Lara leads resistance to dominant Australia

Australia 576-4 dec and 238-3 dec; West Indies 408 and 107-3

Australia ruthlessly tightened the screws on the West Indies on the fourth day of the second Test yesterday as they positioned themselves for their second victory of the series. Matthew Hayden compiled an unbeaten and untroubled 100 as Australia declared their second innings at 238 for 3 an hour and 40 minutes after lunch.

It challenged the West Indies to score a record 407 for an unlikely win or bat through the remaining 37 overs and the minimum 90 on the last day to salvage a draw. When Jason Gillespie dismissed the 21-year-old left-handed opener Devon Smith for his second nought of the match and Daren Ganga, whose previous two innings in the series were 113 and 117, for two, a quick end seemed likely.

But the fast bowler Brett Lee dropped a difficult, right-handed return catch when Brian Lara was six, a critical miss. The West Indies captain, creator of two match-winning centuries in the last series between the teams in the Caribbean in 1999 and with 110 and 91 in his previous two innings this time, remained unbeaten on 52 at close when they were 107 for 3, 300 away from their distant goal.

They had an untimely setback with seven balls to go when Wavell Hinds was bowled for 35 by a ball from the leg-spinner Stuart MacGill that trickled back on to his stumps from his defensive bat after a stand of 95 with Lara.

India's 406 for 4 to beat the West Indies in 1976 on the same Queen's Park Oval remains Test cricket's highest winning total. Lara's presence gives them hope but this is their youngest and least experienced team on record and they would be hard-pressed to survive against the most powerful team of a generation on a dry pitch showing signs of wear and tear.

They have been under pressure since Australia amassed 576 for 4 declared in their first innings. Hayden, the big left-handed opener who was out cheaply in his previous three innings in the series, batted just under four and a half hours and hit 10 fours when Steve Waugh ended the innings. He shared partnerships of 107 with Ricky Ponting, who made 45, and 120 with Darren Lehmann (66).

QUEEN'S PARK SCOREBOARD

Fourth day; Australia won toss

AUSTRALIA – First Innings 576 for 4 dec (R T Ponting 206, D S Lehmann 160, A C Gilchrist 101 no).

WEST INDIES – First Innings 408 (D Ganga 117, B C Lara 91, M N Samuels 68; B Lee 4-69).

AUSTRALIA – Second Innings (Overnight: 31 for 1)
J L Langer lbw b Drakes 3
M L Hayden not out 100
R T Ponting c Baugh b Dillon 45
D S Lehmann b Dillon 66
Extras (b12 lb6 w1 nb5) 24
Total (for 3 dec, 66.2 overs) 238

Fall: 1-12 2-118 3-238.

Did not bat: S R Waugh, A C Gilchrist, G B Hogg, A J Bichel, B Lee, J N Gillespie, S C G MacGill.

Bowling: Dillon 18.2-0-64-2 (w1, nb2); Drakes 20-4-61-1; Samuels 21-1-65-0; Collins 7-1-30-0 (nb3).

WEST INDIES – Second Innings
W W Hinds b MacGill 35
D S Smith lbw b Gillespie 0
D Ganga c Hayden b Gillespie 2
B C Lara not out 52
R R Sarwan not out 0
Extras (lb14 lb2 w1 nb1) 18
Total (for 3, 37 overs) 107

Fall: 1-2 2-12 3-107.

To bat: D E Bernard, M N Samuels, C S Baugh, P T Collins, M Dillon, V C Drakes.

Bowling (to date): Lee 8-3-28-0 (w1); Gillespie 7-2-10-2; Bichel 7-3-11-0; Lehmann 7-0-20-0; MacGill 4-0-11-1; Hogg 4-1-11-0.

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