BRIDGETOWN, 2 May 2003 — Australia were tied down by the West Indian spinners in the post-lunch session but had advanced to 197 for two at tea on the opening day of the third Test at Kensington Oval here yesterday.
Ricky Ponting was in sight of his third century of the series on 69 and Darren Lehmann was not out 22. Australia were restricted to 84 runs off 31 overs in the middle session by spinners Omari Banks and Chris Gayle after breezing to lunch at 113 for one.
Justin Langer’s charmed innings finally came to an end after surviving three lives. The West Australian left-hander was out for 78, giving 20-year-old off-spinner debutant Banks his first Test wicket, 40 minutes after lunch.
Langer, who was dropped on 0 and 4 before surviving a run-out on 68 when wicketkeeper Carlton Baugh fumbled the ball in removing the bails with the Australian diving for his crease, skied to Shivnarive Chanderpaul in the covers to leave the tourists at 151 for two.
Langer put on 108 runs for the second wicket with Ponting, who continued in the best form of his life for his 18th Test half-century. Ponting, who scored 117 and 42 not out in the first Test and 206 and 45 in the second Test, took his series aggregate to 479 at tea for an average of almost 160.
Langer was dropped in a difficult diving chance by Ramnaresh Sarwan at third slip off Jermaine Lawson’s first ball of the match. Lawson then fumbled a straight-forward return catch off his bowling when Langer was on four and Australia 24 without loss.
He had another life on 68 when Lawson’s throw from deep square leg was dropped by wicketkeeper Baugh as he removed the bails. The third umpire gave the Australian another reprieve, but he was out soon after.
Matthew Hayden was out off the last ball of Vasbert Drakes’ opening over in the morning session for 27 when he attempted to a cut a wide delivery and edged to Gayle at first slip.
West Indies captain Brian Lara won the toss and gambled by sending Australia into bat on a flat hard pitch and fielding a vastly inexperienced bowling attack.
The West Indies made five changes to their losing second Test team with 21-year-old fast bowlers Lawson and debutant Tino Best coming into the attack to share the new ball with Drakes. They left out their most experienced strike bowler Mervyn Dillon, while Banks made his Test debut.
The four front-line bowlers had a total of nine Tests and 36 wickets against the experienced five-prong Australian bowling attack which had a combined 195 Test appearances and 829 Test wickets.
Australia have already retained the Frank Worrell Trophy after wins in the opening two Tests.
Zimbabwe Wanted
Flower to Continue
Meanwhile, Zimbabwe’s senior cricket administrator said in London yesterday he had tried to stop leading batsman Andy Flower from retiring from international cricket after this year’s World Cup.
And Zimbabwe Cricket Union Chairman Peter Chingoka, speaking at a Lord’s media conference shortly after the squad’s arrival in England, insisted Flower had never been threatened with being dropped because of his political protests.
“Even before the World Cup, Andy Flower had made up his mind he was going to play for Essex in England this summer and South Australia in Australia,” Chingoka said. “We tried to hold on to Andy Flower. We offered him a two or three-year contract. That showed good will on our part.”
Left-handed batsman Flower, 35, was Zimbabwe’s one player of true world class, averaging over 50 in Test cricket. During Zimbabwe’s opening World Cup match in February, against Namibia in Harare, Flower and teammate Henry Olonga wore black armbands and issued a statement lamenting the ‘death of democracy’ in Zimbabwe under President Robert Mugabe.
