Cricket: Australia beat West Indies by nine wickets

GEORGETOWN, Guyana - Australia crushed West Indies by nine wickets in the first cricket test here today, celebrating their captain Steve Waugh's world record 157th test appearance in emphatic style.

Australia reached their target of 147 before tea on the fourth day, opener Justin Langer following his first innings 146 with an unbeaten 78.

Ricky Ponting, who hit the winning single, was unbeaten on 42 as Australia, who will return to the top of the world test standings if they win the four-match series, knocked off the runs in the 43rd over.

Fast bowler Jason Gillespie set Australia on the way by taking four wickets for four runs at the start of the day to polish off the West Indies second innings. Gillespie finished with five for 38, his seventh five-wicket haul in test cricket.

The home team, a daunting 252 runs behind from the first innings, resumed at 381 for five but lost their remaining five wickets for a paltry 17 runs in 45 minutes as they were bowled out for 388.

Waugh, back at the helm after being left out of Australia's victorious World Cup squad, broke Allan Border's appearances world record when he took to the field on the first day.

The 37-year-old made his debut in 1985 and has scored 10,039 test runs, the third highest total behind Border (11,174) and Sunil Gavaskar of India (10,122).

Waugh's captaincy included 16 successive test wins between 2000-1.

West Indies, with first innings century-maker Shivnarine Chanderpaul still at the crease, began the day with hopes of at least being able to force a draw.

But they were quickly in trouble as Gillespie had Vasbert Drakes lbw for 14 in the day's first over.

Mervyn Dillon, also lbw, followed for a duck in Gillespie's next over and was replaced by Ridley Jacobs, who bravely limped out to bat despite a torn groin muscle.

He was shown no mercy by Gillespie, who greeted him with a couple of short deliveries that had him painfully ducking backwards.

Both Jacobs and Chanderpaul, who injured his knee scoring a century in the first innings, used runners as they attempted to repeat their sixth-wicket partnership of 131.

But in Gillespie's fourth over Chanderpaul snicked a catch to wicketkeeper Adam Gilchrist for 31.

Jacobs gave the crowd brief cheer when he hit leg spinner Stuart MacGill for six but he was out in the same over when he got an inside edge and was caught at short leg by Darren Lehmann for 11.

Tailender Jermaine Lawson followed when he was lbw to Gillespie without scoring as West Indies lost their last five wickets for 17 runs.

Australia made a comfortable start, picking off the loose deliveries to reach 47 for no wicket at lunch.

Langer had a huge let-off on 46 when he miscued a Marlon Samuels delivery to Dave Bernard at cover point but the substitute fielder dropped the ball.

The 32-year-old left-hander made the most of his escape by cutting his seventh four through the covers of the next ball to complete his 50.

The hosts' only breakthrough came when Matthew Hayden lobbed Jermaine Lawson to square leg and was caught by Bernard for 19. Reuters jh

Scoreboard

West Indies

First innings 237 (S Chanderpaul 100, R Jacobs 54 not out)

Australia

First innings 489 (J Langer 146, R Ponting 117, A Gilchrist 77; V Drakes 5-93)

West Indies

Second innings (overnight 381-5)

W Hinds lbw b MacGill 7

D Smith c Gilchrist b Gillespie 62

D Ganga c Lee b Lehman 113

B Lara hit wicket b Hogg 110

M Samuels c Ponting b MacGill 7

S Chanderpaul c Gilchrist b Gillespie 31

V Drakes lbw b Gillespie 14

M Dillon lbw b Gillespie 0

R Jacobs c Lehmann b MacGill 11

P Collins not out 1

J Lawson lbw b Gillespie 0

Extras (6b 13lb 1w 22nb) 42

Total (all out, 105.2 overs) 398

Fall: 52, 110, 295, 303, 354, 382, 384, 391, 397

Bowling: S MacGill 31 overs 5 maidens 140 runs 3 wkts, B Hogg 15-0-68-1, B Lee 14-4-57-0, J Gillespie 20.2-5-39-5, A Bichel 13-4-40-0, S Waugh 8-1-29-0, D Lehmann 4-0-6-1

Australia

Second innings

J Langer not out 78

M Hayden c sub b Lawson 19

R Ponting not out 42

Extras (1b 2lb 2w 3nb) 8

Total (for one wicket, 42.1 overs) 147

Fall: 77

Bowling: M Dillon 6-0-21-0, V Drakes 8-0-28-0, P Collins 6-2-14-0, J Lawson 9-2-31-1, M Samuels 9.1-1-41-0, D Ganga 4-0-9-0

Result: Australia won by nine wickets.

Second test: April 19-23, Port of Spain.

Third test: May 1-5, Bridgetown.

Fourth test: May 9-13, St John's, Antigua.