Hayden’s unbeaten even hundred and a rapid 66 by Darren Lehmann enabled Australia to declare their second innings at 238 for three, just before the scheduled tea interval, setting the West Indies the daunting task of 407 runs for victory.

By the close of the fourth and penultimate day, the Windies, with the late loss of opener Wavell Hinds, just before stumps, were struggling on 107 for three, needing exactly 300 more runs to make the highest ever score to win a Test match.

A lot will now depend on captain Brian Lara, who is unbeaten on 52, if the West Indies are to avoid a second straight loss in the series after their nine-wicket defeat in the first Test in Guyana.

After batting with grit and determination in a third-wicket stand of 95 with Lara, Hinds was bowled off the inside edge by leg-spinner Stuart MacGill for 35.

He had batted responsibly for 147 minutes in a patient 115-ball knock even though most of his runs came from the seven fours he struck. His dismissal has firmly tipped the balance in Australia’s favour despite the presence of Lara.

Lara, still seeking an elusive Test century on home soil, has so far struck seven fours in a resolute two-hour 88-ball innings and will need to shepherd his young middle order batsmen if the West Indies are to keep Australia at bay.

His new vice-captain Ramnaresh Sarwan will resume today with him, having not yet opened his account while Marlon Samuels and debutants David Bernard and Carlton Baugh are the other front-line batsmen left.

Earlier, Hayden, who started the day on 15, became the fifth Australian in the series to register a century, reaching the milestone in 254 minutes off 180 balls with 10 fours.

It was the 10th century in the two Tests played so far while Lehmann, who made a career-best 160 in Australia’s huge first innings total of 576 for four declared, smashed eight fours and two sixes in an attacking 96-ball knock.

The pair added 120 at a run-a-minute after Ricky Ponting was out for 45, having shared a second-wicket stand of 106 with Hayden.

The two century partnerships allowed Australia to declare for the second time in a match where they scored an overall 814 runs while losing just seven wickets altogether - an average of 116 runs per wicket.

Facing with such an imposing victory target, the West Indies made a disastrous start to their second innings.

Rookie opener Devon Smith was trapped leg-before-wicket by Gillespie for his second duck of the match while Daren Ganga’s golden run of two consecutive Test centuries came to an abrupt end.

Ganga, fresh from knocks of 113 and 117, got a gem of an outswinger from Gillespie and snicked it to first slip where an alert Hayden scooped forward to pouch the ball inches from the ground.

At that stage, it appeared that Steve Waugh, who has only been taken into the fifth day by opponents 16 times in his 48 matches as Australian captain, could preside over another victory with a day to spare. But Lara and Hinds batted with due care and attention in frustrating the Aussies.

Earlier, it was the bowlers who kept Australia on a tight rein after they resumed from 31 for one overnight with Hayden surviving a couple of close leg-before-wicket appeals against fast bowler Mervyn Dillon.

The tall left-hander, however freed himself by pulling and cutting Drakes for two boundaries in one over and duly brought up his fifty in 147 minutes off 96 balls with eight fours.

He lost Ponting shortly afterwards, caught low down by wicketkeeper Carlton Baugh off the persevering Dillon.

Dillon, in running through to celebrate the dismissal, collided with the hesitant Ponting, who reacted by raising his bat towards the bowler, before walking off.

Ponting’s dismissal let in Lehmann and after going to lunch on two with Australia on 130 for two, the beefy left-hander returned to accelerate Australia’s scoring and hasten the declaration.

Dropped by Hinds at short cover point off Drakes on 20, Lehmann responded with a savage square drive to the boundary. He also edged a sharply turning off-break from Samuels at catchable height through the vacant slip area on 35.

But after these hiccups, he launched an attack on Dillon and Samuels.

Dillon was disdainfully dispatched through mid-on for boundaries in successive overs while Samuels was smashed over long on for sixes in consecutive overs as well.

He also pulled Dillon powerfully through midwicket for another four while at the other end, Hayden brought up his 13th Test century with a gentle push into the covers for his 46th single.

So cautious he was about compiling his first century of the series after seeing his opening partner Justin Langer, Ponting with a century and a double hundred, Lehmann and wicketkeeper Adam Gilchrist all reach three figures, that all 15 of his runs from 85 to 100, came in singles.

He also only added two fours to the eight he had hit in reaching his fifty.

But once Lehmann, swinging at Dillon, was bowled, Waugh, who was due in next, closed the Australian innings, denying himself a chance to bat in either innings of a Test for only the second time in his record 158-match career.

After Gillespie got rid of Smith and Ganga, Lara and Hinds mixed defence with aggression as they tried to retrieve the wretched situation for the Windies.

Lara hooked Lee to the square leg fence but was dropped by the bowler in the same over, when he tried to repeat the shot and was caught flat-footed as the ball hurried onto him.

Unlike the 2003 World Cup in South Africa when Lee pouched a couple of return catches on his follow-through, he made a couple of desperate grabs at the ball from Lara’s miscued hook but it fell to the ground off his body.

After Lee was rested, Waugh opted to use Lehmann with his left-arm spin ahead of his two more accomplished spinners, Brad Hogg and MacGill.

But Lara, who faced most of Lehmann, was very watchful, for the most part. He survived one confident leg-before-wicket appeal and was lucky when a ball crept along the turf and beat his bat, outside the off-stump.

Hinds was not so lucky. Pushing forward to MacGill, the ball took the inside edge of his bat and trickled back onto the stumps, before he could stop it with his foot.

AUSTRALIA first innings 576-4 declared (R.Ponting 206, D.Lehmann 160, A.Gilchrist 101 not out)

West Indies first innings 408 (D.Ganga 117, B.Lara 91, M.Samuels 68; B.Lee 4-69)

AUSTRALIA second innings (o/n 31-1)

J.Langer lbw b Drakes 3

M.Hayden not out 100

R.Ponting c Baugh b Dillon 45

D.Lehmann b Dillon 66

Extras: (b-12, lb-6, w-1, nb-5) 24

Total: (for three wickets, declared) 238

Fall of wickets: 1-12, 2-118, 3-238.

Bowling: Dillon 18.2-0-64-2 (w-1, nb-2), Drakes 20-4-61-1, Samuels 21-1-65-0, Collins 7-1-30-0 (nb-3).

WEST INDIES second innings

W.Hinds b MacGill 35

D.Smith lbw b Gillespie 0

D.Ganga c Hayden b Gillespie 2

B.Lara not out 52

R.Sarwan not out 0

Extras: (b-14, lb-2, w-1, nb-1) 18

Total: (for three wickets, 37 overs) 107

Fall of wickets: 1-2, 2-12, 3-107.