Australia fast bowler Brett Lee produced a dynamic spell of swing bowling to set his side up for a series victory over the West Indies on Monday.
At the close of the fourth day of the second Test, Australia led by 371 with four second-innings wickets in hand on a deteriorating pitch after winning the first Test in the three-match series.
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 244-6 by the end of the day, leaving Ricky Ponting to decide whether to declare overnight or to add a few more runs in the morning before trying to bowl out the hosts.
West Indies, resuming their first innings at 255-4, 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, Michael Hussey opened with Phil 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 Fidel 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. — Reuters