West Indies squeeze past follow-on

The West Indies squeezed past the follow-on to stall Australia's relentless charge for another comprehensive win and their record 14th on the trot in a dramatic finish to the second day of the fourth cricket Test in Melbourne on Wednesday.

Chasing Australia's first innings 364, last man in Courtney Walsh was run-out going for a ridiculous third run after he and partner Marlon Samuel had scraped their team past the follow-on target of 165 runs in the process to force Australia to bat again.

Having already lost the series after big defeats in the first three Tests, the West Indies looked doomed to face the indignity of being forced to follow-on, but they were indebted to a spirited unbeaten 60 from Samuel.

Samuel, playing in only his second Test, had batted with courage for 153 minutes while his teammates crashed around him.

The Test now looks certain to go into a fourth day after the West Indians had been humbled inside three days in the first two Tests in Brisbane and Perth.

The tourists looked to have stabilised with a 75-run sixth wicket stand between the in-form Ridley Jacobs and Samuels before Jacobs fell to a blinding one-handed catch from Mark Waugh at second slip to leave his team at 103 for six.

With Jacobs back in the stands for 42 off 69 balls after his unbeaten 96 in the second Perth Test, the West Indies bunkered down with Samuel at the helm and only the weather shaping as their potential ally.

Rain intervened three times on Wednesday and it was just minutes after returning to the wicket from the third shower delay that Jacobs, his concentration broken, lost his vital wicket.

Nixon McLean hoicked Andy Bichel for six but the Queenslander got his revenge when he yorked him for 17 leaving the tourists groping at 144 for seven and Mervyn Dillon was bowled first ball by Jason Gillespie nearing stumps for 150 for eight.

Colin Stuart was bowled for one giving Bichel five wickets for the innings for the first time in a Test. He claimed 5-60 off 13.3 overs.

After Steve Waugh completed his 23rd Test hundred to be unbeaten on 121 in Australia's first innings, the West Indies unravelled as Waugh's team went for the jugular in their attempt to whitewash the series 5-0 with the final Sydney Test to play in the New Year.

Australia had made it look so easy as the batting tail wagged furiously with the last five wickets adding 215 runs after the home side had been labouring at 149 for five on Tuesday.

Waugh, who batted for 362 minutes and faced 237 balls, put on 81 runs with Gillespie (19) and 41 with buccaneering Colin Miller to make a mockery of the tourists' ragged bowling as Australia profited from sloppy bowling and fielding.

Miller was dropped twice in the outfield by Courtney Walsh and Samuels on his way to a pugnacious 29 off 35 balls with two fours and a hooked six.

Even renowned batting bunny Glenn McGrath chipped in with an imperious 11 to add to the tourists' angst.

The only shining light for the tormented tourists was wicketkeeper Jacobs' seven catches in the innings to equal the Test record along with Pakistan's Wasim Bari, England's Bob Taylor and New Zealander Ian Smith.

Fast bowler Dillon, who dismissed Miller and McGrath, winced in pain from a lingering ankle injury, yet he finished with the best figures of 4-76 off 21 overs.

But no sooner was it the West Indians' turn at bat after a 35-minute rain delay following lunch than they imploded as the Australians made them scrap for every run.

Gillespie removed Daren Ganga for four and Wavell Hinds was dropped twice in two balls before Michael Slater plucked a spectacular catch from mid-air in the gully to be out for a duck.

The West Indians' great batting hope Brian Lara lasted 42 minutes before he was snapped up low down at second slip by Mark Waugh off Andy Bichel for 16 to leave his team in convulsions at 28 for three.

Lara's dismissal heralded a chaotic 13-ball spell with the West Indies losing 3-0 as out-of-form opener Sherwin Campbell played and missed constantly before being caught close to the wicket by Matthew Hayden off Miller for five -- in a 63-ball stay that featured just two scoring shots.

Captain Jimmy Adams lasted just six balls before a delivery from Bichel appeared to glance his gloves to offer Adam Gilchrist a catch behind for a duck.

In six innings in this series, the West Indies have been dismissed five times under 200. The tourists lost the opening two Tests by an innings and last week's Adelaide third Test by five wickets.

Scoreboard

Australia (1st innings): (295 for 7 overnight)

M. J. Slater c Jacobs b McLean 30
M. L. Hayden c Jacobs b Walsh 13
J. L. Langer c Jacobs b Stuart 31
M. E. Waugh c Adams b Dillon 25
S. R. Waugh not out 121
R. T. Ponting c Hinds b McLean 23
A. C. Gilchrist c Campbell b Stuart 37
A. J. Bichel c Jacobs b Dillon 3
J. N. Gillespie c Jacobs b Walsh 19
C. R. Miller c Jacobs b Dillon 29
G. D. McGrath c Jacobs b Dillon 11
Extras (lb4, nb17, w1) 22
Total (all out, 114 overs) 364
Fall of wickets: 1-41, 2-47, 3-101, 4-105, 5-149, 6-210, 7-225, 8-306, 9-347
Bowling: Walsh 33-6-62-2 (10nb), Dillon 21-2-76-4 (2nb, 1w), McLean 27-5-95-2, Stuart 15-4-52-2 (5nb), Samuel 14-0-56-0, Adams 4-0-19-0.

West Indies (1st innings):

S. L. Campbell c Hayden b Miller 5
D. Ganga c Gilchrist b Gillespie 4
W. W. Hinds c Slater b Gillespie 0
B. C. Lara c M. Waugh b Bichel 16
J. C. Adams c Gilchrist b Bichel 0
M. N. Samuels not out 60
R. D. Jacobs c M. Waugh b Bichel 42
N. A. McLean b Bichel 17
M. Dillon b Gillespie 0
C. E. Stuart b Bichel 1
C. A. Walsh run out (McGrath) 4
Extras (lb5, nb11) 16
Total (all out, 57.3 overs) 165
Fall of wkts: 1-5, 2-6, 3-28, 4-28, 5-28, 6-103, 7-144, 8-150, 9-157
Bowling: McGrath 13-7-15-0 (1nb), Gillespie 18-6-48-3 (7nb), Bichel 13.3-2-60-5 (3nb) Miller 13-5-37-1.

Mail Cricket Editor