It wasn't that he helped the Caribbean team to a win over top-ranked Australia, but the unique way he did it.

Taylor's hat trick stopped World Cup holder Australia's victory charge on Wednesday night as West Indies rallied to win a tight Champions Trophy encounter by 10 runs.

Taylor cannot believe that he's the first West Indies bowler to claim three wickets in successive balls in a limited-overs international.

``It's a proud feeling to have taken a hat-trick for the West Indies, am I really the first one to do so?'' he asked.

Another relative newcomer led the way with the bat. Runako Morton's 90 and his big partnership with skipper Brian Lara helped the West Indies recover from a top-order slump.

Despite Taylor's penetrative burst, it was the innings-building innings of Morton that was adjudged as the best performance of the evening and fetched him player of the match award.

The defending champion West Indies showed its mettle to bounce back from the debacle in a qualifying game just four days earlier, when bundled out for 80 in a nine-wicket loss to Sri Lanka.

Lara urged West Indies fans not to lose hope. Then he and his young charges gave their fans something to savour.

Taylor said it had not occurred to him that he was on the verge a unique feat when walking to his mark for the final over, having earlier removed Michael Hussey and Brett Lee off the last two balls of his previous over.

``Sarwan drew my attention to the fact that I was on a hat-trick, and I then aimed at the stumps,'' said Taylor, who clean-bowled Brad Hogg with a sharp delivery.

Taylor's haul of 4-49 dented the Australian hopes of making a winning start in the hunt for a title that has eluded it.

Despite winning the last two World Cups, top-ranked Australia has failed to advance further than the Champions Trophy semifinals.

The West Indies, meanwhile, seem to achieved beyond their ranking in the tournament _ even forced into a qualifying competition this time because its ranking slipped outside the top six.

Its emergence as champion in 2004 revived memories of the glorious era when the West Indies won the first two World Cup competitions in 1975 and 1979.

The West Indies innings was in tatters at the early departure of four top-order batsmen when Morton and Lara combined.

``He's a tremendous talent, that's why we've reposed faith in Runako,'' Lara had said ahead of the match.

``Runako and Brian turned the game, keeping us in the contest,'' said Sarwan, who stepped into the captaincy role when the West Indies came out to bowl _ because of Lara's strained back.

``This win should not surprise anyone as we'd beaten Australia last month in Kuala Lumpur,'' Sarwan said. ``It was just a matter of keeping the momentum going.''