Langer leads Australian riposte

Australia 3 for 229 (Langer 99, Ponting 56) trail West Indies 405 (Lara 226) by 176 runs
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were out

After a day of resplendent batting from a genius, regular service resumed at Adelaide, as the Australian top order got among the runs on an excellent batting strip. Brian Lara's 226 lifted him to the top of the Test run-getters' chart and took West Indies to a first innings total of 405, but Australia hit back in style before two late strikes - including that of Justin Langer for 99 - left them at 3 for 229 at close of play.

Lara's magnificent knock pushed the West Indians to a respectable total, but the Australian response showed just how easy paced this Adelaide pitch was, as Langer and Matthew Hayden put together 97 for the opening wicket in less than 18 overs. When Hayden was out, Langer found a willing partner in Ponting, as the two put together 114. The West Indian total of 405 was looking alarmingly inadequate, but Dwayne Bravo, who bowled with excellent control throughout the day, removed Ponting before Langer was struck by a bad case of the Nervous 90s that eventually brought about his downfall.

The signs were ominous for West Indies early in the piece, as Hayden and Langer rattled off 27 in the three overs they batted before lunch, and continued in a similar vein immediately after the break. Langer, coming back into the team after missing the first two Tests due to injury, found his timing and fluency from the start, peppering the cover fence with superb drives off the fast bowlers. He slowed down after the initial burst of boundaries, but was still utterly in command, never bothered by the extra pace of Fidel Edwards, or the line-and-length stuff of Corey Collymore and Bravo. He bided his time when the runs dried up, knowing that the only way to get out on this featherbed was to throw it away.

With a hundred there for the taking, though, he did just that. After spending nine deliveries on 99 - in the process almost getting Brad Hodge run-out while attempting a sharp single - Langer finally lost his nerve, attempting to pull Edwards and only managing a glove.

Till those two late strikes, Australia appeared to be on an inexorable grind towards a huge total. Hayden played some typically powerful straight-drives and pulls in his 47, and while his dismissal staunched the runs, West Indies still had to wait very long before striking again. Ponting's was an uncharacteristic knock. Struggling to find his timing and the gaps in the field, he used up 74 balls to score 19, before finally regaining some sort of touch. The flicks and drives finally began to find the middle of the bat and the boundary before he fell against the run of play.

As if bowling on this shirtfront wasn't bad enough, West Indies did themselves no favours in the field, twice missing Hayden before he had reached 25. Those two lapses were symptomatic of a general tardiness in the field, as the initiative gained from Lara's brilliance was thrown away in a hurry. Edwards had a particularly miserable time, going for a shocking 36 runs in his first three overs. Collymore and Bravo were far more disciplined, but the lack of a specialist spinner meant there was a sameness to the attack which suited the Australian batsmen perfectly.

If the last four hours of the day belonged to Langer, the first few minutes were certainly Lara's. Resuming at 202, he needed 12 runs to go past Border's aggregate, and the big moment came off the last ball of the day's fifth over, when Lara shuffled audaciously to a Glenn McGrath delivery directed at the stumps, and lapped it down to fine leg for a single. Lara leapt up and punched his fists in celebration, the crowd, anticipating the moment in hushed silence, rose to applaud an outstanding feat by an outstanding player, and the Australian players generously applauded the event too.

Lara celebrated by flicking Brett Lee to the fine-leg fence, but soon after, his monumental effort came to an end. Hoping to carve a boundary with the field coming in for the last ball of the over, Lara missed a straight one from McGrath and found his off stump going for a walk. The West Indian tail resisted stoutly - the last-wicket pair lasted almost nine overs - to ensure that West Indies got past the 400-run mark. For most of the day that score looked utterly inadequate, but the last 25 minutes would have given Chanderpaul some hope.

Brian Lara b McGrath 226 (8 for 381)
Made room to carve through the off side and missed

Daren Powell lbw b McGrath 14 (9 for 388)
Given out to a full one which might have slipped down leg

Fidel Edwards c Hayden b Warne 10 (405 all out)
Edged to slip

Matthew Hayden c Chanderpaul b Bravo 47 (1 for 97)
Drove uppishly to cover

Ricky Ponting lbw b Bravo 56 (2 for 211)
Struck on the back leg after missing a pull

Justin Langer c Ramdin b Edwards 99 (3 for 228)
Gloved a pull to the keeper