Chanderpaul to the rescue with rapid century

West Indies 237 Australia 120-1

An exhilarating even 100 by Shivnarine Chanderpaul, the third fastest on record, dragged the West Indies out of the mire on the opening day of the first Test yesterday but Australia still kept the clear advantage they gained with five wickets before lunch.

The West Indies, batting after their captain Brian Lara won the toss, were all out for 237 in the third over after tea. Australia then put a lifeless Bourda pitch into perspective, replying with 120 for the solitary run-out wicket of Matthew Hayden. Justin Langer on 55 and Ricky Ponting 46 were the not-out batsmen at the close.

When Chanderpaul entered at No 6, the West Indies had lost two wickets off successive balls to the left-arm wrist spinner Brad Hogg and were 47 for 4. It quickly became 53 for 5 as Lara was leg-before to Andy Bichel for 26, but Chanderpaul delighted his home-town crowd with a display of all-out aggression. He and his fellow left-hander Ridley Jacobs added 131 in an hour and three-quarters either side of lunch.

Jacobs, in spite of a pulled muscle in his left leg that hindered his movements, necessitated a runner and prevented him from keeping, remained unbeaten on 54.

Chanderpaul reached his 100 from 69 balls with two leg-side sixes and 15 fours. It was his seventh Test hundred and his third on this ground. Only a couple of mighty hitters, Viv Richards and the Australian Jack Gregory, have got to three figures off fewer deliveries.

When Chanderpaul was the victim of a questionable lbw decisions three balls later, pulling at the bustling Bichel, the blow to the inside of his left knee left him writhing on the pitch in pain. He had to be transported off the field in the golf cart, an anti-climax to a remarkable performance.

The Australians were well below their usual ruthlessness and owed their early dominance more to a couple of loose strokes and a blatant umpiring error than incisive bowling. Devon Smith, the 21-year-old left-handed opener, had his innings ended by umpire Rudi Koertzen's lbw decision in spite of an inside edge audible from beyond the boundary and clearly evident on the television replay. Wavell Hinds drove to mid-on off Hogg whose googly next ball claimed the driving Marlon Samuels.

First day; West Indies won toss

WEST INDIES – First Innings

W W Hinds c Langer b Hogg 10

D S Smith lbw b Lee 3

D Ganga b Gillespie 0

*B C Lara lbw b Bichel 26

M N Samuels c Hayden b Hogg 0

S Chanderpaul lbw b Bichel 100

ÝR D Jacobs not out 54

V C Drakes c Gilchrist b Bichel 0

M Dillon lbw b MacGill 20

P T Collins st Gilchrist b MacGill 3

J J C Lawson b Lee 0

Extras (b10 lb2 w3 nb6) 21

Total (50.3 overs) 237

Fall: 1-9 2-10 3-47 4-47 5-53 6-184 7-184 8-222 9-236.

Bowling: Lee 10.3-1-41-2; Gillespie 12-3-40-1; Bichel 8-1-55-3; Hogg 8-1-40-2; MacGill 12-4-49-2.

AUSTRALIA – First Innings

J L Langer not out 55

M L Hayden run out 10

R T Ponting not out 46

Extras (lb5 nb4) 9

Total (for 1, 28 overs) 120

Fall: 1-37.

To bat: D S Lehmann, *S R Waugh, ÝA C Gilchrist, G B Hogg, A J Bichel, B Lee, J N Gillespie, S C G MacGill.

Bowling: Dillon 9-0-49-0; Collins 7-0-25-0; Lawson 4-0-27-0; Drakes 7-4-13-0; Samuels 1-0-1-0.

Umpires: E A R de Silva (S Lanka) and R E Koertzen (SA).