Resuming at their overnight 120 for one, the Australians continued their domination of the encounter to register 489 in their first innings with Adam Gilchrist supporting with a swashbuckling 77 after Vasbert Drakes, who finished with five for 93, had threatened to bowl the home team back into contention.

When stumps were drawn in fading light, West Indies were 16 without loss in their second innings, still needing a further 236 runs to avoid an innings defeat.

Openers Devon Smith and Wavell Hinds survived five testing overs of spin from ‘leggie’ Stuart MacGill and left-armer Brad Hogg to end the day on 13 and two respectively.

The visitors had earlier threatened to run riot on the docile and flat Bourda track, with Langer, who resumed on 55 and Ponting 46, continuing in the same attacking vein as on the previous afternoon. The left-handed Langer showed early intentions by smashing fast bowler Jermaine Lawson for consecutive fours through backward point and mid-off in the day’s third over.

Ponting, reached his half-century with his 10th four, a piercing cover drive off Drakes and followed this up with a sparkling straight drive and pull behind square for consecutive boundaries off the same bowler.

The solid 32-year left-handed free-scoring Western Australian Langer reached his 14th Test ton off his 160th delivery in 247 minutes, aided by 14 fours and one six and celebrated the magic figure by pulling off-spinner Marlon Samuels disdainfully through square leg.

The two soon realised the 200-run partnership when Ponting effortlessly eased Pedro Collins to the mid-off boundary.

The Australian One-day captain, who blasted a magnificent hundred in his team’s World Cup triumph over India, continued from where he left, achieving his 15th Test century in the final over before lunch with a lofted drive for four off Samuels and at the interval was on 103 while Langer was undefeated on 129 and Australia 253 for one.

It meant that the visitors had scored 133 runs in the extended morning session without losing a wicket and already in the lead by 16 runs.

An inspired Drakes, to the relief of his team-mates, broke the epic 248-run second-wicket partnership when Ponting, in attempting an extravagant off-drive, edged a catch to Samuels at first slip to depart for 117 at 285 for two.

Ponting’s innings was laced with 18 fours in 289 minutes off 195 balls.

The second-wicket partnership was also the best for the Australians in the Caribbean, surpassing the 180 between Graham Wood and Peter Toohey at Sabina Park, Jamaica in 1978.

Darren Lehmann (six) never settled and in attempting to cut a short delivery from Drakes failed to get it past substitute David Bernard Jr. who gobbled up a spectacular catch diving low to his right at backward point.

Switching ends and being preferred with the second new ball, taken after 81 overs at 309 for three, Drakes got into the picture once more when Langer edged him to Hinds to depart after reaching the boundary 18 times and clearing it twice in his 146 which occupied 374 minutes off 272 balls.

At tea, skipper Steve Waugh was undefeated on 25 and Gilchrist, already showing signs of what was to come, 14 not out. Waugh, failed to add to his 25, trapped lbw by Dillon, as he attempted to turn the tall fast bowler through the on-side.

The West Indies must have sensed then that they had an excellent chance to restrict the Aussies but with Gilchrist still around, their hopes were soon dashed.

The robust Australian, like he has done so often, again took charge of the lower-order, adding 85 for the seventh wicket with the reliable Andy Bichel who also played some delightful strokes in his 39, with seven fours in 67 minutes.

The partnership ended when Hinds, who kept wicket throughout the innings because of a groin injury to Ridley Jacobs, held a fantastic one-handed catch low to his right off the persevering Drakes.

Gilchrist, in the meantime, was exploding at the other end, smashing Collins over wide long-on for a huge six and pulling and driving anything short, with contempt.

Gilchrist, who probably had his sights on his eighth Test century was deceived by a slower delivery from fast bowler Jermaine Lawson, hitting it back tamely to the Jamaican fast bowler. He counted nine fours and two sixes in 147 minutes for his 77 off 81 balls.

Fast bowlers Bret Lee (20) and Jason Gillespie (seven) enjoyed themselves to some lusty hitting before the former presented Drakes with the 20th five-wicket haul in the 29th Test played at Bourda.

The West Indies, who are likely to lose the services of Jacobs in the second innings and with first innings centurion Shivnarine Chanderpaul not fully fit, face an uphill task when play enters its third day today and will need to improve vastly on their first innings effort if they are to even save the game.

WEST INDIES first innings first innings 237 (S. Chanderpaul 100, R. Jacobs 54 not out; A. Bichel three for 55, B. Hogg two for 40, S. MacGill two for 49)

AUSTRALIA first innings

J. Langer c wkpr Hinds b Drakes 146

M. Hayden run-out 10

R. Ponting c Samuels b Drakes 117

D. Lehmann c sub Bernard b Drakes 6

S. Waugh lbw Dillon 25

A. Gilchrist c & b Lawson 77

B. Hogg lbw Collins 3

Bichel c wkpr Hinds b Drakes 39

B. Lee c Dillon b Drakes 20

J. Gillespie b Lawson 7

S. MacGill not out 4

Extras: (b-18, lb-5, nb-10, w-2) 35

Total: (all out, 115.1 overs) 489

Fall of wickets: 37, 285, 300, 319, 349, 362, 447,

473, 485, 489.

Bowling: Dillon 23-1-116-1, Collins 23-1-96-1 (w-3), Lawson 21-0-111-2 (w-2), Drakes 26.1-5-93-5 (nb-7), Samuels 21-6-49-0; Ganga 1-0-1-0.

WEST INDIES second innings

W. Hinds not out 2

D. Smith not out 13

Total: (for no wicket, five overs) 16