Shivnarine Chanderpaul's blazing start went in vain as the West Indies suffered a dramatic collapse and handed Australia a comfortable 78-run victory in the opening match of the DLF Cup tri-series in Kuala Lumpur on Tuesday.
Chanderpaul smashed an 83-ball 92 during a century opening stand with Chris Gayle, but the West Indies, chasing a target of 280, lost their last eight wickets for 25 runs and folded up for 201.
All-rounder Shane Watson, who was at the receiving end of Chanderpaul's fury in his opening spell, benefited from the Caribbean hara-kiri to return with four wickets for 42 runs.
Gayle slammed an equally aggressive 58 off 46 balls but the rest of the batsmen got out to some loose shots and gave Ricky Ponting's men an easy victory in the first international match at the off-shore venue.
The Australian total of 279 for 9 revolved around Michael Clarke's stroke-filled 81 and a fluent 54 by Ponting.
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The scoreline could have been even larger if not for Jerome Taylor's accurate fast bowling that fetched him three for 59 and cut the Aussie sails in the closing stages.
The West Indies next take on India in the second match at the same venue on Thursday.
Chanderpaul and Gayle were on fire as they added 136 runs for the opening wicket.
After scoring three from the first 22 balls he faced, the former captain cut loose with an array of strokes against the Aussie new ball bowlers.
Apart from Glenn McGrath, who was playing in his first match in eight months, the rest of the Australian bowlers looked hapless as the two left-handers went hammer and tongs.
Nathan Bracken, who started with two maiden overs, was thrashed for three successive boundaries by Chanderpaul in his next over.
The left arm seamer's following over cost 17 runs through two sixes and a four, all to Chanderpaul, whose 50 came off 45 balls.
Gayle, who till then was unusually subdued, found his boundary in the 12th over off Watson.
The Jamaican, who was dropped by Clarke on 13, then lifted Mitchell Johnson for an effortless six and followed it up with a boundary in the same over.
Watson provided the breakthrough when Gayle chopped a catch straight to Phil Jaques at point. His 58 comprised seven boundaries and two sixes.
The more crucial wicket of Chanderpaul came 36 runs later when the left-hander edged a sharp-rising delivery from Johnson to wicketkeeper Brad Haddin.
Ponting then took a diving catch to dismiss the dangerous Ramnaresh Sarwan (22) after Lara fell leg before to Johnson for one.
Watson found himself on a hat-trick after sending back Ian Bradshaw and Jerome Taylor off successive balls, but was negated by Fidel Edwards.
Bracken fittingly completed the Australian turnaround with the wicket of Dwayne Smith.
Earlier, Clarke, who is fighting to cement a middle-order slot, hit a strokeful 81 to sustain the tempo amidst a flurry of wickets for the Australians.
Skipper Ricky Ponting found his touch with a fluent 54 while Simon Katich boosted his claims for the opener's slot with a solid 36.
Newcomer Mark Cosgrove produced a vital 34 that off-set the late order collapse.
Ian Bradshaw kept the Aussies on a leash with an economical 2-37 while Jerome Taylor reined them in the final overs with three wickets for 59.
The West Indies' seamers, however, proved to be indisciplined, conceding as many as 28 extras.
Ponting and Katich added 97 runs for the second wicket after the fall of Phil Jaques for two with only nine runs on the board.
Jaques was bowled through the gate by a Fidel Edwards delivery that seamed in after pitching at full length.
Ponting, unnverved by the dicey pitch which saw a few balls kick off good length, struck nine boundaries on way to his half-century before left-arm seamer Bradshaw struck him in line.
Katich, tipped to take the opener's slot in the Champions Trophy squad which does not feature Hayden, did no harm to his prospects with a 69-ball 36.
The left-hander became Bradshaw's second victim in the 25th over, top edging a drive to Dwayne Bravo.
Clarke then found an able ally in the left-handed Cosgrove and the two stitched together a 69-run partnership for the fourth wicket, raising visions of a huge total.
Clarke carried on to make his 18th half-century and pushed the score past the 250-mark.
The 25-year old was bowled when he was beaten by Dwayne Bravo's slower one, and the next ball Shane Watson was bowled by a faster one from Smith at the other end.
That set the cat among the pigeons as Taylor accounted for Brad Haddin, Mitchell Johnson and Nathan Bracken -- all of them bowled -- in the space of eight balls.
The Aussies rested their senior players including Matthew Hayden, Brett Lee and Damien Martyn for the match.
Fast bowler Glenn McGrath found a place in the starting XI, marking his comeback from an eight-month break.
