Australia set daunting target for West Indies
NORTH SOUND (Antigua), June 3: Australia set West Indies a total of 372 to win on the final day of the second Test at the Sir Vivian Richards Cricket Stadium.
Australia captain Ricky Ponting opted to declare his team’s second innings at the overnight total of 244 for six to give his bowlers the full three sessions to try and bowl out West Indies.
The tourists are 1-0 up from the first Test victory in Jamaica last week and a win on Tuesday would secure the three-Test series and the Frank Worrell Trophy.
On Monday, Australia fast bowler Brett Lee produced a dynamic spell of swing bowling to set his side up for a series victory.
Lee transformed the match with five wickets for five runs in a devastating spell as West Indies crumbled to 352 all out to trail by 127 runs.
An innings of 76 from opener Phil Jaques guided Australia to 244 for six by the end of the day.
West Indies, resuming their first innings at 255 for four, were all out for before lunch on the fourth day after Lee’s conventional and reverse swing ripped through their middle and lower order.
Shivnarine Chanderpaul and Dwayne Bravo had added 132 for the fifth wicket when Bravo was given out caught behind off a Lee delivery for 45, although television replays showed the ball had clipped Bravo’s thigh pad rather than his bat.
Lee then claimed Denesh Ramdin lbw with the next ball with replays showing he was struck outside the line of the off-stump.
With the first ball of his next over, Lee dismissed Darren Sammy also lbw for a duck. Meanwhile, Chanderpaul completed his second century of the series and the 19th of his career.
Jerome Taylor struck a swift 20 before he was clean bowled by a Lee yorker and Daren Powell became the third West Indies batsman to be dismissed lbw by Lee.
Mitchell Johnson got rid off Fidel Edwards caught behind for the fourth duck of the morning to complete a dramatic collapse from the hosts. Chanderpaul was unbeaten on 107.
With Simon Katich suffering from bruised ribs, Hussey opened with Jaques and they put on 74 before Hussey was caught behind off Bravo with Ramdin taking a sharp catch standing up to the stumps.
Jerome Taylor was rewarded for some consistently accurate bowling with the wickets of Jaques and Ponting (38).
Michael Clarke, a century-maker in the first innings, was run out for 10 by a direct hit from Chanderpaul and Brad Haddin was trapped lbw by Edwards for seven.
In the last over before the close, Lee, having been struck on the helmet by Edwards, was ruled caught behind off the same bowler although television replays showed the ball hit the Australian’s forearm not his glove. Andrew Symonds was unbeaten on 43.
Scoreboard
AUSTRALIA (1st Innings) 479-7 declared (S.M. Katich 113, M.J. Clarke 110, R.T. Ponting 65, B. Lee 63 not out).
WEST INDIES (1st Innings):
D.S. Smith c Symonds b Johnson 16
X.M. Marshall lbw b Clarke 53
R.R. Sarwan c Clarke b MacGill 65
R.S. Morton c Katich b Clarke 2
S. Chanderpaul not out 107
D.J. Bravo c Haddin b Lee 45
D. Ramdin lbw b Lee 0
D.J.G. Sammy lbw b Lee 0
J.E. Taylor b Lee 20
D.B.L. Powell lbw b Lee 0
F.H. Edwards c Haddin b Johnson 0
EXTRAS (B-17, LB-13, W-2, NB-12) 44
TOTAL (all out, 107 overs) 352
FALL OF WKTS: 1-55, 2-103, 3-105, 4-182, 5-314, 6-314, 7-318, 8-341, 9-341.
BOWLING: Lee 21-7-59-5 (4nb 1w); Johnson 24-5-72-2; Clark 14-0-39-0; MacGill 21-1-107-1 (8nb 1w); Clarke 15-7-20-2; Symonds 12-3-25-0.
AUSTRALIA (2nd Innings, overnight 244-6):
P.A. Jaques c Ramdin b Taylor 76
M.E.K. Hussey c Ramdin b Bravo 40
R.T. Ponting lbw b Taylor 38
M.J. Clarke run out 10
A. Symonds not out 43
B.J. Haddin lbw Edwards 7
B. Lee c Ramdin b Edwards 4
EXTRAS (B-8, LB-6, W-3, NB-9) 26
TOTAL (for six decl, 61.5 overs) 244
FALL OF WKTS: 1-74, 2-163, 3-178, 4-186, 5-222, 6-244.
BOWLING: Powell 13-3-47-0 (2nb); Edwards 7.5-1-28-2 (3nb); Taylor 12-0-33-2 (1nb); Sammy 12-1-45-0 (1w); Bravo 14-1-59-1 (3nb 2w); Sarwan 3-0-18-0.—Reuters