PORT OF SPAIN, 21 April 2003 — Vice-captain Ricky Ponting thumped his first Test double century and Adam Gilchrist weighed in with an unbeaten hundred to put Australia firmly in control of the second Test against West Indies yesterday.
Australia declared on 576 for four shortly before tea on the second day with Ponting making 206. West Indies were quickly in trouble in their first innings, losing two wickets for 25 runs before the second interval. Devon Smith went for a duck when he got an edge to a Jason Gillespie delivery and was caught behind by Gilchrist.
Wavell Hinds was then sent back the last ball before the interval, having made 20, when he edged Brett Lee to Matthew Hayden at first slip. Ponting, in outstanding form after scoring 140 in the World Cup final last month and a hundred in the first Test in Guyana, reached his landmark by taking two runs off Vasbert Drakes in the third over after lunch. Ponting, whose previous best was 197 against Pakistan in Perth in 1999, had been at the crease for 476 minutes, faced 344 balls, hit 23 fours and one six before reaching his 200.
He was finally out for 206 when he was stumped by Carlton Baugh off Marlon Samuels. Gilchrist reached his hundred, the eighth of his 41-match Test career, after driving Mervyn Dillon through the offside for two runs, having lofted him for six through the onside earlier in the same over.
Gilchrist faced 105 balls and hit eleven fours and two sixes.
India-South Africa Final
Put Back Until Today
In Dhaka, rain forced the postponement of a three-nation cricket tournament final between India and South Africa due at the Bangabandhu National Stadium yesterday.
The match will now be held today.
Rain less than an hour before the scheduled start of play at 2:00 p.m. (0800 GMT) rendered the ground unfit for play.
Intermittent showers and a lack of sunlight thereafter diminished hopes for a short match as International Cricket Council (ICC) rules state a match should be started only if at least 25 overs each are possible.
Match referee Clive Lloyd, in consultation with the umpires, called off play for the day at 4:30 p.m. (1030 GMT).
Richardson, Fleming Make
Merry in Drawn Tour Match
In Colombo, New Zealand opener Mark Richardson geared up for the upcoming two-Test series against Sri Lanka with an impressive 106 in a drawn warm-up match yesterday. The left-hander was not the only batsman among runs against the Sri Lankan Board President’s team as skipper Stephen Fleming (69) and Scott Styris (64) also chipped in to help the tourists post 396 in reply to the hosts’ 258.
