Steve Waugh puts Aussies in command

Steve Waugh broke the West Indies' hearts while Michael Slater once again crashed out in the nervous nineties as Australia took charge of the fifth cricket Test in Sydney on Wednesday.

Caribbean hopes of putting the Australians under pressure were at first unhinged by another gung-ho Slater cameo and then dashed by the remorseless Australian skipper and Ricky Ponting late in the day.

The Australians, pursuing their 15th successive Test victory and an unprecedented 5-0 series whitewash, had the tourists again on the ropes at the end of the second day's play and led by 12 runs with six wickets in hand.

Waugh followed up his unbeaten 121 in the fourth Test in Melbourne to be unbeaten on 82 in 204 minutes at stumps, with Ricky Ponting not out 51. The pair had put on 127 runs in 147 minutes for the unbroken fifth wicket.

West Indies cricket teams are doubtless heartily sick of the sight of 35-year-old Waugh. It was his 10th half-century against them and he is on course for his sixth century on Thursday's third day.

Waugh, playing in his 132nd Test, survived a confident lbw appeal off Courtney Walsh when on seven and went on to make them pay dearly, slogging Mahendra Nagamootoo for six on to the SCG Hill.

While Waugh has visions of his 24th career Test hundred Slater endured another of his unfulfilled days when he scorched to 96 off 142 balls only to perish going after the tourists' tyro legspinner Nagamootoo.

It was the ninth time in 67 Tests Slater had been out in the 90s.

Slater was crestfallen when he saw Marlon Samuels positioning himself to take the catch at point, ending his typically swashbuckling innings of 13 boundaries and one all-run four in 174 minutes at the crease.

The effervescent New South Wales opener was closing in on his 15th Test century, but such is his sequence of dismissals that there was a noticeable anxiety among his home crowd as he approached the target.

If Slater was devastated to be out four runs short of 100 a half-hour before tea, Mark Waugh was equally so when he was run out during the third hour of play.

It was going to take an error to break up the blossoming partnership between Slater and Waugh and it came in the 30th over at 109 for two when Waugh hit behind point and was called for a run by Slater.

But Slater, on 63, hesitated forcing Waugh to do a double-take and he could not beat Sherwin Campbell's throw to keeper Ridley Jacobs to be out for 22 when he looked set for a big score.

The finger has been pointed at Slater throughout the series for his indecisive running between wickets. His opening partner Matthew Hayden has been run out twice, in the first and third Tests. There was controversy in the hour before lunch when Justin Langer, on seven, refused to walk when he edged to Brian Lara at first slip off Walsh.

The umpires called on the third umpire in the stand to make a decision on whether Lara had his fingers under the ball to claim a clean catch.

But after several minutes television umpire Simon Taufel could not be certain from replays that Lara had taken the catch and Langer batted on to Lara's chagrin.

Lara argued with the umpires over the decision minutes later at the drinks break, but his dark mood lasted another 20 minutes until Langer was finally out for 20 caught by Jacobs in Nixon McLean's opening over.

Hayden was out for three in the third over of the innings when he was snapped up by Lara at slip for his 100th Test catch, giving Walsh his 493rd Test wicket.

The West Indies added 16 runs to their overnight score before they were dismissed for 272 just before noon.

Colin Stuart cracked two boundaries in his unbeaten 12 while Walsh, playing in his last Test in Australia, was caught at silly point by Hayden off Colin Miller for four.

Miller had startled the crowd when he took his cap off to bowl the day's opening over, revealing a dazzling blue rinse to celebrate Australia's Centenary of Federation.

Miller finished the innings with 2-73 but Stuart MacGill was clapped from the field by his teammates for his 7-104 off 37 overs.

Scoreboard

West Indies (1st innings): (256 for 9 overnight)

S.L. Campbell c and b MacGill 79
W.W. Hinds b MacGill 70
J.C. Adams lbw b McGrath 10
B.C. Lara c M. Waugh b MacGill 35
M.N. Samuels c Langer b MacGill 28
R.R. Sarwan lbw b MacGill 0
R.D. Jacobs stpd Gilchrist b MacGill 12
M.V. Nagamootoo c Slater b Miller 12
N.A. McLean lbw b MacGill 0
C.E. Stuart not out 12
C.A. Walsh c Hayden b Miller 4
Extras (lb4, b4, nb2) 10
Total (all out 102.1 overs) 272
Fall of wkts: 1-147, 2-152, 3-174, 4-210, 5-210, 6-235, 7-240, 8-240, 9-252
Bowling: McGrath 19-7-43-1, Gillespie 16-4-44-0 (2nb), MacGill 37-11-104-7, Miller 30.1-8-73-2

Australia (1st innings):

M.J. Slater c Samuels b Nagamootoo 96
M.L. Hayden c Lara b Walsh 3
J.L. Langer c Jacobs b McLean 20
M.E. Waugh run out (Campbell) 22
S.R. Waugh not out 82
R.T. Ponting not out 51
Extras (b1, lb1, nb8) 10
Total (4 wkts, 87 overs) 284
Fall of wkts: 1-17, 2-55, 3-109, 4-157
Bowling: Walsh 19-2-60-1 (2nb), Stuart 12-2-38-0, Nagamootoo 22-2-77-1, McLean 14-2-58-1 (2nb), Adams 14-2-38-0 (4b), Samuels 6-3-11-0

Mail Cricket Editor

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