BRIDGETOWN

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West Indies with two days to '(jure is difficult

It was very difficult for Aus irallan skipper Mark Taylor

Its the best Test match I ve played Taylor said Sunday after Australia won the opening • Test of their four match series reports AP

The only thing I can say we dal wrong was that no one made a hundred.

'Ail the things we talked about — bowling the right line buzzing in the field, lifting our Came, being tough playing the game Ihe right way — we did ail that.

A career-best five-wicket hauLby fast bowler Glenn Me Grath helped bowl out the West Indies for 189 in their second Innings, leaving Australian openers Taylor and Michael Slater to reach their victory target of 39 in just 6.5 overs

McGrath, the tall 25-year old from New South Wales, removed Stuart Williams and star balsman Brian LarM in his opening spell, then returned just before tea to scatter the tall with three wickets in 15 balls

McGrath, in his 10th Teat, led the way with five wickets for 68 runs off 22 overs, and he was well supported by legspinner Shane Warne, who took three wickets for 64 runs off 26.3 overs.

"McGrath Jumped on the .opportunity." Taylor said

Sometimes when you bowl in the shadow of other people, you don’t bowl your best. The fast bowlers really enjoyed the fact that they had to be the men. and they really lifted it."

No 6 Jimmy Adams was the only West Indian batsman to suggest any permanency, bat ting 167 minutes and 121 balls for his unbeaten top score of 39.

It was only the third loss for the West Indies in 31 Tests at Kensington Oval but their second on the trot after England's win last year broke a succession of 12 straight home .victories. .

Taylor, however, cautioned alxatt overconfidence.

i know the West Indies. That s the way they play," Taylor said. They can come and get beaten by 10 wickets here and Uipy could bounce back very tough in Antigua."

The West Indies will get their chance at evening the series starting April 8. when the second Test begins in St .John's, Antigua.

"We don't like losing and we re disappointed we've lost this Test match," West Indian captain Richie Richardson

said But only one round has gone There are still three Test matches left and we re going to look to bounce back

Australia made early inroads into the West Indies batting when they resumed from their overnight 13 without loss, facing a first Innings deficit of 151

1n the day's third over. Sherwin Campbell, the diminutive 24 year old Barbadian In only his third Test, pulled a long hop from Warne straight to short mid-wicket, where Steve Waugh held the catch on the second attempt, falling

In the next over. Campbell's opening partner Stuart Willi ana (10) edged an ambitious square cut to wicketkeeper Ian Healy off McGrath

McGrath struck the key Now Just six runs later, when he Induced an edge from left hander Lara, and Healy again jubilantly accepted the catch The first innings leading sco rer and world record-holder made just nine

In crista at 31 for three. Carl Hooper responded boldly hitting Warne for an overhead four and six in the same over

But his adventurous nature proved his downfall. Bothered by the over-the-wicket leftarm pace of Australia's first Innings hero Brendon Julian, he finally drove at a wide delivery and provided mid-off Paul Relffel with a simple two handed chance to his left.

Richardson also chose to* counter-attack. He was particularly strong on the drive and cut square of the wicket, where he hit most of his seven boundaries. But. first ball of the final over before lunch. Richardson was bowled by pacer Reiffel for 36.

"I don't want to lake any-

thing away from the Australlan bowlers, but I think that we did not bat very well at all We baited as If we were playing a one day match." Richardson said The fact that we ve lost the first one means that we re going to have to work very hard to come back its not the first time we ve lost a Test so we re not worried tn any way "

Adams rallied oriefly with the aggressive lower order He and wicketkeeper Junior Mur ray shared the highest stand of the innings. 44 for the sixth wicket.

But just when it appeared West Indies might be clawing their way back into the match. Murray, hitting out. was mag nifieently caught by Steve Waugh running 15 yards back from short mid-wicket off Warne for 23

Wtnston Benjamin and Adams put on a further 35 for the seventh-wicket, but the end came swiftly after Me Grath had Benjamin lbw for 26.

SCOREBOARD

Scoreboard on the third day of the first cricket Test between West Indies and Australia at Bridgetown. Barbados on Sunday

WEST INDIES: 1st innings 195 IB Lara 85. C Hooper 80: B Julian 4-36. G McGrath 3-46).

AUSTRALIA: 1st Innings 346 (1 Healy 74 not out, S Waugh 65 M Taylor 55: W Be na|amin 3-75).

WEST INDIES: 2nd innings (overnight 13 without loss) S Williams c Healy b McGrath 10 S Campbell c S Waugh b Warne , 6

B Lara c Healy b McGrath 9 C Hooper c Reiffel b Julian 16 R Richardson b Reiffel 36

J Adams not out 39

J Murray c S-Waugh b Warne 23 W Ben|amin lbw b McGrath 26 C Ambrose c Blewett b McGrath 6

C Walsh b McGrath 4

K Benjamin b Warne 5

Extras: (lb-1, nb-8) 9

Total (all out) 189

Fall of wickets . 1-19: 2-25; 3-31; 4-57: 5-91:6 136; 7-170: 8-176: 9-180 Bowling O M R W

Reiffel II 6 15 I

Julian 12 2 41 I

Warne 26.3 5 64 3

McGrath 22 6 68 5

AUSTRALIA: 2nd Innings M Taylor not out 16

M Slater not out 20

Extras: (nb-3) a-

TMal: 39

Bowling O M R W

Walsh 3 0 19 0

K Benjamin 2.5 114 0

Hooper 1 0 6 0

Result: Australia win by 10 wickets

Man-of-the-match: Olena McGrath

Second Teat: April 8 13 in Antigua