Saturday 28th November 2009
Australia trounce West Indies
Australia recorded a comprehensive innings-and-65-run win over West Indies late on day three of the opening Test at the Gabba.
The visitors, however, unearthed a star of the future with opener Adrian Barath notching a record-breaking century on debut.
Barath, 19, overtook George Headley as the youngest West Indian to score a Test ton, and was also the youngest man to plunder a century against Australia since Indian prodigy Sachin Tendulkar did it almost 18 years ago.
Click here for Adrian Barath's images
But he received little support, with the Windies crashing to 187 all out in their second innings, handing Australia an early win after captain Ricky Ponting enforced the follow-on after lunch.
Ben Hilfenhaus snared figures of three for 20 from his seven-over opening spell, making light work of West Indies captain Chris Gayle (one) and talented veteran Shivnarine Chanderpaul (two) before all-rounder Shane Watson finally brought an end to Barath's magic.
Hilfenhaus' efforts saw him earn man-of-the-match honours, but there was no doubting the day belonged to the debutant, who crafted the only century for the match in some style.
Amongst Barath's impressive three-hour knock that produced 104 runs there were 20 fours (one of them all run) and a mere five singles.
Perhaps the most remarkable feature of Barath's feat was the fact he genuinely propped up the tourists' second innings.
Aside from Barath, Dwayne Bravo (23), Denesh Ramdin (16) and Sulieman Benn (15 not out) were the only others to make it into double figures in the second innings as West Indies were humbled, losing 15 wickets in total today.
Australia claimed five wickets in the opening session to roll the visitors for a total of 228 in their first innings and, after some deliberation, Ponting opted for the Windies to bat again after lunch.
It was just the third time in Ponting's career as skipper that he has opted to make use of the follow-on and it proved to be a masterstroke.
The tourists started their second innings requiring a further 252 runs to make the home side bat again and a hefty defeat beckoned when Hilfenhaus wreaked havoc with the new ball.
The Tasmanian made the ball hoop viciously in somewhat overcast conditions as the Windies collapsed to three for 39.
As was the case in the first innings, Hilfenhaus made the initial breakthrough with a slick inswinger that wrapped Chris Gayle on the pads.
Video: Day 3 Highlights
In continuing with the theme of deja vu, the West Indies captain again optimistically asked for a review of the on-field umpire's lbw decision, only for third umpire Mark Benson to give Asad Rauf's verdict the all-clear.
Barath fought back, but the dismissal of Bravo shortly before tea revived the home side's hopes of wrapping up victory inside three days.
Mike Hussey can now add 'partnership breaker' to his already impressive CV after the part-timer's second Test wicket snapped a 66-run stand between Barath and Bravo.
Bravo, who was given a reprieve in the 20th over when Michael Clarke missed a clear-cut run-out chance, will be kicking himself after hooking a half-tracker from Hussey straight down the throat of Hilfenhaus in the deep.
Former Queensland batsman Brendan Nash, one of four ex-Bulls to be playing in the game, departed soon after tea when former team-mate Nathan Hauritz trapped him lbw.
Barath toiled manfully in his one-man mission to resurrect the West Indian cause and celebrated appropriately when he brought up the milestone with a boundary off Watson.
Barath leapt high in the air and hugged his former schoolmate Ramdin, but when Watson had him leg before wicket two overs later the end was nigh.
Jerome Taylor, Kemar Roach and Ravi Rampaul fell quickly as the Windies were defeated for the ninth consecutive time on Australian soil.
In the opening session Travis Dowlin - who was only called into the side shortly before the toss when veteran Ramnaresh Sarwan failed to overcome a back injury - held together his side's first innings with a determined knock of 62.
Dowlin, 32, who debuted against Bangladesh earlier this year while his team-mates were on strike, provided the main story of the morning when he treated a hat-trick ball from Hauritz with utter contempt.
Dowlin had previously showed little to no aggression in his four-hour stay at the crease but, with the field up for Hauritz's potential milestone, he danced down the wicket and launched the ball to long-on.
Hauritz had the last laugh, dismissing his man later that over to finally put an end to an underwhelming Windies innings and finish the first innings as the pick of the bowlers with figures of three for 17.
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