Garth Wattley
St John’s
Put to the sword by Michael Clarke and self-destructing in the field, West Indies lost more ground to Australia on the second day of this Second Digicel Test match at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium yesterday.
After Ricky Ponting declared his side’s first innings on 479 for seven, the West Indies started well but faltered to close on 125 for three, still 354 runs in arrears.
Clarke, Australia’s shining star with the bat, also did the trick with the ball.
Having earlier scored a superb 110, he removed opener Xavier Marshall (53) and Runako Morton (two) in the space of six balls in his third over of left-arm spin yesterday afternoon.
Off the first delivery, a deceived Marshall was lbw to straight ball to which he shouldered arms. And off the last, Morton mindlessly hit straight to Simon Katich at a short, straight mid-on. Only eight overs were left in the day.
The pair joined Devon Smith in the pavilion. He gifted a wicket to the erratic left-arm pacer Mitchell Johnson after putting on 55 with Marshall at better than a run-a-minute.
It was hard for anyone to share centre stage with Clarke yesterday. But Marshall came close.
His was a surprise and seemingly unmerited selection for this match given an unexceptional regional season in which he averaged 34.25. His even more modest overall first-class record (25.00) did not recommend him either.
But West Indies selectors seem creatures of instinct rather than logic. Or maybe they are just desperate gamblers.
Whatever the truth, Marshall, not deemed worthy enough to play for Jamaica in the Carib Beer Challenge final last month and not a member of the West Indies training squad that prepared for this series, suddenly himself facing some of the best in the world from 22 yards in only his third Test.
His response sent the pulses racing.
The X-Man marked the spot several times with sugar sweet strokes. Upright, on bended knee, off the front foot, off the back foot, Marshall found the boundary eight times with glorious drives through the covers to rival some of Clarke’s. His pull shots were precise too. And whether in attack or defence, everything bar one drive off Stuart MacGill found the middle of the bat. The pull of Brett Lee which hurtled to the midwicket boundary was one such shot.
Brilliant batting produced lyrics to match.
“Xavier de saviour!” said one soul, getting into the spirit of the session.
A single to deep backward square raised Marshall’s 50 off just 57 balls.
His skipper Sarwan watched from the other end, impressed. But he no doubt was dismayed when Marshall’s one misjudgment cost him his wicket after the pair had added a further 48 for the second wicket.
The Marshall cameo was only a brief respite for the Windies skipper who ended the day with Shivnarine Chanderpaul for company.
The solid progress made by the Clarke-inspired visitors will be hard to reverse. And the Windies did themselves no favours by giving four Australians chances, including Clarke. The damage was an additional 118 runs.
Clarke made his first Test innings on Caribbean soil a memorable one. Resuming on 38 overnight, he converted a promising innings into his seventh century at this level. And he entertained thoroughly in doing so.
From the first afternoon when he entered with Australia on 177 for two, Clarke changed the tempo of the proceedings with attractive strokeplay.
By the time he top-edged a hook at Daren Powell to Marshall at midwicket after four hours and 12 minutes at the crease, Clarke’s play had moved from attractive to sublime.
The placement and timing of his drives through the cover/extra-cover region touched heights only the above average can reach. The accounted for the bulk of his 12 fours.
Special was the only way to describe a stroke off Powell which somehow dissected the athletic Morton at short mid-off and the cheetah-like Dwayne Bravo at cover. They hardly moved, except to look helplessly at each other.
Having missed the opening Test at Sabina Park because of the death of his fiancee’s father, Clarke showed another modest crowd at the “Sir Vivian” why there was no question of him stepping straight back into the starting XI.
He seemed determined to take the attack to the West Indies bowlers when re-starting the innings with first day century-maker Katich at 259 for three.
The second new ball was taken in the second over. Almost immediately, Clarke stroked fours through midwicket and past the hapless mid-on fielder off Fidel Edwards.
But Katich never got into stride. In the third over, Jerome Taylor’s first after replacing Dwayne Bravo, the left-hander touched a ball drifting down the leg-side and Denesh Ramdin took the first of two good catches in that region. Katich did not add to his overnight 113.
Edwards also made Andrew Symond’s stay a brief one thanks again to another Ramdin take as the batsman tried to work the ball off his hips.
At 296 for five in the day’s 10th over, the West Indies had made a good start to the day. But things did not get better.
With Clarke on 61 and the total 308 for five, Ramdin grassed a one-handed attempt, again to a leg-side shot off Taylor. The next ball was driven exquisitely past extra-cover for four.
Wicketkeeper Brad Haddin (33, six fours), as aggressive in intent as Clarke, added 64 for the six wicket with his vice-captain.
The pair went to lunch together at 360 for five, some 101 runs coming in the session.
Taylor again started well after the break, deceiving Haddin with a change of pace and getting the batsman to pop a catch to Morton at mid-on.
However, the Australians gave up only one more wicket before the tea interval and Ponting’s declaration. It was Clarke’s. Having fittingly got to his century with another sweet on-drive, he was eventually caught top-edging a pull off Daren Powell to midwicket.
The Windies fielders however, failed to hold any more catches!
Edwards dropped a skier from Brett Lee when he was 28 and Bravo put down Mitchell Johnson running back from cover. Darren Sammy was the frustrated bowler both times.
The batsmen capitalised with a flurry of boundaries as they posted 64 for the unbroken eighth wicket.
Lee finished on 63 (eight fours, one six) his fifth Test 50, and Johnson 29 (26 balls, three fours).
The home side had let their improving standards slip back down.
But the most unlikely of X-men at least salvaged something.
