A stunning display of explosive hitting by Dwayne Smith gave West Indies vital late momentum, as they levelled the rain-ruined seven-match One-day International series against England with a five-wicket victory in a high-scoring fifth encounter today. A capacity 12,000 crowd at the Beausejour Cricket Ground was silenced when West Indies, replying to the visitors' formidable total of 281 for eight off 50 overs - the highest total in an ODI on the ground - lost Brian Lara caught behind off fast bowler Steve Harmison for 37 in the 38th over. At that stage, West Indies were 191 for four and with the mercurial Smith joining the solid Ramnaresh Sarwan, a tight contest to the final over seemed inevitable. But the 21-year-old Barbadian changed the complexion of the match completely, sparking riotous celebrations long before Dwayne Bravo hit the winning runs, hoisting Darren Gough over the long-off boundary off the final ball of the 48th over to lift his side to an impressive 284 for five. Smith, with an exaggerated flamboyance that has become his trademark, crashed four sixes and two fours in an innings of 44 that occupied just 28 deliveries. He dominated an 80-run, fifth-wicket partnership with Sarwan. The West Indies vice-captain played a critical role himself with an unbeaten 73 that earned him the Man-of-the-Match award and considerable consolation for his team's two-wicket defeat in the only other completed match almost two weeks earlier in Georgetown. Ironically, it was the comparatively sedate Sarwan, who lifted the run-chase up a gear when he launched left-arm slow bowler Ian Blackwell for two sixes over mid-wicket on the way to taking 17 runs off the 44th over. Then it was the turn of Smith to take over, striking the ball cleanly and with incredible power in taking two sixes each off consecutive overs from Harmison and Andrew Flintoff. A total of 49 runs were plundered off three overs and it hardly mattered when Flintoff bowled Smith in the 47th over, leaving Bravo with the opportunity to end the match with a flourish. Flintoff, who was troubled by a leg injury in the final stages of the match, looks unlikely to play on Sunday. With reports of unsettled weather in Barbados, where the seventh and final match is scheduled on Wednesday, this penultimate fixture could shape up to being the decider with the series at 1-1 in the wake of three consecutive no-results effected by torrential, unseasonal showers throughout the southern Caribbean. To the delight of all concerned, not least the beleaguered West Indies Cricket Board contemplating a burgeoning total of refunds, St. Lucia was blessed with glorious sunshine throughout the day with the match living up to all expectations and further whetting the appetite for the second of the back-to-back fixtures. A pitch that allowed the stroke-players to go for their shots and a lightning-fast outfield suited Marcus Trescothick perfectly as the England opener ended a wretched run of form on this tour with a stroke-filled 130, his seventh ODI century and the highest by an Englishman against the West Indies in the abbreviated version of the game. His innings, which included two sixes and 14 fours, was the cornerstone of the visitors' impressive total. He gave fingertip chances to Ricardo Powell at backward point and Chris Gayle off his own bowling, but made the most of those narrow escapes. Trescothick and Flintoff (59) put on 110 runs for the fourth wicket to give their team important impetus through the middle overs of the innings. A total in excess of 300 seemed inevitable, but Bravo's double-strike in the 43rd over when Flintoff fell to an amazing tumbling, juggling catch by Mervyn Dillon at long-on and Blackwell was bowled first ball halted the march. Nevertheless, a target of 282 looked very challenging indeed, especially when Gayle fell for 36 to another stunning, diving catch by Paul Collingwood at backward-point off James Anderson. An opening partnership of 62 with Shivnarine Chanderpaul was just the platform that the West Indies needed, but they then faltered halfway through the innings when Anderson bowled Powell for 29 and Chanderpaul top-edged a cut off Blackwell and was caught behind, wicketkeeper Chris Read diving forward to take the catch. Playing his first innings of the series after resting the dislocated finger on his right hand in the opening match, Lara looked quietly assured in a 76-run stand with Sarwan before he waftedloosely at Harmison and was caught behind. But the English smiles would soon evaporate amid a flurry of strokeplay with Harmison being plundered for 74 runs off 10 overs to again emphasise the huge difference between Tests, where he dominated in taking 23 wickets, and ODIs. SOURCE: WINDIESCRICKET.COM