Ponting pleased the nearly 3 000 visiting Australian supporters in a sell-out bank-holiday May Day crowd with his purposeful stroke-play as he fashioned a fine 113, laced with eight fours and a six off 204 balls in 310 minutes.

The stocky Darren Lehmann, 89 not out, alongside captain Steve Waugh on seven at the close, and opener Justin Langer, 78, helped Australia dominate proceedings and make West Indies’ captain Brian Lara rue his decision to send in the opposition on a placid Kensington Oval pitch, devoid of grass.

In compiling his third century of the series in as many matches and fourth overall against the Windies, the 28-year-old Tasmanian featured in successive century partnerships with the left-handed Langer, whose innings was studded with eight fours and six off 109 balls, and Lehmann.

Lehmann, who added 141 for the third-wicket with Ponting, ended the day 11 runs shy of his second Test century after hitting seven fours in an unbeaten 178-ball knock, which has so far spanned 237 minutes.

The Aussies, who lead the four-match series 2-0 and are seeking the first-ever clean sweep by a visiting team in the Caribbean, made steady progress throughout the day.

They progressed from 113 for one at lunch to 197 for two at tea as they paced themselves to perfection against one of the most inexperienced West Indies bowling attack in their 75 years of Test-match history.

Confronted by two debutants in fiery Barbadian pacer Tino Best and lanky Anguillan off-spinner Omari Banks, plus Vasbert Drakes and Jermaine Lawson, with just 37 wickets combined in four and five Tests under their belts, Australia only surrendered a solitary wicket per session.

Ponting, who entered the fray with the score on 43 for one after the loss of Matthew Hayden for 27, posted his second century in consecutive matches at the ground following his 104 in the 1999 encounter.

Fresh from a career-best 206 in the second Test in Trinidad and Tobago and 117 in the first Test in Guyana, Ponting came into the match with 410 runs.

By the time the energetic Best’s pinpoint throw from third-man to wicketkeeper Carlton Baugh, found him short of his ground as he attempted a second run, Ponting had pushed his series aggregate to 523 runs at an average of 130.75.

Ponting was into his stride from early, speeding to 32 off 48 balls at lunch and even though he slowed down appreciably, getting to his first fifty in 125 minutes off 84 balls with five fours, he was well entrenched on 69 at tea.

The fledgling West Indies bowlers toiled for the majority of the day on a lifeless pitch, which offered very little assistance to the bowlers.

The only Australian wicket to fall during the post-lunch session was that of Langer, who spent 156 minutes at the crease but could have been out from the day’s very first delivery.

The 21-year-old Lawson delivered the perfect opening ball that had Langer fending off uncertainly into the slips where Ramnaresh Sarwan made a desperate dive from third slip in front of Chanderpaul, next to him at second slip, but could not pouch the low offering.

Langer had his second slice of luck on four when he tamely offered Lawson a straightforward return catch but the young Jamaican, on his follow-through, made a couple of grabs at the ball, which fell agonisingly to the ground.

The slimly built Langer made the West Indian pay dearly, moving to 53 at lunch.

On resumption, he lifted Banks over long on for six but in trying to repeat the shot, got a leading edge and spooned a high catch to Shivnarine Chanderpaul, at extra cover.

It was the first Test wicket for the 20-year-old Banks, who created history by becoming the first cricketer from the tiny Caribbean island of Anguilla to represent the West Indies in Test cricket.

After Langer’s dismissal, following a 108-run second-wicket partnership with Ponting, the West Indies were able to stem the flow of runs.

Part-time off-spinner Chris Gayle sent down 11 overs for just 21 runs as Australia gathered 84 runs off 31 overs in a session when Lara did not turn to either Drakes or Best.

The closest the West Indies came to dismissing Ponting was when he had a couple of close shaves in the 80s and could have been dismissed on at least two occasions by Best.

When he was 86, he survived a confident leg-before-wicket appeal as he moved inside his stumps. On 88, Chanderpaul dropped him in the gully as he attempted to slice a full-length delivery square of the wicket.

After seeing Lehmann reach his fifty in 148 minutes off 113 balls with four fours, Ponting finally he got his fourth century off the West Indies in 264 minutes off 177 balls with a quick single to point.

West Indies took the second new ball once Ponting was run-out and entrusted it to Drakes, who had made the first strike of the day in his first over when he induced Hayden to edge a catch to Chris Gayle at first slip.

Drakes, who was surprisingly kept out of the attack for 53 overs while Australia moved their total from 113 for one to 274 for two and Banks, who bowled 25 overs for 98 runs in at least five spells, have been the only West Indians to take a wicket so far.

AUSTRALIA 1st innings
J.Langer c Chanderpaul b Banks 78

M.Hayden c Gayle b Drakes 27

R.Ponting run-out 113

D.Lehmann not out 89

S.Waugh not out 7

Extras: (lb-3, w-1, nb-2) 6

Total: (3 wickets, 90 overs) 320

Fall of wickets: 1-43, 2-151, 2-292.

Bowling: Lawson 15-1-54-0, Best 15-0-71-0 (nb-2), Drakes 14-0-47-1, Banks 25-1-98-1, Gayle 20-5-47-0 (w-1), Sarwan 1-0-1-0.