da cassino： It was another hard day at the office for Brian Lara and his not-so-merrymen, as Australia romped to 320 for the loss of only three wickets bythe close of the first day’s play in the third Test at Bridgetown
Wisden Bulletin by Steven Lynch01-May-2003It was another hard day at the office for Brian Lara and his not-so-merrymen, as Australia romped to 320 for the loss of only three wickets bythe close of the first day’s play in the third Test at Bridgetown. RickyPonting, with his third hundred in as many Tests, led the way as theAussies made significant progress towards a victory that would winthem back the ICC Test Championship mace.
Ricky Ponting drives on his way to his third century in as many Tests
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After 117 at Georgetown and a scintillating 206 at Port-of-Spain,Ponting made 113 here. He has toned down his attacking instincts alittle – although he couldn’t resist swivelling to smash a long-hop fromTino Best into the stands – and now looks the complete batsman. Tothis inexperienced West Indian attack, at any rate, his bat must look asbroad as Bradman’s, and his straight-drives are as succulent. Pontingcracked seven fours and that six in what was his 17th Test century.Ponting had one let-off, at 88, when Shivnarine Chanderpaul dropped astraightforward head-high gully catch off a Best full-toss. But otherwisehe was majestic, and faced 204 balls in exactly five hours at the creasebefore a misjudgment late in the day found him short of the crease asBest winged in a sidearm throw from third man (292 for 3).Ponting put on 141 with Darren Lehmann, who added another bigscore to his own hundred in the previous Test. He reached 50 with hisfifth four, punched through the covers off Omari Banks, the 20-year-oldoffspinner who today became the first Test cricketer to emerge from thetiny Leeward Island of Anguilla. Late on Lehmann played arguably theshot of the day, launching himself at a shortish one from Lawson andblasting it through the covers. He finished the day with 89, in sight ofhis second Test century.Lara will now be regretting his decision to put Australia in on a sedatepitch that offered a little early movement. But it might have paid off:Justin Langer edged the first ball of the match, from Jermaine Lawson,through the slips. Ramnaresh Sarwan dived across from third slip, butcouldn’t latch on.In fact Langer had a charmed life on his way to 78. He was droppedagain at 4, when Lawson shelled a simple caught-and-bowled, andsurvived a run-out at 68 when Carlton Baugh fumbled Lawson’s throwand demolished the stumps without ball in hand. That was it, though:in the next over Langer skyed Banks’s loopy offspin to Chanderpaul atcover (151 for 2).The only other wicket to go down was that of Matthew Hayden, whomuscled to 27 before he edged an awayswinger in Vasbert Drakes’sfirst over. Chris Gayle, restored to the side after missing two matcheswhile the West Indian board ummed and aahed about his availability,clung on at first slip after a juggle (43 for 1).That was the only breakthrough on a morning in which West Indiesmanaged only 24 overs but conceded 113 runs. Best, complete withgo-faster white stripes on his cheeks and a whirligig action, spent toomuch of his debut glaring and posturing and not enough timeconcentrating, while Lawson was also ragged. The bowlers did betterafter lunch, conceding only 84 in 29 overs up to tea. Banks, after anervous start (his first over went for 10), settled down and hinted at apromising future. But overall it was tidy rather than threatening, and theone-wicket-a-session pattern continued after tea, even though Laraclaimed the new ball as soon as Ponting was out.West Indies made five changes from the team that lost in Port-of-Spain.Banks and Best (whose middle name, la Bertram, is one of Testcricket’s more memorable monickers) won their first caps and Lawsonreturned after chickenpox, replacing Merv Dillon, Pedro Collins andDavid Bernard in a much-changed attack. Chanderpaul returned afterinjury and Gayle after his board-imposed exile, in place of MarlonSamuels and Wavell Hinds. Baugh retained the keeper’s gloves afterRidley Jacobs failed a late fitness test on the leg injury he suffered inthe first game of the series.Australia made only one change, but it was a significant one: GlennMcGrath returned in place of Brad Hogg. It meant the Australian battingorder, with Andy Bichel at No. 7, looked more fragile than usual – butPonting made sure that that was just an illusion.