Samuels strikes twice in fairytale debut for Windies

West Indies teenager Marlon Samuels capped a fairytale debut in Adelaide on Saturday by snatching two crucial late wickets on the second day of the third cricket Test against Australia.

The 19-year-old from Jamaica helped the tourists stay strongly in contention, grabbing two of three Australian wickets to fall for 13 runs shortly before stumps.

It left the home side 180 for three, still 211 runs behind the tourists' first innings 391. Together at the crease were Mark Waugh (10) and nightwatchman Jason Gillespie (2).

The triple breakthrough came after Australia's batsmen chased runs with a vengeance when they set out after the West Indies' total, their biggest of the series.

Openers Michael Slater and Matthew Hayden hit out boldly, smashing 156 runs in 165 minutes before Hayden was run out for 58 -- the second time he had been dismissed that way in three innings in the series.

Then Samuels, a batsman/off-spinner from Jamaica who joined the touring squad only a week ago, maintained the West Indies' momentum by ousting Slater (83) and Justin Langer (6) in the space of eight balls.

Earlier, Samuels had showed his prowess with the bat, making an impressive 35 in almost two hours.

The Slater-Hayden run-surge followed a superb 182 by Windies' batting superstar Brian Lara, who hit the fourth-highest score of his illustrious 73-Test career.

Australia's attacking verve left no doubt that cricket's unofficial world Test champions -- under stand-in captain Adam Gilchrist -- were hell-bent on adding to their world record 12 consecutive Test wins, secured in Perth.

Slater and Hayden slammed their first 50 together in only 58 minutes, completed a century stand in 111 minutes and passed 150 in 159 minutes from only 36.1 overs.

Hayden fell in the 38th over, failing to beat Sherwin Campbell's return to wicketkeeper Ridley Jacobs after Slater had guided a ball from Samuels to backward square leg.

Slater, perhaps unsettled by the manner of his partner's demise, also fell as he cut a short ball from Samuels to backward point, where substitute fieldsman Ramnaresh Sarwan pouched the chance.

In his next over, Samuels then removed little left-hander Justin Langer, as Lara held a sharp catch at slip.

The West Indies' lower-order had crumbled again after Lara had been dismissed.

The tourists crashed from a formidable 354 for five immediately before Lara's dismissal to 391 all out, losing their last five wickets to off-spinner Colin Miller.

Lara fell after tormenting the home team with an onslaught spiced with 29 sizzling fours and one six.

Resuming with an unbeaten 136 when the West Indies went back to the crease with 274 for four, Lara battered another eight fours, most of them off luckless leg-spinner Stuart MacGill.

Lara has bettered 182 only three times in Test ranks. He cracked his world Test record 375 against England in St John's, Antigua, in 1994; 277 against Australia in Sydney in 1993; and 213 off the Australian attack in Kingston last year.

The little left-hander is also the holder of the record for the highest score in first-class cricket: his 501 not out for Warwickshire against Durham in an English county championship game in 1994.

Lara was at the crease for almost six hours, finishing with 29 thundering fours and one six. He finally fell when he drove at a delivery from Miller, edged and was snapped up by Mark Waugh at slip.

Lara received wonderful support from Samuels. In an auspicious Test debut in which he displayed outstanding technical skills and a marvellous temperament, he whacked four sledgehammer boundaries before also being trapped by Miller.

Paceman Jason Gillespie struck the first blow of the day for Australia in the opening over when he trapped nightwatchman Mervyn Dillon (nine) to have wonderful figures of 5-89.

Miller, a veteran of almost 37 who is playing in only his 15th Test, then took over, capturing 5 for 11 off 8.5 overs as he snatched the wickets of Lara, Samuels, Nixon McLean (0), Ridley Jacobs (21) and Courtney Walsh (0).

Scoreboard

West Indies (1st innings): (274 for four overnight)

S.L. Campbell lbw Gillespie 18
D. Ganga b Gillespie 23
W.W. Hinds c Ponting b Gillespie 27
B.C. Lara c M. Waugh b Miller 182
J.C. Adams c Gilchrist b Gillespie 49
M. Dillon c M. Waugh b Gillespie 9
M. Samuels lbw Miller 35
R.D. Jacobs c Langer b Miller 21
N A. McLean lbw Miller 0
M.I. Black not out 1
C A. Walsh lbw Miller 0
Extras (b8, lb12, nb6) 26
Total ( overs 128.5) 391
Fall of wickets: 1-45, 2-52, 3-86, 4-269, 5-280, 6-354, 7-376, 8-382, 9-391, 10-391 Bowling: G. D. McGrath 36-14-83-0 (3nb), J. N. Gillespie 32-9-89-5 (2nb), C. R. Miller 35.5-13-81-5 (1nb), S. C. G. MacGill 24-5-118-0, R. T. Ponting 1-1-0-0
Batting time: 520 mins

Australia (1st innings):

M.J. Slater c sub (Sarwan) b Samuels 83
M.L. Hayden run out 58
J.L. Langer c Lara b Samuels 6
M.E. Waugh not out 10
J.N. Gillespie not out 2
Extras (b2,lb9,w2,nb8) 21
Total (for 3 wkts, 49 overs) 180
Fall of wickets: 1-156, 2-160, 3-169
Bowling: C. A. Walsh 13-1-36-0 (5nb), M. I. Black 10-1-39-0 (3nb), M. Dillon 6-0-33-0 (2w), N. A. M. McLean 7-0-23-0, J. C. Adams 2-0-13-0, M. Samuels 11-3-25-2.

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Mail Cricket Editor