Aussies pile up agony for Windies

Australia captain Steve Waugh became the second highest-scorer in Test history as his side pressed relentlessly on in their first innings ag...

Australia captain Steve Waugh became the second highest-scorer in Test history as his side pressed relentlessly on in their first innings against West Indies in the third Test on Friday.

Waugh, scored his 30th Test century as he flicked one from Jermaine Lawson to the square leg boundary after he remained not out on 93 at tea. Andy Bichel too went on to record his highest Test score scoring 71 off just 71 deliveries before he was caught by Brian Lara off Banks to become the off-spinner’s third victim.

	SCOREBOARD (AT TEA)
Australia 1st innings: (Overnight 320/3) J Langer c Chanderpaul b Banks 78, M Hayden c Gayle b Drakes 27, R Ponting run out 113, D Lehmann lbw Drakes 96, S Waugh batting 93, A Gilchrist c Smith b Banks 65, A Bichel batting 45 Extras (b-3, lb-2, w-3, nb-2): 10 Total (For 5 wkts, in 145 overs) 527 Fall of wickets: 1-43, 2-151, 3-292, 4-331, 5-444 Bowling: Lawson 28-2-108-0, Best 20-1-99-0, Drakes 30-2-85-2, Banks 35-2-150-2, Gayle 31-5-79-0, Sarwan 1-0-1-0

Adam Gilchrist hit a whirlwind 65 as Australia reached 568 for six shortly after tea on the second day after West Indies captain Brian Lara won the toss and surprisingly sent them into bat on Thursday.

Waugh, who did not bat in the second Test in Port of Spain where he declared in both innings, overtook Indian Sunil Gavaskar’s total of 10,122 runs as he reached 60 in a typically gritty innings.

Waugh hit only two fours and required 170 minutes and 129 deliveries to reach his half-century, which he completed with a two helped by a misfield from Ramnaresh Sarwan.

The 37-year-old, who in the first Test made a world record 157th appearance, made the most of his luck after being dropped early in the day on 11 when Sarwan at mid-off failed to take a difficult chance off a low Vasbert Drakes delivery. Waugh also escaped when he lofted a high ball to deep mid-wicket and Sarwan, after running about 40 metres, could not hold it. He ran for three to reach 60 and pass Gavaskar’s total. Waugh escaped again on 84 when he edged Lawson to Baugh but the Jamaican wicketkeeper was slow to react and could not hold the ball.

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Australia resumed on 320 for three and made steady progress in the morning after Darren Lehmann was out for 96 in the second over of the day.

Lehmann, who made his maiden Test century in Port of Spain, was hit in the pad as he tried to pull Drakes’ delivery, which stayed down. English umpire David Shepherd raised the finger in what appeared a harsh decision. (Reuters)