Brian Lara reached another milestone in Test cricket on Saturday but the rest of the news for the West Indies wasn’t good in the second Test against Australia at Bellerive Oval.
Lara became the second-highest test run-scorer but the Caribbean side was 82 for four in its second innings at stumps on the third day, still needing another 175 runs to make Australia bat again.
Lara (18 not out) and the injured Marlon Samuels (2 not out), batting with a runner, were the last of the specialist batsmen and faced a big challenge against the new-ball attack of Glenn McGrath (2-14) and Brett Lee (2-49).
Lara moved past Steve Waugh on the list of test run-scorers with a square drive to the boundary off Lee. The out-of-form Lara has scored 10 934 test runs, seven more than Waugh, who has 10 927, and only has only another former Australian captain, Allan Border (11 174), ahead of him on the list.
Australia, which resumed at 256-1 on Saturday, made 406 after the West Indies took six wickets in the morning session on Saturday, holding Australia to 150-9 on the day.
But McGrath wasted little time taking care of the West Indies top order, bowling Chris Gayle for four and then had Gayle’s opening partner Devon Smith (8) removed just before the tea break.
Vice-captain Ramnaresh Sarwan (32) was caught behind from a wild swipe at a Lee ball and captain Shivnarine Chanderpaul (10) lasted just 23 minutes before he became another Lee wicket.
Australia will retain the Frank Worrell Trophy by either drawing or winning the Hobart test after winning the first test in Brisbane by 379 runs. The third and final test begins next Friday in Adelaide.
Mike Hussey top-scored in the Australian first innings with 137, Matt Hayden (110) made another century, his fourth in four matches, and Brad Hodge scored 60 in his first test innings.
Fast bowler Fidel Edwards (3-115) led the West Indian comeback by dismissing Ricky Ponting (17) and Michael Clarke (5) to put Australia on the back foot early in the day.
Edwards was well supported by Corey Collymore (2-54) and Dwayne Bravo (2-96), as well as by some strong work in the field by super-substitute Dwayne Smith.
Wicketkeeper Adam Gilchrist (2) lasted just four balls and Shane Warne (1) also had a short stay at the crease.
Lee (18) added just one run after lunch and Hodge was trapped in front by Collymore soon after.
Stuart MacGill and McGrath made 29 for the last wicket to push Australia beyond the 400-run mark.
The Australian innings were marked a computer glitch that appeared to give Andrew Symonds an undeserved reprieve when he was run out.
Symonds (1) was out after a good piece of fielding by Dwayne Smith. The decision was referred to third umpire Steve Davis but Symonds, assuming he was out, had taken off his gloves and was halfway off the ground when a ”not out” verdict mistakenly flashed up on the scoreboard.
Symonds made an about-turn back to the crease, believing he had been handed a second chance. But umpire Aleem Dar refused to acknowledge the screen verdict and sent Symonds off the field.
A Cricket Australia spokesperson said a glitch in a new computer software program had caused the system to malfunction. – Sapa-AP