Hayden has last word as Lara fumes

Australia 240 and 171-0 West Indies 24

Having temporarily let it slip in the face of the fast bowler Jermaine Lawson's pace and hostility the day before, Australia yesterday reasserted the superiority they have held throughout the series.

On this second day of the Fourth and final Test, Australia's four fast bowlers ­ Glenn McGrath, Jason Gillespie, Brett Lee and Andy Bichel ­ found the pitch as encouraging as Lawson had done with his 7 for 78 and kept the West Indies down to exactly their own meagre first innings total of 240.

As usual, the West Indies captain, Brian Lara, presented their major threat and he was their top scorer with 68. But he could find no one to stay with him long enough to mount a meaningful partnership.

Australia's left-handed openers, Justin Langer and Matthew Hayden, then strengthened their position with their best partnership of the series, batting untroubled through the final 39 overs to reach 171 without loss with Langer on 80 and Hayden on 79 at the close.

With three days remaining, the Australians are on course to complete the first clean sweep by a visiting team in the Caribbean. At least they had a genuine, if short-lived, fight on their hands after wins in the first three Tests in which they lost only 28 wickets and were never challenged. Until Langer and Hayden took the sting out of the West Indies effort after tea, the cricket was electric.

Fast bowlers neutered by torpid surfaces that yielded one double and 12 single centuries in the previous three matches were stimulated by the sight of batsmen ducking and weaving and the wicket-keeper gathering the ball over his head.

The atmosphere was further charged by a verbal confrontation between Lara and his rival captain, Steve Waugh, and a few of his Australian players that brought the intervenion of the umpire David Shepherd soon after Lara came in after 25 minutes following the fall of the left-handed opener Devon Smith for 37.

Lara cut his first ball, from Lee, for six, and reeled off seven fours in racing to 40 from 30 balls before restraining himself to remain scoreless for 18 balls. When he changed gears again, he pulled three successive fours off Bichel but drove the next ball hard but straight to mid-off.

Earlier, Lee quickly dislodged the nightwatchman Vasbert Drakes for 21 after claiming the scalp of Smith and the West Indies lost Ramnaresh Sarwan for 24, to Bichel's return catch, and Shivnarine Chanderpaul, bowled by Glenn McGrath for one, just before lunch.

Lara and his fellow left-hander, Ridley Jacobs, carefully consolidated with a stand of 45 after the interval before Lee's presence of mind and accurate throw ran out Jacobs for 26 as he lingered out of his crease on a stroke back down the pitch. Lara went in the next over, leaving West Indies on 197 for 8 but a rapid 14 off eight balls from Jermaine Lawson, who took 7 for 78 in Australia's first innings, helped them level the scores. Lawson became wrist-spinner Stuart MacGill's only victim when he was caught by Martin Love, while Mervyn Dillon was bowled by Lee.