Australia 428 West Indies 405 & 68-2: Hussey undoes Lara's good work

Mike Hussey fashioned his second hundred in successive matches on the third day of the third and final Test yesterday.

Australia, 295 for 8 a half-hour into the second session, replying to the West Indies' 405, were guided to a lead of 23 by Hussey's unbeaten 137. His partnerships for the last two wickets with Stuart MacGill and Glenn McGrath yielded 133 runs. Australia then removed Devon Smith and Wavell Hinds as the West Indies closed on 68 for 2.

They need Brian Lara to follow the first-innings 226 that sent him ahead of Australia's Allan Border as Test cricket's most prolific scorer.

Hussey accumulated 137 opening in the second Test in Hobart a week ago. Justin Langer's return meant he had to shift to No 5 but his only errors off 215 balls were an edge off Corey Collymore on 88 and a straightforward return catch missed by Dwayne Bravo. He hit three sixes and 13 fours.

Bravo claimed four wickets for 14 from 27 balls either side of lunch, after Fidel Edwards dismissed Brad Hodge.

Shivnarine Chanderpaul's leaping take at mid-wicket accounted for Adam Gilchrist and Bravo's own return catchfinished Shane Warne before lunch. Brett Lee was Bravo's sixth wicket but Hussey and his partners benefited from slack West Indies cricket after that.

The innings ended with an hour and a half left. Smith, taken at second slip off Lee, and Hinds, stumped off Warne, did not survive.

Test best: HIGHEST IN HISTORY

Lara 11,187 runs, 54.04 average

Border 11,174 runs, 50.56 average

S Waugh 10,927 runs, 51.06 average

Tendulkar 10,134 runs, 57.25 average

Gooch 8,900 runs, 42.58 average

Miandad 8,832 runs, 52.57 average