Hard-hitting skipper Kraigg Brathwaite scored an unbeaten 101 Saturday to lead the West Indies resistance as they chased 498 to win the First Test against Australia after Marnus Labuschagne joined a rare party to complete a double and single century to make. The home side declared at lunchtime on day four in Perth after reaching 182-2 to go with their first innings 598-4 after knocking out the Caribbean nation for 283. The in-form Labuschagne hit an unbeaten 104 to finish going with his first innings 204 – only the eighth player to achieve the 200-100 feat in the same Test, joining the likes of Sunil Gavaskar, Brian Lara and Kumar Sangakkara.
In reply, the West Indies battled to 192-3 at stumps, still 306 points behind, with Kyle Mayers yet to score alongside Brathwaite.
Tagenarine Chanderpaul (45), Shamarh Brooks (11) and Jermaine Blackwood (24) were the wickets that fell.
In a blow to Australia, skipper and pace spearhead Pat Cummins was unable to bowl after suffering from thigh pain.
Openers Brathwaite and Chanderpaul were careful with 154 overs to get through for an unlikely draw, frustrating Australia.
The veteran Brathwaite made his 5,000th Test run with a boundary at Cameron Green before completing a second successive 50 after his first innings 64.
Chanderpaul was dropped on 42 and the ball slipped completely out of Mitchell Starc’s fingers in the deep end after he hooked Green.
But the speed demon quickly made amends when he bowled the son of West Indies great Shivnarine Chanderpaul to break a dangerous 116-run tie.
Nathan Lyon’s spin gave Brooks a concussion replacement for Nkrumah Bonner, with Steve Smith taking the catch on a slip after an edge, then Blackwood for 24 with Labuschagne the safe pair of hands.
But Brathwaite was unyielding and turned up his 11th Test century off 157 balls to keep his team’s hopes alive.
Intimidating
Australia resumed at 29-1 with David Warner, who started on 17, the only wicket to fall, out for 48.
Labuschagne confidently built on his three-day run to achieve a ninth Test century with Smith, who hit an unbeaten 200 in the first innings, out of 20.
In a setback for the West Indies, Mayers was unable to bowl with a strained right shoulder and Kemar Roach went off with a hamstring injury.
But the pace set by Alzarri Joseph and Jason Holder proved intimidating.
Labuschagne made a six out of Joseph before taking a massive letdown when a cheeky short ball flew off his bat onto the side of his helmet and he was caught.
But a no-ball was called as he left the field, with the batsman suffering a concussion before continuing on 19.
Warner and Labuschagne weathered the storm until spinner Roston Chase ended their 81-run partnership, with the veteran opener caught at close range by Brooks.
With free flowing runs, Labuschagne cruised to his century, off just 109 balls, and a piece of history to leave the West Indies with a huge job of saving the game.
(This story has not been edited by DailyExpertNews staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
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