Sarwan and Chanderpaul give West Indies victory hope

Australia 240 and 417 West Indies 240 and 371-6

The fourth and final Test resumes here this morning on a knife's edge after a stirring West Indian effort on the fourth day aimed at reaching Test cricket's highest winning total and thus avoiding the ignominy of their first whitewash in a home series.

The fourth and final Test resumes here this morning on a knife's edge after a stirring West Indian effort on the fourth day aimed at reaching Test cricket's highest winning total and thus avoiding the ignominy of their first whitewash in a home series.

The West Indies took the fight to Australia on a tense day marked by controversy, acrimony and an umpiring decision that sparked a brief interlude of bottle throwing. The home side closed 47 runs away from their goal of 418 – more than any team in history has achieved.

The challenge was set up by exhilarating hundreds by the vice-captain Ramnaresh Sarwan, whose 105 off 139 balls, was his second in Tests, and Shivnarine Chanderpaul, who disregarded a finger injury to complete his eighth in Tests with three overs before the close, which he reached unbeaten on 103.

Twice during his innings, Sarwan had heated verbal exchanges with the fast bowler Glenn McGrath that obliged the umpires David Shepherd and Srinivas Venkataraghavan to intervene.

When Shepherd ruled Ridley Jacobs, an Antiguan, caught behind off his shoulder the ball after Sarwan was out to a miscued hook off Brett Lee, some of the crowd reacted by throwing bottles on to the outfield.

Earlier, the West Indies went in to lunch on 74 for 3 and learned that their young fast bowler Jermaine Lawson had been reported by Shepherd and Venkataraghavan, after viewing television video of his suspect action during this Test.

Fourth day; Australia won toss

AUSTRALIA – First Innings 240 (J J C Lawson 7-78).

WEST INDIES – First Innings 240 (B C Lara 68).

AUSTRALIA – Second Innings 417 (M L Hayden 177, J L Langer 111; M Dillon 4-112).

WEST INDIES – Second Innings (Overnight: 47 for 0)
C H Gayle c Waugh b Lee 19
D S Smith c Gilchrist b Gillespie 23
D Ganga lbw b McGrath 8
B C Lara b MacGill 60
R R Sarwan c and b Lee 105
S Chanderpaul not out 103
R D Jacobs c Gilchrist b Lee 0
O A C Banks 28
Extras (b9 lb9 w1 nb6) 25
Total (for 6, 113 overs) 371

Fall: 1-48 2-50 3-74, 4-165, 5-288, 6-288.

To bat: V C Drakes, M Dillon, J J C Lawson.

Bowling: McGrath 24-10-49-1; Gillespie 18-8-50-1; Lee 19-3-52-3; MacGill 32-8-128-1; Bichel 15-3-49-0; Waugh 5-0-25-0.

Umpires: D R Shepherd (Eng) and S Venkataraghavan (Ind).