Australia's spin bowler Stuart MacGill in action during the fifth Test at the Sydney Cricket Ground yesterday. - ReutersSYDNEY, (AP) --
RECALLED leg-spinner Stuart MacGill snared seven wickets yesterday as the West Indies crashed from 147-0 to 256-9 at stumps on the first day of the fifth Test against Australia.
MacGill, who was recalled to the lineup after serving as 12th man in Australia's 352-run victory last week in Melbourne, engineered the West Indies' dramatic slump after the tourists got away to a record start.
The 29-year-old MacGill returned 7-92 to net his third five-wicket haul in a Test innings at the Sydney Cricket Ground and his fourth overall in Test cricket.
MacGill said he owed it to Australian paceman Andy Bichel, who was dropped for the series finale, to take wickets.
"Having come into the team replacing Andy Bichel, who got five wickets last Test, you almost feel -- out of respect for him -- you've got to do a good job because or you'd be letting him down," MacGill said.
West Indies skipper Jimmy Adams won the toss and elected to bat first on a pitch expected to favour turn.
His openers, Sherwin Campbell and Wavell Hinds, produced a West Indian record of 147 for a first-wicket partnership in Australia, surpassing the 135 set by Gordon Greenidge and Desmond Haynes in 1988-89, before MacGill broke through.
He had Campbell out, caught and bowled for 79, in the 54th over and then bowled Hinds for 70 in his next over with the total at 152.
The pitch didn't assist his bowling much in the morning session but "became more and more receptive" in the later sessions, MacGill said.
"The wicket was always going to offer something for the spinners, it was just a matter of how much, how early and to what extent," he added.
Australian paceman Glenn McGrath chimed in with the wicket of Adams, who surpassed 3,000 career runs in Test cricket before he was adjudged leg before wicket for 10 with the total at 174.
MacGill then grabbed five successive wickets, including the prize scalp of Brian Lara for 35, to have the West Indies reeling at 240-8.
Colin Miller enticed Mahendra Nagamootoo (12) to hit out and had him caught in the covers by Michael Slater to make the score 252-9.
Veteran fast bowler Courtney Walsh, playing his last Test in Australia, and Colin Stuart survived to stumps, both remaining not out without scoring.
Campbell and Hinds overhauled the West Indies previous best opening stand this series -- 45 between Campbell and Daren Ganga in Adelaide.
It was a timely yet lucky knock for Campbell, the vice captain having only amassed 54 runs in his previous eight Test innings this tour.
He could have been dismissed when on six and on 18 but Jason Gillespie put down a difficult return catch in the sixth over and Justin Langer missed an attempted run out soon after.
With the visitors coasting for almost two full sessions, Australia's chances of clinching a first ever 5-0 series whitewash against the West Indies and extending their winning stretch to 15 Tests appeared remote.
But MacGill put a new spin on the series finale with two devastating spells before and after the tea interval.
Going into the evening session at 180 for three, the West Indies lost Lara and Ramnaresh Sarwan with the total at 210.
Lara chased a MacGill delivery outside off stump and edged to first slip, where Mark Waugh took a brilliant catch at ankle height.
Sarwan lasted four balls before he was out lbw for 0.
Marlon Samuels (12) and Ridley Jacobs (12) took the score to 235 before Samuels popped a catch up to Langer at silly mid-on.
MacGill then struck twice on successive deliveries, removing Jacobs and Nixon McLean (0) with the total at 240 before Stuart survived the hat-trick ball.
McLean's failure to score earned the West Indies the unenviable record of achieving the most ducks in a test series. The tourists have so far recorded 27 ducks in nine test innings to surpass the 26 ducks Australia tallied in a six-Test series against England in 1978-79.
SCOREBOARD
West Indies first innings
S. Campbell c and b MacGill 79
W. Hinds b MacGill 70
J. Adams lbw McGrath 10
B. Lara c M. Waugh b MacGill 35
M. Samuels c Langer b MacGill 28
R. Sarwan lbw MacGill 0
R. Jacobs st Gilchrist b MacGill 12
M. Nagamootoo c Slater b Miller 12
N. McLean lbw MacGill 0
C. Stuart not out 0
C. Walsh not out 0
Extras (b-4 lb-4 nb-2) 10
Total (for nine wickets, 98 overs) 256
Fall: 1-147 2-152 3-174 4-210 5-210 6-235 7-240 8-240 9-252
Bowling: McGrath 19-7-43-1, Gillespie 16-4-44-0 (nb-2), MacGill 35-11-92-7, Miller 28-7-69-1.
TEST UPDATE
SYDNEY, (Reuters) -
AUSTRALIA were 91 for two in reply to West Indies first innings 272 at lunch on the second day of the fifth and final Test against West Indies at the Sydney Cricket Ground last night.
Scores: West Indies 272 (Sherwin Campbell 79, Wavell Hinds 70, Stuart MacGill 7-104), Australia 91-2 (Michael Slater 54 not out).
MOST DUCKS
SYDNEY, (Reuters) -
WEST Indies set a dubious world record for the most ducks in a series when two more of their batsmen were dismissed without scoring on the first day of the fifth and final Test against Australia at the Sydney Cricket Ground.
Highest number of ducks in a series by a single team (collate as number of ducks, team, opponent, number of Tests played, series. denotes series still continuing)
27 West Indies v Australia 5 in Australia, 2000-01
26 Australia v England 6 in Australia, 1978-79
21 South Africa v England 5 in South Africa, 1913-14
21 India v Australia 5 in Australia 1947-48
20 South Africa v England 5 in South Africa, 1935-36
20 India v England 4 in England, 1952-53
20 West Indies England5 in England, 1957
