Aus beat Windies by innings and plenty
The Rediff Team
Australia, on day three of the first Test against the Windies, took another step towards taking away from the former world champions one of their most prized records.
A win by an innings and 126 runs gave the Australians 11 consequtive Test wins, equalling a Windies record set in 1983-'84.
Glenn McGrath, who had started the rout on the evening of day two when he took out Sherwin Campbell and Brian Lara, went wicketless in the morning session, but returned after lunch to take out the tail, claiming four for the innings with the incredible analysis of 13-9-10-4. If that analysis seems amazing, then check out his match analysis -- 33-21-27-10!
Helping McGrath complete the formalities were Stuart McGill (2/42) and Brett Lee (3/40).
Overnight not out Darren Ganga was the first to go, charging down the wicket to McGill. The opener had spent a good part of his innings bemused by the bounce and turn from the leg-spinner, and in an attempt to hit him out of line, went dancing down to find himself stranded, allowing Adam Gilchrist the luxury of fumbling with the take before completing the stumping.
Jimmy Adams, as in the first innings, showed the commitment to try and hang in there, but the relentless attack ground him down. The imperative of dogged defence produced the mistake, as he attempted to withdraw his bat from line of a Lee delivery, was beaten for pace, and found the ball brushing bat en route to the keeper.
Ramnaresh Sarwan, struggling to find some sort of form, was lucky to survive a very good LBW appeal, but Lee promptly produced the unplayable yorker at top speed to send him back for a duck -- his second successive pair in Tests.
Andy Bichel then enticed 'keeper Ridley Jacobs into playing a loose drive for Mark Waugh at second slip to take. Nixon McLean alone, of the tail, attempted some resistance, but a very quick delivery from Lee undid him for pace and trapped him plumb.
The only West Indian batsman who, on the day, looked as though he belonged at the international level was Shivnaraine Chanderpaul. Though the pitch was playing tricks of its own and the bowlers had their tails up, Chanderpaul played with calm good sense, displaying a tight defence and a willingness to play shots to deliveries that were in the right slot, together with the patience to wait for the right ball to hit.
His vigil ended in an unbeaten innings of 62 off 157 balls, coming in at the fall of Lara's wicket and watching the rest of his team-mates succumb at the other end. The result means that this is the second time this year that the Windies have lost a Test in half the allotted time, and forms a further sorry milestone in the slide of the once mighty nation.
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