Michael Clarke followed up his seventh Test hundred with two late wickets to give Australia a firm advantage in the second Test against the West Indies on Saturday.
Clarke cracked a purposeful 110 to allow Australia to declare on 479 for seven in their first innings on the second day of the Test at the Vivian Richards Cricket Ground. The Australia vice-captain then returned in the final hour to snare the scalps of opener Xavier Marshall and Runako Morton to leave the West Indies wobbling on 125 for three when stumps were drawn. Clarke took two wickets for seven runs off seven overs.
Australia were put on the back foot when Marshall and fellow opener Devon Smith put on 55 for the first wicket. But Mitchell Johnson made the breakthrough, when Smith was caught at square cover for 16, cutting hard at a short, wide delivery, but straight to the perfectly positioned Andrew Symonds, who nonchalantly grabbed the ball over his head.
Australia continued to bleed runs and Marshall coasted to his half-century, reaching the landmark when he swung a full toss from leg-spin bowler Stuart MacGill to the fielder on the mid-wicket boundary for a single.
Australia captain Ricky Ponting turned to Clarke for a bit of inspiration and he deceived Marshall with a well-flighted delivery and the West Indies opener was adjudged leg before wicket for 53 offering no stroke. Clarke was still celebrating Marshall’s scalp, when Runako Morton heaved at another well-flighted ball and was caught at mid-wicket for a five-ball duck to leave West Indies on 105 for three and captain Ramnaresh Sarwan and Shivnarine Chanderpaul to carry the home team through until the close.
Clarke’s fluent batting had propelled Australia into making a declaration at tea, after he reached his landmark, when he drove Daren Powell straight down the ground for the last of his 12 boundaries.
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