Warriors dominate opening day of tour match

Despite the loss of a wicket close to stumps, Western Australia remains well and truly in control of its first-class match against the West Indies at the end of day one at the WACA ground in Perth.

The Warriors, having earlier ended the visitors' innings at a score of 132, will head into the second day trailing by just twenty-two runs with eight wickets still in hand, with Test batsman Justin Langer (40*) and nightwatchman Matthew Nicholson (0*) at the helm.

After a woeful batting performance marred their opening first-class match of their new Australian tour, the West Indian bowlers did well to capture the scalp of the dangerous Adam Gilchrist just nine overs into the home team's innings.

It was a good start from the visitors, who had minutes before suffered a huge blow with the news that Kerry Jeremy had sustained a broken jaw while batting and might need to be sent home. To their credit, they were able to get some of their own back when they had the Warriors' keeper caught behind off Mervyn Dillon. Gilchrist, who had taken five catches during the West Indian innings, was dismissed for 14 off twenty balls.

Despite the fiery nature of the WACA wicket, the tourists found it hard to break through Western Australia's batting. Mike Hussey (41) and Langer forged a solid partnership of seventy-six, before the opener was brilliantly caught down the leg side by wicketkeeper Courtney Browne off the bowling of Marlon Black. The dismissal was particularly satisfying for the bowler, who had been struck for four through gully only three balls before.

Black proved to be the most efficient of the West Indian bowlers, returning figures of 1/26 off his eleven overs. The other wicket taker, Dillon, finished with 1/33 off ten overs, while Colin Stuart was the most expensive, conceding thirty-four runs from his six overs.

Earlier in the day, the West Indian batsmen had been given what might well shape as a taste of things to come when they were reduced to 4/18 at one stage on their way to their paltry total.

But for the resistance offered by their last three batsmen - Jeremy (who retired hurt on 7 when a dogged eighty-five minute stay was ended by a nasty bouncer from speedster Nicholson), Black (11 in thirty-eight minutes) and Stuart (15 in thirty-two minutes), the tourists would not have even avoided the ignominy of being bowled out for less than 100. They must surely be hoping that the addition of Brian Lara to the lineup will add the much needed respectability by the time that the first Test begins in Brisbane a fortnight from now.

For the moment, they will just hope to bowl as best as they can and try to limit Western Australia to a manageable total and provided a platform from which their batsman can make a more positive fist of things at some time on Saturday.