Third Test: Australia beat West Indies by 75 runs

Cricket

Third Test: Australia beat West Indies by 75 runs

Close

Australia clinched victory over West Indies to win the third and final Test.

27 April,2012 09:09 pm

Australia won thethird and final test against West Indies by 75 runs on Friday tosecure a 2-0 series win despite a valiant second innings effortfrom the home side.Set a daunting target of 370 to win, West Indies resumed on173 for five and were bowled out for 294, shortly before lunchon the final day.Australia captain Michael Clarke finished with five wicketsfor only the second time in his test career while hiscounterpart Darren Sammy scored a lively 61, his best testscore.The chase ended when Sammy top-edged Nathan Lyon, as hetried to sweep the spinner, and Ben Hilfenhaus pocketed thecatch to prompt celebrations from the tourists.The Dominican crowd had appreciated a good and entertainingeffort by the West Indian tail with local favourite ShaneShillingford making his best test score of 31 in a 49 run lastwicket stand with Sammy.The target always looked too much for West Indies on a pitchthat offered turn and bounce for the spinners but West Indiesmay wonder what might have been had Shivnarine Chanderpaul andDarren Bravo survived the final session on Thursday.Their 110 run partnership offered a glimmer of hope to theCaribbean team but Australia never really looked like lettingslip their grip on the series.The first innings century from Australia wicketkeeperMatthew Wade proved to be decisive in the final assesment, thetail-end resistance he led taking the total from 169-7 to 328.As in the victory in the first test in Barbados it was theability of Australias lower order to make key contributionsthat proved the difference.Clarkes contribution with the ball on the last two days wasa further reminder that while Australia may not have theworld-class line-up of a few years ago, they still bat deep andhave plenty of options with the ball.A fourth innnings total of 294 for West Indies on a surfacethat had been tough to score on, was a good effort and withSammys strokeplay at the close giving a supportive crowdsomething to cheer, the Caribbeans at least lost in the rightmanner.While West Indies now head off for a tough three test seriesin England, Australia will not play tests until South Africavisit in November.