Cricket: Windies draw test, win respect

Dwayne Bravo (R) celebrates taking the wicket of Australia’s Marcus North. Photo / Getty Images

ADELAIDE - Australia have kept the Sir Frank Worrell Trophy, but not without plenty of bruises inflicted by a resurgent West Indian team that can now look towards the third test in Perth with far more optimism than dread.

The Australians were forced to scrap for a draw on the final day of the second test after their notional chase of 330 faded to 5-212 on a slow, wearing Adelaide Oval pitch.

Michael Clarke (61no) and opener Shane Watson (48) played the most pivotal hands in the face of some nifty swing from Dwayne Bravo (3-37), the speed of Kemar Roach and spin from Sulieman Benn, but their innings were of the gritty, match-saving kind unthinkable following a first test party in Brisbane.

Skipper Ricky Ponting refused to call the test a disappointing one for his team, directing plenty of credit towards Caribbean captain Chris Gayle - man of the match for his monumental second innings 165no - and his men.

"It's been a hard-fought test match for us, after the West Indies batting first and making 450 we knew we had to do a lot of things from that moment on in the game if we were going to win," Ponting said.

"I wouldn't say it's disappointing, if you don't win it can be a little disappointing but you've got to give the West Indies some credit as well for the way the played this game, from early on they've really played some good cricket."

Gayle, meanwhile, reflected a burgeoning confidence in his team.

"We definitely can win in Perth, there are no two ways about it, the way we went about this game shows we have the capability of winning," he said.

"Things have progressed really well and we are all looking out for each other, training has been really really good, I can't fault it, the preparation has been superb.

"We just need a couple of wins under our belt to actually change things and take a bit of pressure off us."

Caribbean coach David Williams had said on the fourth evening that a lead of 296 was enough, but Gayle batted on until his side was bowled out on the final morning, pushing their lead to 329 and reducing the number of overs for Australia to face to a minimum of 81.

Two tailend dismissals left Gayle unbeaten after 441 defiant minutes, making him the first West Indian captain to carry his bat through an innings.

Needing to start positively if they were to chase down the target, Watson and Simon Katich played their shots, but this brought about Katich's downfall for 21 when he drove airily to cover where Adrian Barath held a fine catch.

Watson was fortunate to survive a strong lbw appeal by Benn for a ball that pitched in line and straightened; the visitors elected not to challenge the decision though replays suggested they should have.

After lunch Ponting (20) was defeated by a Ravi Rampaul break-back, causing his attempted cut to deflect onto the stumps, and as tea neared Watson pulled Darren Sammy to a swooping Bravo.

The final session began with seven Australian wickets to fall, the target by now a purely theoretical one.

Bravo threatened to strike the hammer blows with a nifty spell of seam and swing across the left-handers to claim the outside edges of Mike Hussey (29) and Marcus North (two), but Clarke and Brad Haddin (21no) held firm for long enough to ensure a stalemate.

- AAP