Australian opener David Warner yesterday added a welcome postscript to a match destined to be remembered for wet weather by scoring an unbeaten, quick-fire century on the last day of the drawn third Test against the West Indies.
Warner made 122 off 103 balls, with 12 fours and two sixes, and Australia reached 176-2 before both captains agreed to end the match midway through the final session.
The West Indies had earlier been bowled out shortly before lunch for 330 in its first innings, with Denesh Ramdin scoring 62, after starting his innings on day one.
Photo: AFP
Jomel Warrican took both wickets in Australia’s innings, having Joe Burns caught by a leaping Kemar Roach at mid-on for 26 and Mitchell Marsh caught at slip for 21.
Peter Nevill was 7 not out.
Having waited five days to get to the crease, Warner wasted little time in asserting himself on the West Indies attack. He reached his half-century from 42 balls with a six off Warrican and set his sights on his first century of the series after the tea break.
Warner reached the milestone with an inside edge off Warrican that went to fine-leg and celebrated with his trademark leap into the air, punching his fist in the air before saluting his teammates and the crowd of several thousand who took advantage of free entry to the Sydney Cricket Ground on the final day.
After a delay of 45 minutes at the start of the day as the pitch was uncovered for the first time in three days, the West Indies lower-order batsmen defied Australia’s attack for 90 minutes as the visitors recorded their highest innings total of the series.
Ramdin was the third West Indian batsman to pass a half-century in the innings before swiping at a wide ball by Steve O’Keefe and being caught by Steve Smith at slip.
Nathan Lyon dismissed Roach (15) and O’Keefe had Jerome Taylor caught for 13 to end the innings.
O’Keefe finished with 3-63 in his first Test in Australia.
West Indies captain Jason Holder declined the opportunity to declare before play, despite an offer by Australia captain Steve Smith of a double declaration to set the game up for a possible result.
Both teams wore black armbands in memory of Baljit Chandrika, father of West Indies batsman Rajendra Chandrika, who passed away overnight. Opening batsman Chandrika featured in the first two Tests of the series before sustaining a groin injury in the warmup for the third Test.
Australia won the three-match series 2-0 and retained the Frank Worrell Trophy after victories in the first two Tests in Hobart and Melbourne.
Adam Voges was voted player of the series after a double-century in Hobart and another hundred in Melbourne.
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