Wade Scores Century And Australia Close Well Ahead

Wade Scores Century And Australia Close Well Ahead

Nathan Lyon grabbed three wickets as Australia bowled themselves into a handy lead

©REUTERS / Action Images

Australia 328 (Wade 106, Shillingford 6-106) v
West Indies 165-8 (Powell 40, Lyon 3-49)
Third Test, Dominica, day two
Scorecard | Day One

Matthew Wade scored his maiden Test century and Nathan Lyon took three wickets as Australia closed day two of the third and final Test against the West Indies 163 runs ahead.

Wade's 106 drove them to a score of 328, despite Shane Shillingford taking six wickets, and the West Indies then limped to stumps on 165 for eight in reply.

Lyon closed with figures of three for 49, removing Adrian Barath (29), Kieran Powell (40) and Carlton Baugh (5).

Holding Australia up towards the end of the day was Shivnarine Chanderpaul, who dug in to make 34 not out in 110 balls, and Ravi Rampaul, who hit an unbeaten 24 in 33.

The West Indies require the sort of rearguard action Australia were able to conjure up as Wade, Mitchell Starc (35) and Ben Hilfenhaus (19) managed to add 116 for the final three wickets.

Wade stroked ten fours and hit three sixes in his 146-ball knock, reaching three figures in just his third match since replacing Brad Haddin behind the stumps.

He added 57 with Starc for the eighth wicket and 102 with Hilfenhaus for the ninth as the West Indies - just as they had earlier in the series and late last year against India - failed to capitalise on a strong position.

Shillingford toiled hard and was rewarded with figures of six for 106 while there was a wicket apiece for Kemar Roach, Rampaul and Darren Sammy.

The West Indies were quickly under pressure in their reply when Kraigg Brathwaite was caught by Ryan Harris of Hilfenhaus for a nine-ball duck.

Barath and Powell held things steady for a time before Lyon's off-spin accounted for both men and David Warner's leg-spin saw off Darren Bravo for 10.

Harris then trapped Narsingh Deonarine in front for seven and Ed Cowan brilliantly ran out Sammy for ten as the West Indies crumbled.

When Starc bowled Shillingford for a golden duck, there was a possibility that the West Indies might even fail to reach the target to avoid the follow-on.

Eventually that was safely negotiated by Chanderpaul, who finally found a willing ally in Rampaul, who hit four fours late on to show some fight in the face of adversity, the pair of left-handers surviving for 13 overs at the end of the day.

Australia lead the series 1-0 after a three-wicket win in Barbados and a drawn match in Trinidad.

© Cricket World 2012