Australia make it 13 Test wins in a row
Australia defeated the West Indies by five wickets in the third cricket Test at Adelaide Oval here Tuesday to wrap up the five-Test series 3-0 and retain the Frank Worrell Trophy.
Set a victory target of 130 after bundling out the tourists for a paltry second innings 141, the home side finished with 130 for five to extend their world record of consecutive Test wins to 13.
They were guided home by Damien Martyn (34 not out) and acting captain Adam Gilchrist (10) after Justin Langer had been dismissed for 48.
Australia, resuming with 98 for four -- needing another 32 runs -- on the fifth and final day, had few palpitations as they completed their mission.
Australia's win followed massives triumphs in Brisbane (by an innings and 126 runs) and Perth (an innings and 27 runs).
The win was a special triumph for stand-in captain Adam Gilchrist, the first wicketkeeper to lead Australia in a Test for 32 years.
Gilchrist is deputising for the injured Steve Waugh, out with a buttock muscle strain.
There were times during the game when Australia were in a spot of bother, but Gilchrist commanded superbly under pressure as his team regained the ascendancy.
The West Indies, despite a much improved performance in Adelaide, have now lost 16 of their past 18 away games.
The most heartening feature for the Windies here was that champion batsman Brian Lara at last found his best Test form, with knocks of 182 and 39.
But the rest of the tourists' batting remained below par, with no other player topping 50 in either innings.
The next best contribution came from skipper Jimmy Adams, who hit a patient 49 in just over three hours in the first innings.
Australia's match-winner was veteran 36-year-old off-spinner Colin Miller, who captured five scalps in each innings for a match return of 10-113 -- the first time he has captured 10 wickets in a Test.
It was Miller, who won the man of the match award, who put Australia firmly on the victory path Monday when he mesmerised the Windies' batsmen as they faltered disastrously on a wearing pitch.
Miller, despite his advanced years, now looks certain to be a member of the Australian squad to tour India early next year and to travel to England for the Ashes series soon after.
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Mail Cricket Editor
