Australia seized the opportunity presented to them by the West Indies’ meek surrender of the initiative gained by Jermaine Lawson’s seven-wicket effort by dismissing their opponents for exactly the same first innings total, 240, which they had managed a day earlier.

Captain Brian Lara sparkled for a stroke-filled 68 but the West Indies paid the price for their audacious counter-attack of the Australian bowlers on a bouncy ARG pitch.

By the close of what is now effectively a second innings match with neither team having a first innings lead, Australia gained significant ground on the West Indies by ending the day in the healthy position of 171 without loss off the 39 overs sent down in the extended final session.

Their left-handed openers Justin Langer, 80 not out and Matthew Hayden on 79, both smashed 12 fours and a six in their knocks as they scored at a run-a-minute with a strike rate of 4.38 runs an over, to put Australia in the ascendancy.

Earlier, Lara also did similarly with 12 fours and a six off 94 balls to become the 11th batsman to reach 8 000 Test runs.

During his innings, he also replaced Sir Garry Sobers (8 032) as the West Indies’ second highest run-scorer with 8 035 runs, now behind only Antiguan Sir Vivian Richards (8 540).

But whereas Lara pulled and cut the lethal Brett Lee and the unwavering Andy Bichel for boundaries at will, his team-mates, clearly lacking his class, showed neither the composure nor commitment to the cause.

Consequently, each time, the West Indies seemed to be putting together an effective partnership to challenge Australia’s modest total and change the course of the contest, key wickets were squandered to carefree and cavalier cricket.

After Lee dispatched overnight pair Devon Smith (37) and Vasbert Drakes (21) to leave the West Indies on 80 for four, Lara and his young deputy Ramnaresh Sarwan set about the Australian bowling.

The master and his young student sped to a 57-run partnership at a run-a-ball when Sarwan’s slackness led to the umpteenth soft dismissal of his career.

It should have been an easy script for someone entrusted with the vice-captaincy of the regional team to follow but the 22-year-old Sarwan, still learning the ropes, failed to read the situation, which called for providing Lara with solid support.

Instead, he tried to match Lara’s flamboyant stroke-play and even though he measured up well with two elegant drives to the mid-on and mid-off boundary off McGrath, he departed in disappointing fashion for 24 off 36 balls with five fours.

Coming on the front foot, Sarwan drove a tame return catch to Bichel and three runs later, Shivnarine Chanderpaul failed to cover his stumps, leaving a gap between bat and pad for McGrath to exploit with an off-cutter, which shattered the stumps.

The dismissals of Sarwan and Chanderpaul just before lunch undid the fine work of Lara, who came to the crease at the fall of Smith’s wicket and signalled his intentions from early when he slashed his first delivery from the fiery Lee for a six behind backward point.

Lara also cut pacer Jason Gillespie for successive fours to the vacant third man boundary while in the next over Sarwan drove Lee through mid-on and mid-off for consecutive boundaries.

Lara also pulled Bichel between midwicket and long on to join the 8 000-club but with the West Indies on an unhappy 140 for six at lunch, having lost four wickets for 93 runs in an electrifying morning session, there was still a lot of work to do.

Lara found a useful ally in wicketkeeper Ridley Jacobs and they added 45 runs in an hour for the seventh wicket before a bit of careless cricket by Jacobs led to his dismissal.

Jacobs, who had cover-driven fast bowler Jason Gillespie for four and hooked McGrath for successive boundaries, played a delivery from Lee back to the bowler, who made a quick pick-up and hurled down the stumps.

Umpire David Shepherd called for the Television umpire to give a verdict and Billy Doctrove flicked on the red light, ruling that Jacobs, who hit five fours in scoring 26, had failed to ground his bat behind the crease.

Having lost Jacobs, Lara decided to go on an all-out attack in the next over. He savagely pulled Bichel for three fours off the first four balls but paid the price for his ultra-aggression when he drove the next delivery powerfully for Langer to take a stinging catch at mid-off.

After Lara’s dismissal, all-rounder Omari Banks and fast bowler Mervyn Dillon, who was bowled by Lee for 12, then gathered 27 vital runs in a ninth-wicket partnership while last man Jermaine Lawson weighed with 14.

Lawson, who had taken career-best figures of seven for 78 in Australia’s innings, took three fours and a two from the fourth deliveries he faced from Lee before losing his wicket to leg-spinner Stuart MacGill, leaving Banks not out on 13.

Bichel (3-53), Lee (3-72) and McGrath (2-44) were Australia’s most successful bowlers.

Batting a second time, Langer and Hayden posted their tenth century-opening stand to put Australia in the ascendancy.

Langer reeled off a series of exquisite cover drives and cut off the fast bowlers and when Banks was introduced, he twice lifted him for straight fours and also swung him through midwicket to post his fifty in 101 minutes off 68 balls.

Hayden, who bided his time while Langer went on the attack, soon found his rhythm with a volley of boundaries as he reached his fifty runs in 139 minutes off 95 balls with nine fours.

He should have been out on 47 but Lara spilled a low chance at first slip after the batsman was squared up by a sharply spinning from Banks, who had been hit for two fours in the same over.

Hayden celebrated the landmark by making room and cutting Banks for two fours and also smashing him over midwicket for six in an over which yielded 14 runs.

Langer was also lucky to survive to the close as on 61, he swung at Banks and the ball appeared to take an edge and deflect off Jacobs’ body for Lara to run back from slip and catch but umpire Venkataraghavan ruled not out.

On 65, Langer was fortunate not be given out leg-before-wicket by Shepherd when he misjudged a low full toss from Drakes which struck him on the ankle.

West Indies will need such good fortune today to stop Australia from piling on the runs, which may prove to be beyond the West Indies, with batsmen who repeatedly fail to convert promising starts into substantial innings.

AUSTRALIA 1st innings 240
WEST INDIES 1st innings (o/n 47-2)

C.Gayle b McGrath 0

D.Smith c wkp. Gilchrist b Lee 37

D.Ganga c wkp. Gilchrist b Bichel 6

V.Drakes lbw b Lee 21

B.Lara c Langer b Bichel 68

R.Sarwan c & b Bichel 24

S.Chanderpaul b McGrath 1

R.Jacobs run-out 26

O.Banks not out 13

M.Dillon b Lee 12

J.Lawson c Love b MacGill 14

Extras: (lb-8, nb-7, w-3) 18

Total: (all out, 65.3 overs) 240

Fall of wickets: 1-1, 2-30, 3-73, 4-80, 5-137, 6-140, 7-185, 8-197, 9-224.

Bowling: McGrath 17-6-44-2 (nb-3, w-2), Gillespie 17-3-56-0 (w-1), Bichel 14-4-53-3 (nb-1), Lee 15-2-72-3 (nb-3), MacGill 2.3-0-7-1.

AUSTRALIA 2nd innings
J.Langer not out 80

M.Hayden not out 79

Extras: (lb-4, nb-8) 12

Total: (no wickets, 39 overs) 171