Sydney: Rain at the SCG has ended the West Indies' run chase after just one over, washing out the tourists' hopes of a breakthrough victory over Australia in the third one-dayer.

Requiring 226 for their first win of the Australian summer, the Windies were 6 for without loss when rain forced the players from the field at 7.14pm local time.

They returned just over two hours later, only for the rain to start falling again after just one ball.

Umpires officially abandoned the game at 9.28pm (local time), with most of the crowd (21,784) having left.

Chris Gayle was yet to score after surviving six balls from his nemesis Doug Bollinger, with Travis Dowlin left at the non-striker's end without facing.

The runs came from four byes and two wides as Bollinger went all out to capture Gayle's scalp for the fifth time this summer and third time in as many one-day matches

The visitors needed to win to stay alive in the best-of-five series following heavy losses in Melbourne and Adelaide.

They now head off to Brisbane and then Melbourne again hoping to square the series.

Earlier, winning the toss and asking Australia to bat first on a pitch holding up amid the threat of rain, the Windies finally got it right in the field to give themselves a real shot at ending Australia's dominance.

Michael Hussey (44 from 53 balls) and James Hopes (30 from 34) and some lusty late hitting from Ryan Harris (21 from just nine delivery) – ensured the home side reached a reasonable total after a shaky start and late order crash.

Ravi Rampaul (4-61), Dwayne Smith (3-45), Darren Sammy (2-46) and Kieron Pollard (1-26) combined to dismantle an Australian batting line-up missing a number of key players.

Miserly spinner Nikita Miller (0-35 from 10) also deserves praise for keeping the brakes on the Australians during the middle stages of the innings.

Rain took the players from the field for 15 minutes midway through the session and may become the Windies' biggest enemy, with showers possible later in the evening.

But it was in brilliant sunshine that makeshift openers Tim Paine and Adam Voges made their way to the middle before a smallish crowd after Chris Gayle won the toss and somewhat surprisingly sent Australia into bat.

The Windies included Wavell Hinds and Sammy in their line-up in a bid to break their losing streak.

Australia lost Shaun Marsh to a back injury in the warm-up and have left out Clint Mackay Brad Haddin and Shane Watson from the team that won by eight wickets in Adelaide on Tuesday.

Brief scores
Australia: 225 (Hussey 44, Rampaul 4-61, Smith 3-45)
West Indies: 6 for 0
Results: Abandoned