Ireland Australia at Stormont Abandoned

Ireland's one-day international against Australia at Stormont has been abandoned after only 10.4 overs of play because of bad weather on Saturday.

The umpires took the decision to call the match off after making a final inspection of the pitch at 16:00 BST.

The start was delayed until 11:30 BST and Ireland were 36-3 when the players came off the pitch due to rain.

Australia bowler Brett Lee bowled William Porterfield with his first ball and Ed Joyce with his third delivery.

Heavy rain on Friday had put the game in doubt, but the players were able to come onto the field after Australia had won the toss and elected to field.

Paul Stirling was the other Irish batsman to fall as he was caught by Michael Clarke off the bowling of Pat Cummins for 24.

Niall O'Brien was 11 not out and Gary Wilson had yet to score when play was halted.

News of the abandonment came as a major disappointment to the large crowd at the east Belfast venue.

Ireland will now turn their attention to the two forthcoming one-day internationals against Afghanistan on 3 July and 5 July.

Australia now face Essex at Chelmsford on Tuesday, before their five-match ODI series with England starts at Lord's on Friday.

Windies Lose Out in St Vincent

West Indies were left to rue a costly mix-up between last wicket pair Darren Sammy and Kemar Roach as the third one-day international against Australia at St Vincent ended as a tie.

The Windies looked destined to take a 2-1 lead in the five-match series with the scores level and three balls still remaining, however when Sammy failed to respond to Roach's kamikaze call for a single, George Bailey threw to bowler Brett Lee, who whipped off the bails with the home skipper stranded.

Australia had earlier collapsed from 202-4 to 220 all out to hand the hosts the initiative heading into their run-chase.

That momentum quickly stalled when Shane Watson took three wickets to reduce Windies to 117-6 in reply - the wicket of Kieron Pollard seemingly signalling the end of home hopes.

However, Andre Russell and Carlton Baugh took West Indies within 40 runs of victory with a stand of 64 for the seventh wicket and Sammy brought the scores level with six runs off the first three deliveries of Lee's final over.

But, with the victory line in sight, non-striker Roach charged at his captain when the ball went straight to Bailey at point, and the throw was safely taken by Lee, who dislodged the bails with Sammy barely halfway down the pitch.

Impressive

A flurry of late wickets had earlier enabled West Indies to restrict Australia, who had opted to bat first, to 220 all out at the Kingstown venue.

The last six wickets fell for 18 runs with three coming in the space of five balls as three Australians - Lee, Clint McKay and Xavier Doherty - went for ducks in quick succession.

However, the tourists could be grateful for 67 runs from Mike Hussey and another impressive display from the inexperienced Bailey, who added 59 for his maiden ODI fifty, in giving them a solid platform before the collapse.

Together, Hussey and Bailey put on 112 for the fourth wicket, taking Australia to 170 after opener Watson made just 10 before being run out and first man in Matthew Wade soon followed for two, bowled by Sunil Narine.

When David Warner's innings came to a close, caught by Sammy off Pollard for 37, Australia were wobbling on 58-3.

Bailey and Hussey stemmed the tide as they batted out 25 overs, the partnership eventually ended when Bailey was caught off Marlon Samuels, who then had Hussey stumped six overs later.

Hussey's departure came with the score on 202 and they failed to add a run before his brother David departed for 15, bowled by Roach.

Roach accounted for Lee moments later with McKay and Doherty following soon after to leave Australia on 208-9. The innings came to a close one ball short of the full 50 overs with Narine (3-32) trapping Daniel Christian lbw for the final wicket.

That the West Indies came close to a victory was a surprise after they found themselves toiling at 78-5 after 21 overs.

Kieran Powell was stumped early on for 12, and Samuels added just two off 20 balls before he was bowled by Australia captain Watson.

Darren Bravo went for a duck to leave the hosts on 52-3, and after opener Johnson Charles fell five runs shy of a half-century, Dwayne Bravo soon followed for 13.

But the hosts fought back impressively. Pollard put on 36, Russell, who was bowled off a no-ball by Watson, 37, and when Baugh went for 33 the score was a much more competitive 190-8 with a little over five overs remaining.

The Kingston crowd's nerves were tested when Narine went for 10 with 16 balls left, but it was ultimately Roach's nerves that frayed at the crucial moment.

Lee Warns About WIndies Wickets

Veteran Australia paceman Brett Lee has warned his fast bowling team-mates to expect unfavourable conditions during the tour of the Caribbean.

The 35-year-old will spearhead Australia's pace attack for the five one-day internationals and the two T20s against the West Indies that begin the tour.

None of Australia's touring cricketers has more experience in the Caribbean than Lee.

"Over here the wickets aren't really like what we're use to back home," Lee said.

"The days are gone now where we've got those hard, bouncy, fast wickets.

"The wickets we play on most days around the world now are low, slow wickets. So we are used to playing on that around the world and learning about these conditions as we quickly as we can."

Lee said the squad's less experienced pacemen, including James Pattinson, Clint McKay and Ben Hilfenhaus, would learn a lot.

He said: "It's just knowing your skills bowling on slower wickets, so I'll be doing my best to pass on knowledge to the young guys coming through from what I've learned bowling over here."

The New South Welshman is still recovering from a broken toe after he was struck by a ball in the last over of his spell during a T20 match against India at the MCG.

"I didn't want to have eight weeks off and miss this tour and miss this Australian summer, so I'm just playing with pain," he said.

But Lee insists he has no immediate plans of retiring from international cricket.

"I'm not going to put a time frame on my last game," he said. "With the way things are going I just want to keep playing for as long as I can.

"If I can do what I'm asked to do from a team point of view - to be the spearhead of the attack and to have a presence out there bowling, putting back in and helping the young guys come through and pass on my knowledge as its been passed on to me - [then I'm happy]."

Brett Breaks Foot in Twenty20

Australia fast bowler Brett Lee is set for a month on the sidelines after breaking his foot in a Twenty20 match against India.

Lee, 35, retired from Test cricket in 2010 but is still a part of the Australia One Day and T20 squads.

Cricket Australia team Doctor Trefor James said: "Brett Lee sustained a fracture of his right foot when he was struck by a ball.

"We now expect Brett will return to cricket in four to six weeks."

Lee took 310 Test wickets and has 357 in One-Day cricket, as well as 23 in Twenty20 internationals.

He suffered the injury when he was struck during the last over of his spell during Australia's eight-wicket defeat to India at the MCG on Friday night .

"Brett was able to complete the over," added James. "However, the foot became more painful and swollen the following day. An x-ray has confirmed a fracture of the small toe."

A decision regarding a replacement player for Lee will not be made until after the first ODI against India at the MCG.

Meanwhile, injured left-arm paceman Mitchell Johnson is targeting a return to international cricket in the one-day series against England in June and July.

Johnson, who has played 47 Tests and 107 one-day internationals, required surgery in December on a left foot injury he suffered on Australia's tour of South Africa the previous month but has been making encouraging progress.

He plans to make his comeback in April with the Mumbai Indians in the Indian Premier League in a bid to force himself into the squad for the England tour.

"It's a perfect opportunity for me coming back from injury to play the shorter form of the game to build up my bowling and hopefully be selected for Australia later in the year," the 30-year-old said.