Watson's reputation grows

Having watched David Warner succumb to Sammy in similar fashion to Ed Cowan, Shane Watson now played an unfortunate part in the exit of Ricky Ponting. Watson played Fidel Edwards behind square leg and set off for what he thought would be two. Ponting thought differently and quickly came to a halt as Kraigg Brathwaite's athletic chase reached the ball faster than Watson expected. Seemingly oblivious to Ponting's passivity at the other end, Watson hared down the pitch, leaving both batsmen at more or less the same end as Brathwaite returned over the stumps and Baugh broke them, Ponting having wandered disconsolately out of his ground. Watson has now been involved in eight of the 21 Australian run-outs that have taken place in his 33 Tests.

Watson walked out at No. 3 at the fall of Cowan's wicket and straight into the midst of an enthralling spell of medium pace by Darren Sammy. On a surface that offered precious little to the pacemen, Sammy used the crease and varied his line of attack subtly, so much so that Australia's batsmen appeared to be facing up to a ball that was moving around. So it was that Watson padded up to a delivery from Sammy that was whirring in towards off stump, the bowler's appeal being so celebratory that he was clapping his hands in anticipation of Ian Gould's raised finger. But Gould decided the ball had not done enough, forcing Sammy to refer the decision. Replays and Hawk-Eye confirmed the ball was hitting off stump but not enough of it to overturn Gould's original call - although having not played a shot, Watson was highly fortunate to still be there in any case.

Michael Clarke had arrived at the crease earlier than he might have wanted to, and before the morning was out he went within an ace of departing. Devendra Bishoo delivered a ball wide of the stumps that was shortish but skidded through low. Clarke, attempting to cut, swished over the ball, and Carlton Baugh made a decent take before he and Bishoo appealed for a catch at the wicket. Tony Hill gave Clarke out but the batsman made the "T" sign instantly, leaving the the umpire Marais Erasmus with a dicey call. In the absence of Hot Spot or the Snickometer, he had no sure way of determining whether or not there was a sound or indicator of contact as the ball passed Clarke's bat. But equally he had no solid evidence on which to overrule Hill's call. When his not-out verdict was relayed to the middle, the West Indians were puzzled, and Clarke relieved.

Toiling away across the afternoon and flinging his legbreaks into the footmarks left on an increasingly scuffed Kensington Oval pitch, Bishoo earned the admiration of most observers who had not previously seen him ply his trade in the flesh. His reward for nagging accuracy and varying degrees of flight and turn would be handsome - the wicket of Clarke. After a 40-minute rain delay had taken some of the rhythm out of Clarke's stand with Michael Hussey, Australia's captain advanced in an attempt to hit Bishoo down the ground. But the most nimble feet in the game were unable to cover the drop and spin imparted by Bishoo, and Clarke was only able to sky the ball from the outer half of his bat to Narsingh Deonarine at long off.