Lara redeems himself and rejuvenates series

Honours are just about even, due to a run out and some strange luck for West Indies' Test debutant Marlon Samuels late on day two. Confusion between the openers, Matthew Hayden and Michael Slater, led to the run out of Hayden, while Samuels took two wickets, with less than convincing deliveries, to allow West Indies to be smiling at stumps.

Australia had a much better second day than their first of this third Test, before losing three wickets late on. After capturing the final six West Indian wickets for the addition of just 117 runs, they closed at 180/3. Mark Waugh is ten not out, while nightwatchman Jason Gillespie is unbeaten on two. Marlon Samuels has taken 2/25.

Slater made 83 sometimes audacious runs, and such was his pugnacious approach that he looked dangerous throughout his innings. He hit eight fours, but ran like a hare to get the rest, giving the West Indians fits in the field.

His only mistake in the entire day was the poor call he made, with the ball played behind him, to leave his opening partner Hayden in no-man's land. Hayden was again run out, this time for a circumspect 58. The pair had given their team an electric, dynamic and energetic start, chasing the West Indies' 391 all out.

The Australians, especially Slater, started like a train at full throttle, playing almost with disdain as the West Indies fast bowlers and then the spinners struggled in the heat to get any help from a placid pitch, before the first wicket fell at 156.

As the Australian batsmen took charge, Slater advanced with aggressive slashes off Merve Dillon. For the first time this series, the West Indian players, especially the veteran Courtney Walsh, looked very ordinary indeed.

Slater did not last long after the run-out incident, easily caught at backward point as he swotted at a Samuels long hop. He had batted for 165 minutes for his 83 and Australia were 160/2. Justin Langer, looking for a good score, was caught at slip for just six by Brian Lara, as the batsman slashed at Samuels, leaving Australia 169/3.

At tea, after 15 lively overs, Australia were already well on their way at 58-0, with Slater on 38 and Hayden 15.

Earlier, West Indian master batsman Brian Lara, with as powerful an innings as you could wish to see in the circumstances, made tremendous amends for his failings in the first two Tests. Before this innings, Lara had managed meagre scores of 0, 4, 0 and 17, falling twice to fast bowler Glen McGrath and twice to leg-spinner Stuart MacGill.

Out half an hour before lunch, Lara's 182 not only made up for his recent failures, but also lifted the West Indian batting out of the doldrums after the first two Tests, and put some much required, and much appreciated life into this series. It was his fourth highest Test innings and, in the process, he fully "repaid" both McGrath and MacGill.

The "better" innings, depending on your perspective, were his first Test century, 277, against Australia at Sydney in 1992/3, the world record of 375, made in 1994 at the Antigua Recreation Ground, against England, and that masterful, match-winning, perhaps career-retrieving 213 at Sabina Park, Jamaica, against the Australians last year.

This was Lara's sixth century against Australia, and his 15th overall. When he completed his 167th run of this superb innings, he crossed into the realm of those batsmen with more than 6,000 Test runs. He now has 6,013 runs at Test level, at an average of 47.74.

Lara started the day on 136, having already hit 21 delicious, sometimes unbelievably finessed fours, and one six. So dominant was Lara that his first fifty came in only 90 deliveries, and included ten fours. The second fifty came even more quickly, off just 50 balls in 50 minutes.

It was "the mother of all onslaughts" as Lara cut, diced, sliced, pulled and drove all the bowlers, including clouting three consecutive boundaries on three different occasions against both McGrath and MacGill, all with wonderful timing and placement. The Lara 150 came up with one of those slashes, for four through backward point, off Jason Gillespie.

He was well on his way to his fourth double century when, on 182, he cut lazily at Colin Miller's off break, the resulting edge taken well by Mark Waugh at slip. The West Indies were then 354/6.

Merve Dillon, the other overnight batsman, who came in as nightwatchman at the fall of Jimmy Adams' wicket, was out in the first over of the day, easily caught by Mark Waugh at slip off the bowling of Gillespie, with the second new ball. It was Gillespie's fifth wicket, playing his first game on his home ground in Adelaide.

On the first day, it had been Gillespie who had made inroads into the West Indian batting line-up. At one time, West Indies were in some bother at 86/3, as he removed firstly Darren Ganga, bowled off the inside edge, for 23, then had Campbell palpably lbw for 18. Wavel Hinds, after 27 aggressive runs, was induced to edge a widish delivery to Ricky Ponting at slip. When that wicket fell, Gillespie had the magnificent figures of 3/20.

Before Lara's dismissal, Marlon Samuels had made an impressive start to Test cricket, looking exactly as a Test player should with his obviously youthful appearance, but more particularly, with the poise he displayed.

Samuels helped Lara put on 74 impressive runs for the sixth wicket, before following Lara to the pavilion, for 34, including four crisp boundaries. He was lbw playing across the line of Colin Miller's quicker ball to leave West Indies 376/7.

Once Lara had departed, only 37 runs were added by the rest of the batsmen. The tourists quickly lost their last three wickets, all to Miller, who finished with 5/81 from 35.5 overs of medium pace and off breaks.

Nixon McLean was easily out, lbw for a duck at 382/8, while Ridley Jacobs soon gloved the same bowler to Justin Langer, fielding at forward short leg, to depart for 21 at 391/8. Walsh was lbw for nought to leave West Indies 391 all out. Marlon Black was left not out on one.

Gillespie finished with 5/89 from 32 overs, while Miller picked up the last five wickets.

At least, the West Indies are enjoying two days of positives so far this game.