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| November 22, 2005 | Tuesday | Shawwal 19, 1426 |
Australians take unbeatable lead over West Indies
HOBART (Australia), Nov 21: Australia cruised to a nine-wicket victory in the second Test against West Indies on Monday, allowing the hosts to retain the Frank Worrell Trophy after taking an unassailable 2-0 lead in three-match series.
The Australians raced to their victory target of 78 in just 97 minutes from 26.1 overs before lunch on the fifth and final day at Bellerive Oval.
Western Australia opener Mike Hussey struck 31 not out, including the winning runs, from 82 balls to win the Man-of-the-Match award after making 137 in the first innings, his maiden Test hundred.
Matthew Hayden, who also made a century in the first innings, was the lone batsman to be dismissed, throwing his wicket away for 46 with just one run needed for victory.
Trying to smash a boundary to reach his half-century, the Queenslander top-edged a half-volley from Chris Gayle and gave Devon Smith an easy catch at extra cover.
Captain Ricky Ponting faced three balls without scoring, allowing Hussey to flick a single round his legs off Ramnaresh Sarwan to seal victory.
Australia won the first Test in Brisbane two weeks ago by 379 runs and the third and final Test starts in Adelaide on Friday.
The hosts were always in control of the second test after dismissing the tourists for 149 on the first day then piling on 406 in reply to lead by 257 on the first innings.
The match had seemed to be heading to an early finish when West Indies slumped to 140-6 before lunch on the fourth day, but all-rounder Dwayne Bravo and wicket-keeper Denesh Ramdin stalled Australia’s push for victory with a stubborn partnership.
The pair added 182 for the seventh wicket with Bravo making a brilliant 113 and Ramdin 71 to force the match into a fifth day.
West Indies captain Shivnarine Chanderpaul declared that all was not lost for his touring side.
“We’ve seen positives from this game already so hopefully we’ll get tougher and get better,” Chanderpaul said.
“We’ve been playing catch-up cricket but hopefully we can take that into the next game and start from the front.”
He added that the performances of Bravo and Ramdin had given the whole team a big boost.
“They showed a lot of courage out there, it’s a big lift for the rest of us,” he said. “It’s always good to see two young guys go out there and produce because it boosts team morale.
“They’re both very young so hopefully that can go on in the future. We just hope they go back and don’t relax and keep working hard.”
Chanderpaul said his team were determined to play even better on an Adelaide pitch renowned as a batsman’s paradise.
“Everyone got to work hard on their mistakes and keep looking forward,” he said.
“I don’t think anybody’s confident, guys are struggling right now and everybody knows that if you don’t perform you might not get selected again.
“But all the young guys know they have to work hard on their cricket.”
Ponting said he was impressed by the West Indian fightback after his team seemed to be cruising to an even easier win.
“They had a couple of very good days as the game progressed,” Ponting said.
“After being bowled out for 150 and then have our openers do what they did the game was pretty much over and done with as far as we were concerned but certainly not as far as the West Indies were concerned.
“They’ve really put their hand up this game and showed a lot of fight and a lot of character which is what we’ve come to expect from West Indian teams.”
“I thought the two young guys batted exceptionally well, they were very good against a couple of exceptional leg spinners and a couple of pretty good quickies as well.
“Even though the wicket was flat they still had to do what they did and they did it pretty well so you’d think that those two guys will be around for a while yet.”
Scoreboard
WEST INDIES (1st Innings) 149 (C.H. Gayle 56; G.D. McGrath 4-31).
AUSTRALIA (1st Innings) 406 (M.E.K. Hussey 137, M.L. Hayden 110, B.J. Hodge 60).
WEST INDIES (2nd Innings) 334 (D.J.J. Bravo 113, D. Ramdin 71; S.K. Warne 4-112).
AUSTRALIA (2nd Innings):
M.E.K. Hussey not out 31
M.L. Hayden c D.S. Smith b Gayle 46
R.T. Ponting not out 0
EXTRAS (NB-1) 1
TOTAL (for one wkt, 26.1 overs) 78
FALL OF WKT: 1-77.
BOWLING: Edwards 5-1-16-0 (1nb); Powell 7-1-21–0; Bravo 7-1-21-0; Gayle 6-2-16-1; Sarwan 1.1-0-4-0.
RESULT: Australia won by nine wickets.
UMPIRES: Aleem Dar (Pakistan) and R.E. Koertzen (South Africa).
TV UMPIRE: S.J. Davis (Australia).
MATCH REFEREE: M.J. Procter (South Africa).
MAN-OF-THE-MATCH: Michael Hussey.
FIRST TEST: Brisbane, Australia won by 379 runs.
THIRD TEST: Adelaide, Nov 25-29.—Agencies
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