Australia edge ahead of the Windies

13 April 2012

Australia hold a slender lead over the West Indies after a see-sawing third day in the third Test at Adelaide Oval today.  

The West Indies snatched four wickets in the final session, leaving Australia with 403 for nine, a lead of 12 over the tourists' first innings 391 when rain and bad light forced players off the field before the scheduled close.

Damien Martyn, unbeaten with 46, and Glenn McGrath, on one, will resume tomorrow at the start of the fourth day of an enthralling five-day game.

The wicket is showing distinct signs of wear and a chase of about 200 could be a tough assignment for Australia on the final day if the West Indies are able to set a target of that magnitude.

Leading 2-0 in the five-match series, Australia will clinch the rubber and retain the Frank Worrell Trophy if they win, and extend their world record sequence of 12 successive Test wins.

Australia, with 355 for five at tea, appeared to be coasting towards a big first innings lead.

But the West Indies struck back again to remove Ricky Ponting (92), acting captain Adam Gilchrist (nine), Stuart MacGill (six) and Colin Miller (one).

The vital wicket of Ponting was snared by veteran speedster Courtney Walsh before Nixon McLean trapped Gilchrist and Miller and Mervyn Dillon accounted for MacGill.

Ponting celebrated his appointment as Australian vice-captain by hammering the West Indies' bowling in the second session.

Ponting, who will be 26 in two days, had reached 86 not out at tea, and appeared well on track for his eighth century in 37 Tests.

He added only six after the break before Walsh, defying his 38 years, produced a vicious delivery which bounced, moved off the seam and kissed the edge of the bat on the way through to wicketkeeper Ridley Jacobs.

It was Walsh's second wicket of the innings, boosting his tally of Test scalps to 488. He is already the greatest wicket-taker in the history of the game and now has a reasonable chance of reaching the magic 500-wicket total before the end of the series.

Ponting had reached 92 - the third time he has been out in the nineties in Tests. He slammed 10 crisp fours in his four-hour knock.

Gilchrist, who has found Adelaide Oval his most productive batting ground, threatened to savage the attack, but was snared by McLean as he tickled the ball to Jacobs.

MacGill departed controversially, ruled by Australian umpire Steve Davis to have been caught by Jacobs off Dillon.

MacGill appeared mystified by the decision and television replays suggested the ball had struck his helmet rather than bat or glove.

As he entered the players' race after he had walked off the field, MacGill collided with West Indies' 12th man Ramnaresh Sarwan, who was walking in the opposite direction.

Miller survived only two balls before hitting a catch to Sherwin Campbell, in the gully.

The West Indies secured their first big breakthrough after lunch when paceman Dillon removed Mark Waugh for 63.

Waugh, playing from the crease, was rapped on the pad, and Indian umpire Srinivas Venkataraghavan ruled him lbw.

Waugh had occupied the crease for three-and-a-half hours, hitting six fours, and sharing in a stand of 123 in 151 minutes with Ponting.

Waugh's scalp was an overdue reward for Dillon, who should have had Ponting in his net just before lunch, but had the misfortune to see Brian Lara, at first slip, drop a comfortable chance. Ponting was on 41.

In another slice of bad luck for the tourists in the opening session, Waugh, on 39, was adjudged not out to 19-year-old off-spinner Marlon Samuels when the bowler appealed for a catch behind after fizzing a delivery past the right-hander's bat into the hands of wicketkeeper Ridley Jacobs.

Umpire Davis determined there had been no contact between bat and ball. Television replays suggested the ball did brush the bat.

The West Indies' only pre-lunch success came when Walsh removed nightwatchman Jason Gillespie for four after the right-hander had added two runs.

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