Aussies extend winning streak

Australia completed one of their biggest victories over the West Indies on Friday, winning the fourth Test by 352 runs at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.

The Australians swept to an unprecedented 14th straight Test win when they dismissed the hapless tourists for 109 some 45 minutes after lunch on the fourth day.

Australia will now push for a 5-0 series clean sweep in the fifth Test at the Sydney Cricket Ground, which begins next Tuesday. The tourists lost the opening two Tests in Brisbane and Perth inside three days and last week's third Adelaide Test by five wickets early on the fifth day.

Impressive 19-year-old Marlon Samuels followed up his unbeaten 60 in the first innings with another topscoring 46 before he was the last wicket to fall caught in the outfield going for his half-century off the bowling of Colin Miller.

He was the shining beacon as his senior teammates again showed a lack of application and fortitude against the remorseless Australian attack, spearheaded by paceman Jason Gillespie.

Gillespie took the first six wickets to fall and finished with 6-40 off 17 overs.

It was another sad day for West Indian cricket with vice-captain Sherwin Campbell out for six after the opening half-hour.

Vice-captain Sherwin Campbell's abysmal series continued when he was out for six scored in 75 minutes.

Campbell's wretched sequence of scores this series have been 10, 0, 3, 4, 18, 8, 5, 6 -- a total of 54 runs at 6.75.

The Barbados right-hander edged a Gillespie lifter outside offstump to be snapped up chest-high by Ricky Ponting at first slip.

Captain Jimmy Adams suffered the ignominy of a pair of ducks when he was out first ball to put Gillespie on a hattrick. Adams, who lasted six balls in the first innings, poked at a delivery outside the offstump straight to Mark Waugh at second slip to leave his team tumbling further at 17 for five. It was his third duck of the series.

Samuels saw off the hattrick but Gillespie captured his sixth wicket in his next over when he removed nightwatchman Colin Stuart.

Stuart, sent in late the previous evening, was lbw to a change of pace full toss and did well to last 60 minutes and 53 balls for his four leaving the tourists at 23 for six.

Wicketkeeper Ridley Jacobs and Samuels had stalled Australia's push for victory before the Antiguan left-hander was given out in dubious circumstances caught behind off spinner Miller.

Jacobs and Samuels had recovered their team's second innings to 77 for six playing with refreshing confidence and technique in contrast to the woeful efforts of their top-order batsmen.

The ball appeared on television replays to miss Jacobs' bat and wicketkeeper Adam Gilchrist caught it at the second attempt, yet Australian umpire Simon Taufel, officiating in his first Test, gave Jacobs out.

Jacobs had made 23 off 40 balls and shared in a 54-run stand with Samuels.

Nixon McLean didn't help matters with his senseless run out for one in the final over before lunch leaving the tourists at 78 for eight.

Mervyn Dillon rode his luck for 35 minutes before he was bowled by Miller for 15 and Courtney Walsh, given a rousing ovation as he came to the crease in his last appearance at the MCG and remained not out 0.

Scoreboard

Australia (1st innings): 364 (S.R. Waugh 121 not out, A.C. Gilchrist 37; M. Dillon 4-76).

West Indies (1st innings): 165 (M.N. Samuels 60 not out, R.D. Jacobs 42; A.J. Bichel 5-60, J.N. Gillespie 3-48).

Australia (2nd innings): 262 for five declared (J. L. Langer 80, M. E. Waugh 78 not out; J.C. Adams 2-43).

West Indies (2nd innings): (10 for 3 overnight)

S. L. Campbell c Ponting b Gillespie 6
D. Ganga lbw b Gillespie 0
W. W. Hinds c Bichel b Gillespie 4
B. C. Lara b Gillespie 0
C.E.L.Stuart lbw b Gillespie 4
J. C. Adams c M.Waugh b Gillespie 0
M. N. Samuels c Gillespie b Miller 46
R. D. Jacobs c Gilchrist b Miller 23
N.A.M. McLean run out (Bichel) 1
M. Dillon b Miller 15
C. A. Walsh not out 0
Extras (lb1, nb9) 10
Total (all out, 49.3 overs) 109
Fall of wkts: 1-1, 2-6, 3-7, 4-17, 5-17, 6-23, 7-77, 8-78, 9-108
Bowling: McGrath 12-6-10-0 (2nb), Gillespie 17-5-40-6 (6nb), Miller 14.3-2-40-3, Bichel 6-0-18-0 (1nb).
Umpires: Simon Taufel (Aus), Srinivas Venkataraghavan (Ind)

Australia won by 352 runs

Australia lead series 4-0

Man-of-the-match: Steve Waugh (Aus)

Mail Cricket Editor