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| April 12, 2003 | Saturday | Safar 9, 1424 |
Langer, Ponting punish Windies with centuries
GEORGETOWN (Guyana), April 11: Justin Langer and the in-form Ricky Ponting completed unbeaten centuries as Australia took full control of the first Test against West Indies on Friday.
Left-handed opener Langer and vice-captain Ponting took their third-wicket stand to 216 as Australia cruised to 253 for one at lunch on the second day, in reply to West Indies’ 237 all out.
Australia had resumed on 120 for one and added 133 in the session without alarm.
Langer completed his 14th Test hundred with a quick single. He faced 159 balls and hit one six and 14 fours. He was on 129, having hit 18 fours and two sixes, to Ponting’s 103 at the break.
Ponting, establishing himself as the most formidable number three in the world, completed his 15th Test hundred in the last over before the break with a lofted on drive for four.
It was his fourth hundred in his last 10 Test innings and followed his match-winning 140 not out in last month’s World Cup final against India.
Former number three Langer’s fortunes have been transformed since he returned to the side as an opener after being dropped for the tour to England in 2001.
Australia had only two scares as the West Indies bowlers toiled on a hard, dry wicket.
Ponting, who hit 10 fours in his first 50, was lucky to escape a run-out when he hesitated over a quick single only for fielder Devon Smith to miss the stumps.
Langer escaped on 116 when he got an outside edge to Pedro Collins but stand-in wicket-keeper Wavell Hinds — Ridley Jacobs hurt a hamstring while batting — reacted too slowly.
Australia will go back to the top of the world Test standings ahead of South Africa if they win the four-Test series.
Nothing has gone right for their hosts after Carl Hooper withdrew from the squad after being axed as captain while Brian Lara’s vice-captain Ramnaresh Sarwan missed the game through injury.
On Thursday, Shivnarine Chanderpaul scored the third fastest hundred in Test history to keep West Indies’ hopes alive.
Australia were still in control as they reached 120-1 at the close with Langer unbeaten on 55 and Ponting on 46.
The West Indies were also boosted by an undefeated, one-legged half-century by Jacobs, who batted with a runner after straining a hamstring.
He was left stranded on 54 as the wickets fell around him.
WEST INDIES (1st Innings):
W.W. Hinds c Langer b Hogg 10
D.S. Smith lbw b Lee 3
D. Ganga b Gillespie 0
B.C. Lara lbw b Bichel 26
M.N. Samuels c Hayden b Hogg 0
S. Chanderpaul lbw b Bichel 100
R.D. Jacobs not out 54
V.C. Drakes c Gilchrist b Bichel 0
M. Dillon lbw b MacGill 20
P.T. Collins st Gilchrist b MacGill 3
J.J.C. Lawson b Lee 0
EXTRAS (B-10, LB-2, W-3, NB-6) 21
TOTAL (all out, 50.3 overs) 237
FALL OF WKTS: 1-9 2-10 3-47 4-47 5-53
6-184 7-184 8-222 9-236
BOWLING: Lee 10.3-1-41-2 (nb-5 w-3), Gillespie 12-3-40-1, Bichel 8-1-55-3,
Hogg 8-1-40-2, MacGill 12-4-49-2 (nb-1)
AUSTRALIA (1st Innings, overnight 120-1):
J.L. Langer not out 129
M.L. Hayden run out 10
R.T. Ponting not out 103
EXTRAS (LB-5, NB-6) 11
TOTAL (for one wkt, 62 overs) 253
FALL OF WKT: 1-37.
TO BAT: D.S. Lehmann, S.R. Waugh, A.C. Gilchrist, G.B. Hogg, A.J. Bichel, B. Lee, J.N. Gillespie, S.C.G. MacGill.
BOWLING (to-date): Dillon 15-0-77-0; Collins 17-1-60-0 (3nb); Lawson 9-0-48-0; Drakes 13-4-35-0 (3nb); Samuels 8-0-28-0.—Reuters
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