Tony Becca, Contributing Editor

Australian skipper Ricky Ponting on his way to 158 on the first day of the first Test against the West Indies at Sabina Park yesterday. - Ricardo Makyn/Staff Photographer

THERE ARE two kinds of captains in the world of cricket, those who motivate their charges to perform, and those who, blessed with superb skills (like Australia's Ricky Ponting), lead by example and from the front.

Yesterday at Sabina Park, on the first day of the first Test match of the 2008 series between the West Indies and Australia for the Sir Frank Worrell Trophy, Ponting, the Australian captain, stepped up in what appeared a time of need, lifted Australia out of what seemed troubled waters and, at stumps, Australia were sitting pretty on 301 for four.

Impressive play

Their baby-faced skipper had stroked an impressive 158 before, with six overs to go to the end of the day's play; he hooked at medium-pacer Dwayne Bravo and was brilliantly caught by Brenton Parchment flying to his right by the square-leg umpire.

Twenty minutes after winning the toss and electing to bat, Australia, surprisingly, were one down for 18 in the fourth over when Ponting walked out to bat.

Twenty-two minutes later, they were 37 for two when Michael Hussey joined him, and with the left-hander a perfect ally at the other end, Ponting, looking elegant as he reeled off shot after shot, steadied the Australian ship while ticking off his 35th century in his 117th Test match.

It was also his seventh against the West Indies in his 17th Test match and his fifth in seven matches against the hosts.

In an innings during which his bat appeared as broad as the proverbial barn door, in an innings during which his perfectly timed boundary strokes, 17 fours and one six, echoed around the stadium like gunshots, Ponting moved away from both Brian Lara and Sunil Gavaskar and is now all alone in second place for most Test centuries - four behind Sachin Tendulkar's imposing 39.

After getting off the mark with a fluent drive off pacer Daren Powell through extra-cover for a couple, Ponting rushed into double figures with a lovely square-cut and a drive through the covers off fast man Fidel Edwards.

From there on, it was a batting treat from a master batsman as he eased to 50 off 65 deliveries in 119 minutes and to his 100 off 137 deliveries in 237 minutes before he fell to Parchment's fantastic catch after facing 224 deliveries in 352 minutes.

On a day when he made batting look easy, all of Ponting's strokes were out of the top drawer.

There were some, however, which were extra special and, based on the applause that followed each of them, the fans particularly enjoyed a front-foot drive to the point boundary off Bravo, a pull to the backward square-leg boundary off Powell, a back-foot drive to the cover boundary off debutant off-spinner Amit Jaggernauth.

And shortly after ticking off his century, two glorious on-drives - a chip-and-drive against Jaggernauth to the mid-wicket boundary and one against Darren Sammy as he stroked the ball to the long-on boundary.

Standard bearers

Fortunately for the captain of Australia, and unfortunately for the West Indies, Ponting was blessed with two standard bearers.

One was Hussey, with whom he shared a third-wicket partnership of 137 off 43 overs as Australia steadied themselves while beating back the ambitious West Indies.

The other was Brad Hodge, with whom he shared a fourth-wicket partnership of 119 off 34 overs as Australia put the West Indies in their place.

Hussey, 56, was solid as a rock before, at 174 and shortly after a narrow escape when Jaggernauth went between bat and pad and just missed hitting the off-stump, he went forward and then back to the offspinner, edged the ball, and was brilliantly caught one-handed by Bravo diving to his right at slip.

Scintillating drives

Hodge, probably thanking the gods for handing him an opportunity following the absence of both Michael Clarke and Matthew Hayden, started with two scintillating drives off Powell - one to the point boundary and one to the long-on boundary and then proceeded to parade some wonderful strokes, including a superb drive to the long-on boundary off Edwards, on his way to 53 not out.

Could have been better

For the West Indies, however, it could have been, with a little luck, a better day - probably even a good one. Edwards, steaming in from the south, removed Simon Katich for 12 - the left-hander going caught by Sammy at gully, and then he trapped Phil Jaques leg before wicket for nine at 37 for two - the left-hander going back and beaten off the pitch.

Two runs later, Ponting, the man who rescued Australia, went across his wicket to Powell, missed the ball, was hit on the pad, and based on their reaction after a thunderous appeal, to the surprise of the West Indians, on the field and in the stands, umpire Russell Tiffin failed to lift his finger.

It was a long time before the West Indies got even an appeal after that.