the WI team.

Perry, who was named as the Player of the Match, claimed figures of three wickets for 22 runs, while off-spinner Ashleigh Gardner had 3/25 and left-arm spinner Jess Jonassen 2/18.

Australia were in trouble at 7/2 with Matthews taking two catches, one off her own bowling from a straight drive by Alyssa Healy (three) and the other at slip when skipper Meg Lanning (duck) slashed at one from pacer Shamilia Connell.

Matthews took another catch, from Perry (10), to give pacer Chinelle Henry her lone wicket, but Australia's opener Rachael Haynes and Beth Mooney ended all WI's victory chances with an unbroken fourth-wicket partnership of 74. Haynes was unbeaten on 83 (95 balls, nine fours) while Mooney was on 28 (42 balls, three fours) as the Aussies reached 132/3 off 30.2 overs.

The WI would be back in action on Friday (Thursday evening TT time) when they square off against Bangladesh.

Scores:

WEST INDIES WOMEN 131 (45.5 overs) - Stafanie Taylor 50, Shemaine Campbelle 20; Ellyse Perry 3-22, Ashleigh Gardner 3-25 vs AUSTRALIA WOMEN 132-3 (30.2 overs) - Rachael Haynes 83 not out, Beth Mooney 28 not out. Australia Women won by seven wickets.

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