Australia's Shane Warne (left) celebrates dismissing Dwayne Smith (R) from the West Indies for a duck during the fourth day of the third cricket Test in Adelaide on Monday (Sunday night Caribbean time). Smith was one of three Windies batsmen who were given out controversially. - REUTERS
ADELAIDE, Australia (CMC):
ALREADY UNDER pressure from the number one team in world cricket and facing the prospect of yet another series whitewash on foreign soil, the West Indies were crippled by a succession of umpiring errors in their effort to stay competitive on the fourth day of the third and final Test against Australia on Monday (Sunday night Caribbean time).
Yet, despite losing three key batsmen to mistakes by the officials and having their own eminently valid claim for a wicket turned down late in the day, the tourists were still making the home team work hard at 76 for two in pursuit of a victory target of 182 going into the final day on Tuesday (last night Caribbean time).
Brian Lara was one of six victims of Shane Warne, falling to a brilliant catch by Matthew Hayden at slip as he edged a drive off the wrist-spinner in possibly his final Test innings in Australia.
DEBATABLE DECISIONS
But while there could be no complaints about the champion left-hander's dismissals in this match after being the victim of three debatable decisions in the first four innings of the series, Ramnaresh Sarwan, Dwayne Smith and Denesh Ramdin all had reasons to feel aggrieved at their dismissals.
Dwayne Bravo further enhanced his burgeoning reputation as an all-rounder of real quality with a top score of 64.
However, with Brett Lee taking the other four wickets and the West Indies being dismissed for 204 in their second innings just after tea, the odds were stacked against them dismissing their opponents before they surpassed the total on the final day to complete a 3-0 series triumph.
At the same Adelaide Oval almost nine years earlier, the Caribbean side pulled off a stunning one-run victory in defending a target of 186.
Now, the bowling resources are considerably less experienced and much less potent, although Shivnarine Chanderpaul and head coach Bennett King may have been left wondering what could have been in the match and throughout the series had they made greater use of Sarwan's leg-spin.
POSED CHALLENGES
The part-time bowler posed more than a few challenges for Australia's top order late on the fourth day, conceding just 11 runs off seven overs and should have had Matthew Hayden caught by Devon Smith.
The big left-handed opener, who was 38 not out at stumps, edged a delivery onto the thigh of wicketkeeper Ramdin from where it lobbed to the slip fielder only for umpire Aleem Dar to turn down the appeal.
It proved a cruel double-blow for Sarwan, who after a succession of reckless dismissals in the series, was playing with admirable determination and discipline in the morning when his effort was cut short by a blatant error by the other umpire, Billy Bowden.
The New Zealander adjudged the West Indies vice-captain lbw for 62 to Lee's first delivery of the day, a ball that television replays confirmed was headed well down the leg-side.
Chanderpaul, who has struggled throughout the series to find his best touch, fell for four to a bat-pad catch by Brad Hodge at short-leg off Warne and two balls later, Dwayne Smith looked up in disbelief to see Dar ruling him lbw for a duck although again the television evidence confirmed that the right-hander had edged the ball on to his pad.
At 106 for seven, four wickets had fallen for 10 runs and a swift capitulation after the interval seemed inevitable. But Bravo and Ramdin then recaptured some of the spirit of their 182-run partnership on the fourth day of the second Test in Hobart, playing freely and confidently in adding 54 runs for the eighth wicket before the wicketkeeper-batsman became yet another controversial Warne victim.
Attempting to sweep the wrist-spinner, Ramdin, on 28, played the ball into the ground and then on to his glove from where his Australian counterpart Adam Gilchrist took the ball and claimed the catch, which was upheld by Dar although it appeared to be a clear breach of the regulations over what constituted a legitimate catch.
SCOREBOARD
WEST INDIES 1st Innings 405
(B. Lara 226; G. McGrath 3-106, B. Lee 3-111)
AUSTRALIA 1st Innings 428
(B. Hodge 133 not out; D. Bravo 6-84)
WEST INDIES 2nd Innings
(overnight 68 for two)
W. Hinds st Gilchrist b Warne 15
D.S. Smith cPonting b Lee 0
R. Sarwan lbw b Lee 62
D. Powell b Warne 2
B. Lara c Hayden b Warne 17
S. Chanderpaul c Hodge b Warne 4
D. Bravo b Lee 64
D.R. Smith lbw b Warne 0
+D. Ramdin c wkpr Gilchrist b Warne 28
F. Edwards c Warne b Lee 9
C. Collymore not out 1
Extras (lb2) 2
TOTAL (all out) 204
Fall of wickets: 1-2, 2-60, 3-72, 4-96, 5-96, 6-106, 7-106, 8-160, 9-203.
Bowling: McGrath 18-8-25-0; Lee 17-5-46-4; Symonds 2-0-9-0; Warne 33-9-80-6; MacGill 11-2-42-0.
AUSTRALIA 2nd Innings (target: 182 runs)
J. Langer c D.R. Smith b Collymore 20
M. Hayden not out 38
R. Ponting c Sarwan b Collymore 3
B. Hodge not out 10
Extras (w1, nb4) 5
TOTAL (2 wkts) 76
Fall of wickets: 1-51, 2-55.
Bowling: Edwards 5-1-23-0 (nb3, w1); Powell 6-0-15-0; Collymore 10-2-27-2; Sarwan 7-2-11-0.
Umpires: B. Bowden, Aleem Dar (TV Replays: S. Davis).
Match Referee: M. Procter.
