ST JOHN’S (Antigua), May 13: Record-breaking West Indies made the highest-ever fourth innings winning total to beat Australia by three wickets in the fourth and final Test on Tuesday and avoid an unprecedented home whitewash.
West Indies, set 418 to win and 3-0 down in the series, reached the historic target with an unbeaten eighth-wicket partnership of 46 from lower order batsmen Omari Banks and Vasbert Drakes.
Drakes’s winning hit set off wild celebrations when he cut a four down to backward point off costly leg-spinner Stuart MacGill.
The triumph surpassed the previous record — India’s 406 for four to beat West Indies in Port of Spain in 1976 — and handed captain Brian Lara his first success in his second stint as captain.
Drakes made 27 and 20-year-old Banks, in only his second test, a battling 47.
Against the best bowling attack in world cricket, it was a remarkable performance by West Indies, who early on the fourth day had slumped to 74 for three before they were boosted by centuries from Guyanese pair Ramnaresh Sarwan (105) and Shivnarine Chanderpaul (104).
West Indies resumed on Tuesday on 371 for six, needing 47 to win, but suffered a quick blow when they lost Chanderpaul, their last recognised batsman.
In a tense atmosphere, Brett Lee made the early breakthrough in the fourth over of the morning.
Bowling round the wicket, Lee delivered a ball about two feet wide of the off-stump which found the edge of Chanderpaul’s bat and Adam Gilchrist took a low catch to his left to remove the left-hander.
But Drakes and Banks, playing with great maturity, steered the West Indies home in a dramatic session which included several loud appeals and a massive six by Drakes off MacGill who ended the innings with just one wicket for 149 off 35.5 overs.
Beaten Australian captain Steve Waugh said: “It was an outstanding (West Indies) team win. To chase 400 is a magnificent performance and I take my hat off to them.
“But from our point of view it’s been an excellent series. To win three Test matches on such flat wickets was a tremendous effort from all the bowlers and all the squad.”
On Monday, West Indies captain Brian Lara also chipped in with a belligerent 60.
Lee had put Australia back on top by dismissing Sarwan and Ridley Jacobs with successive balls, the second a controversial dismissal that sparked bottle-throwing from the crowd.
But Chanderpaul and Banks then combined for their potentially match-winning partnership to leave the Test on a knife-edge heading into the final day.
Lara had earlier revived the West Indies innings after they slumped to 75 for three in the morning session.
The West Indies captain had been initially circumspect but after the lunch break he hit three fours and three massive sixes before MacGill deceived him in the flight and he was bowled.
Sarwan and Chanderpaul then combined for a 123-run fifth wicket partnership in which the pair dispatched the Australian attack to all corners of the ground with a flurry of boundaries and gave West Indies renewed hope of winning the Test.
Their partnership also included several fiery incidents, notably when Glenn McGrath and Sarwan were involved in a heated finger-pointing exchange.
McGrath was later moved in from the boundary following abuse from West Indies supporters before Sarwan completed his second Test century, and first in the Caribbean, off 137 balls with 16 fours.
But Sarwan then gave his wicket away shortly after when he miscued an attempted pull and offered a simple caught and bowled to Lee.
Lee then greeted Jacobs with a bouncer which struck the batsman and looped high into the gloves of Gilchrist to controversially leave West Indies 288 for six.
Television replays suggested Jacobs had been hit on the forearm and angry fans hurled plastic bottles onto the outfield, halting the game for five minutes.
Chanderpaul and Banks, helped by a brief rain interruption, then steadied the home team after Banks escaped when Martin Love dropped an easy catch at first slip off Lee while on two.
Chanderpaul hit successive boundaries off MacGill then completed his century in the next over with a quick single. He received 140 balls and hit 17 fours and a six.
AUSTRALIA (1st Innings) 240 (J.J.C. Lawson 7-78).
WEST INDIES (1st Innings) 240 (B.C. Lara 68).
AUSTRALIA (2nd Innings) 417 (M.L. Hayden 177, J.L. Langer 111; M. Dillon 4-112).
WEST INDIES (2nd Innings, overnight 371-6):
C.H. Gayle c Waugh b Lee 19
D.S. Smith c Gilchrist b Gillespie 23
D. Ganga lbw b McGrath 8
B.C. Lara b MacGill 60
R.R. Sarwan c and b Lee 105
S. Chanderpaul c Gilchrist b Lee 104
R.D. Jacobs c Gilchrist b Lee 0
O.A.C. Banks not out 47
V.C. Drakes not out 27
EXTRAS (B-9, LB-9, W-1, NB-6) 25
TOTAL (for seven wkts, 128.5 overs) 418
FALL OF WKTS: 1-48, 2-50, 3-74, 4-165,
5-288, 6-288, 7-372.
BOWLING: McGrath 25-10-50-1; Gillespie 25-10-64-1; Lee 23-4-63-4 (3nb); MacGill
35.5-8-149-1; Bichel 15-3-49-0 (3nb, 1w); Waugh 5-0-25-0.
RESULT: West Indies won by three wickets, Australia win series 3-1.
UMPIRES: D.R. Shepherd (England) and
S. Venkataraghavan (India).
TV UMPIRE: B. Doctrove (West Indies).
MATCH REFEREE: M.J. Procter (South Africa).
MAN-OF-THE-MATCH: Shivnarine Chanderpaul.
MAN-OF-THE-SERIES: Ricky Ponting.
FIRST TEST: Georgetown, Australia won by nine wickets.
SECOND TEST: Port-of-Spain, Australia won by 118 runs.
THIRD TEST: Bridgetown, Australia won by nine wickets.—Reuters