Gillespie blows Gayle off course

Fast bowler Jason Gillespie grabbed two wickets in an outstanding spell as Australia kept control over West Indies in the Third Test yesterday.

Gillespie removed both openers as West Indies, resuming on 89 without loss, went to lunch at 149 for 2 on day three, still 456 in arrears. Australia declared their first innings at 605 for 9.

West Indies were without captain Brian Lara, who remained back at the team hotel with chicken pox. Lara, who turned 34 on Friday, was expected to to bat should it become necessary.

Chris Gayle, 47 overnight, and Devon Smith, on 34, hit half centuries in stretching their overnight stand to 139. Then Gillespie broke through a half-hour before lunch, making up for a lapse in the field earlier in the day, to pick up Gayle for 71. On 50, Gayle had miscued a drive off Stuart MacGill's leg-spin to mid-on only for Gillespie to drop the chance low down.

But Gillespie produced a beauty to remove the recalled left-hander, hitting the top of Gayle's off-stump with a ball that was angled in from around the wicket. Gayle hit 12 fours off 155 balls in 189 minutes. Next over, Smith perished – his edged drive caught by wicketkeeper Adam Gilchrist. Smith scored 59, his second half century in his third Test, batting 199 minutes, facing 139 balls and hitting nine fours.

Ramnaresh Sarwan and Daren Ganga both survived to the interval on one not out. Gillespie's impressive figures were 2 for 18 off 12 overs.

Meanwhile, West Indies have dismissed concerns about their ability to host the 2007 World Cup and promised to stage an "unforgettable" event. West Indian and International Cricket Council officials also guaranteed that all major matches would take place in the Caribbean, but some early games may be in the United States or Canada.

"We are confident we will be able to deliver the kind of event the world is expecting from the Caribbean," said Chris Dehring, managing director of the organising committee. ICC chief executive Malcolm Speed said holding the event in West Indies, which consists of 14 different nations, would be a huge challenge.