After Waugh’s workmanlike 115 runs carried Australia to an imposing total of 605 for nine declared, the West Indies made an encouraging response reaching 89 without loss in 23 overs at the close of the second day.

Chris Gayle celebrated his recall to the Test team with nine elegant fours in an unbeaten 47 while his opening partner Devon Smith has hit six handsome fours in making 34 not out.

But even though the pitch is very placid, there is still a long way to go and it will require loads of application as the West Indies need to make 406 runs to avoid being asked to follow-on.

Whereas Waugh had the pleasure of reaching three-figures, fast bowler Andy Bichel, with a blistering run-a-ball career-best knock of 71 and a typically pugnacious 65 from wicketkeeper Adam Gilchrist, significantly boosted Australia’s final total.

The only disappointment was that middle order batsman Darren Lehmann fell four runs short of converting his overnight 89 into a second Test ton when he played an ugly cross-batted pull on 96 and was a shade unlucky to be given out leg-before-wicket to Vasbert Drakes’ sharp leg-cutter.

After his vice-captain Ricky Ponting stole the spotlight with a third century of the one-sided series on the first day, the 37-year-old Waugh added to his growing list of personal milestones in his second knock of the one-sided series which his all-conquering outfit leads 2-0.

Waugh not only became Test’s cricket second highest run-scorer and third in the list of century-makers, but also surpassed the late Sir Donald Bradman’s 29 centuries, which had stood for 55 years, as the most by an Australian.

Starting the day on seven, Waugh moved to 42 at lunch and by tea, had progressed to 93 before he finally reached three-figures in 295 minutes by turning fast bowler off his legs to long leg for his seventh four.

Along the way, Waugh, now playing a record 159 matches, overtook India’s prolific opening batsman Sunil Gavaskar’s career aggregate of 10 122 runs while moving his own tally to a whopping 10 179 runs and also became the second Australian to score 2 000 Test runs against the West Indies.

Only his Australian compatriot and former captain Allan Border, with 11 174 runs, is ahead of him on both counts.

While Waugh dropped anchor and held the Australian innings together, Gilchrist and Bichel flayed the impenetrable and inexperienced West Indian bowling attack.

Gilchrist belted three fours and three sixes off the 80 balls he faced as he disdainfully dispatched debutant Barbadian pacer Tino Best for a four and two sixes into the Greenidge and Haynes Stand at midwicket off successive balls.

After Smith caught Gilchrist inside the midwicket boundary off lanky Anguillan off-spinner Omari Banks, Bichel joined Waugh at 444 for five and featured in a rousing sixth-wicket partnership of 124 runs in 112 minutes.

Waugh again benefited from three difficult chances on 11, 57 and 85 as the West Indian fielders failed to support the bowlers.

The first two fell to Ramnaresh Sarwan, who, twice getting a taste of the captaincy role he has been earmarked for, when birthday boy Brian Lara went off the field leading up to both the lunch and tea intervals, just could not get anything to stick.

Sarwan, after failing to hold on to a firm push by Waugh off Drakes at a short mid-wicket then missed the Australian skipper a second time, running around the midwicket boundary from a slog-sweep off Banks.

The third blemish was made by wicketkeeper Carlton Baugh when he spilled a leg-side snick by Waugh from the bowling of Lawson.

Bichel, whose previous highest Test score was 49 against England, then clobbered Lawson over long-on for a four and followed up with a six into the Sir Garfield Sober Pavilion in the next over.

Earlier, Drakes struck in his first over and second of the day when Lehmann missed an ill-advised pull shot as he came inside his wicket.

That was the lone success of the morning as Waugh and Gilchrist moved into the 40s while taking the Australian total to 409 for four at lunch.

On resumption, Gilchrist was first to his fifty in two hours off 69 balls while Waugh was an hour slower in posting his off 58 more deliveries with just three fours.

Whereas Gilchrist’s big heave at Banks was held by Smith, the West Indies squandered the chances they had to remove the obdurate Waugh while umpire David Shepherd also turned down a confident leg-before-wicket appeal from Drakes.

Drakes ended with the relatively respectable figures of two for 85 off 30 overs while Lawson bowled Waugh and also hit the stumps of Brett Lee and Stuart MacGill with consecutive deliveries to end with three for 131 off 32.3 overs.

Banks had his final figures spoilt by the big-hitting Jason Gillespie, who lifted him for a four past the unsighted Smith on the square leg boundary and then two huge sixes into the new Party Stand at midwicket, much to the delight of the scores of Australian visitors, enjoying themselves there.

It means that Banks who ended with the unflattering figures of three for 204 off 40 overs, had the dubious distinction of becoming the first West Indian bowler to concede 200 runs in his debut Test.

After Waugh finally closed the Australian innings, Gayle and Smith executed a number of drives. Smith started off with a hook to the square leg boundary off Lee and also hit him through the cover for another four while Gayle drove MacGill through mid-off for two fours in one over and also repeated the dose to Lehmann when he replaced Lee.

Smith also moved down the pitch to cover-drive MacGill and then made room and cut the next delivery past point for four, to at least send West Indian fans to bed with something to cheer.

AUSTRALIA 1st innings (on 320-3)
J.Langer c Chanderpaul b Banks 78

M.Hayden c Gayle b Drakes 27

R.Ponting run-out 113

D.Lehmann lbw b Drakes 96

S.Waugh b Lawson 115

A.Gilchrist c Smith b Banks 65

A.Bichel c Lara b Banks 71

B.Lee b Lawson 11

J.Gillespie not out 18

S.MacGill b Lawson 0

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

Total: (9 wickets decl’d, 154.3 overs) 605

Fall of wickets: 1-43, 2-151, 3-292, 4-331, 5-444, 6-568, 7-580, 8-605, 9-605.

Bowling: Lawson 32.3-2-131-3 (w-1), Best 20-1-99-0 (nb-2, w-1), Drakes 30-2-85-2, Banks 40-2-204-3, Gayle 31-5-79-0 (w-1), Sarwan 1-0-1-0.

WEST INDIES 1st innings
C.Gayle not out 47

D.Smith not out 34

Extras: (b-2, lb-2, nb-4) 8

Total: (without loss, 23 overs) 89