West Indies v Australia, 2nd Test, Port-of-Spain, Day 4,Cricinfo

West Indies 257 and 73 for 3 (Ponting 32*,

 Clarke 3*) lead Australia 311 by 127 runs

Heavy rain on the fourth day in Port-of-Spain severely reduced the chances of a positive result as Australia closed 127 ahead following a hostile spell from Kemar Roach who removed the top of the visitors' batting. Ricky Ponting was threatening to play his first major innings of the series to keep West Indies at bay before the weather closed in early during the afternoon and did not allow the players back.

Roach has been the stand-out fast bowler during a match dominated by spin and added another impressive collection of scalps to his first-innings five-wicket haul. Australia had wrapped up West Indies' innings four balls into the day, to earn a 54-run cushion, and Roach had to wait for his opening spell when Shane Shillingford started the attack alongside Fidel Edwards. Roach, though, wasted no time in making an impact when his turn arrived.

Starting from round the wicket, a line that has troubled Australia's left-handers, he drew an edge from David Warner which carried low to Darren Bravo at first slip. Warner had flirted with the catching cordon during his stay although had started with three crisp boundaries. Then, three deliveries later, Roach beat Shane Watson for pace with a ball that perhaps kept a fraction low and took out the off stump to leave Australia 26 for 2.

It meant another head-to-head between Roach and Ponting which the former won in the first innings. Ponting did not find life easy and could have been run out by Edwards from mid-off when he had given up the chance of making his ground only for the throw to miss and Carlton Baugh had not reached the stumps. A second chance was offered an over later when he lunged at Shillingford and an inside edge carried low to Adrian Barath at short leg who could not hold on.

Ed Cowan had also been offered a life before he had scored and it was the simplest of the lot when he edged Edwards to Darren Sammy in the slips but it went to ground. He was made to battle for his runs, his one release coming when he swept Shillingford for four although the offspinner caused him, and Ponting, plenty of problems and unveiled his doosra during a probing unbroken 15-over spell.

At the start of the afternoon session West Indies spurned another opportunity for a run out, this time to remove Cowan, when Baugh could not produce a good throw to the bowler. Cowan, having once again forged a base for his innings, fell in very similar fashion to the first innings when Roach speared one into his pads from around the wicket which the batsman tried to work to leg. For the second time in the game Cowan tried the DRS but there was no escape.

Earlier in the same over West Indies had used up their first review when Roach jagged a delivery into Ponting which brought a massive appeal. Sammy trusted his paceman's instincts and asked for the TV umpire but, as has often been shown, the bowler is often the least reliable person to ask.

Although Ponting was far from fluent - few batsmen have been on this surface - he was beginning to tick over more comfortably and moments before the rain flicked Shillingford through midwicket with timing that has not often been seen during the match. The contest was at another fascinating stage but was not allowed to progress any further.

West Indies v Australia, 2nd Test, Port-of-Spain, Day3,Cricinfo

West Indies 252 for 9 (Chanderpaul 94, Deonarine 55, Baugh 17*, Edwards 0*, Lyon 5-68) trail Australia311 by 59 runs

West Indies came close to having a very good day in Port-of-Spain but finished on the verge of conceding a significant first-innings lead to Australia. Shivnarine Chanderpaul, who fell six short of another hundred, and Narsingh Deonarine added 130 for the fifth wicket before Nathan Lyon broke the resistance then swept through the lower order with the second five-wicket haul of his career to leave West Indies trailing by 59 and the last pair together.

Nothing appeared more certain than Chanderpaul reaching his 26th Test century, and second of the series, after another masterful display of defiance but he was pinned lbw by Lyon from around the wicket - the fifth such decision of the innings. Opposition teams expend huge energy trying to shift Chanderpaul, but know there are likely to be some easier rewards once he has gone. To make the timing even worse for West Indies, two overs earlier Deonarine's excellent supporting hand had also been ended when, with his first ball back into the attack, Lyon drew him down the pitch and Matthew Wade showed the importance of having a tidy wicketkeeper.

Lyon had be brought back to the bowling crease with the second new-ball only seven overs after Ben Hilfenhaus and James Pattinson had not made the most of it. He waited until his 21st over for a wicket but a bowlers' lot can change in a flash. Darren Sammy, in an attempt to repeat his breezy first innings in Barbados, picked out long-on and Shane Shillingford added to his opposite number's success when he got an inside edge that was superbly held by Ed Cowan at short leg. Lyon's fifth wicket came when Kemar Roach was given caught down the leg side although Wade was more interested in the stumping opportunity. Australia's new keeper was impressive in tough conditions, not conceding a bye in 104 overs.

Smart stats Shivnarine Chanderpaul followed up his century in Barbados with 94 in the first innings in Trinidad. He has now scored 908 runs in eight home Tests against Australia at an average of 82.54 with five centuries. Chanderpaul's dismissal was only the third in thenineties in his career. It is the fifth time in a Trinidad Test against Australia that a West Indian batsman has fallen in the nineties. The 130-run stand between Chanderpaul and Narsingh Deonarine is the highest fifth-wicket stand for West Indies against Australia in Tests in Trinidad and seventh on the list of top fifth-wicket stands for West Indies against Australia. Nathan Lyon's 5 for 68 is his second five-wicket haul inTests after his five-for on debut against Sri Lanka in Galle. It is the first five-for for an Australian spinner against West Indies since 2005. From 230 for 4, West Indies lost five wickets for the addition of just 19 runs. The number of runs scored (19) is fifth on the list of lowest aggregates for West Indies against Australia between wickets six to nine The overall run-rate in the match presently (2.35) is the lowest ever for West Indies-Australia Tests since 1990 (min 200 overs bowled in first two innings). The number of lbw dismissals in the West Indies innings (5) is joint-second on the list of most lbw dismissals in aninnings for West Indies against Australia. The top-five West Indian batsmen were dismissed leg before making it the first such occurrence in Tests.

The evening collapse of five for 19 in 12 overs was another example of West Indies not being able to sustain a performance for long enough to take control. The 44 overs that Chanderpaul and Deonarine combined (and the period when Darren Bravo was also at the crease) was another of those uplifting passages that West Indies are just managing to produce slightly more regularly. Chanderpaul's role came was no surprise but Deonarine showed application that was less well known, remaining calm as he reached 4 off 43 balls before beginning to expand his strokeplay either side of lunch.

Before Lyon's intervention Australia's only breakthrough had come from Michael Hussey as Michael Clarke again went through his book of captaincy tricks. On a surface gripping for medium-pacers Hussey, developing something of a golden-arm of late, and Shane Watson were tough to score off. Hussey produced a delivery that swung late to beat Bravo and take his back pad. Again, though, Bravo had given flashes of what makes him stand out as a batsman particularly his off-side driving.

Chanderpaul had been given a life on 8, off Lyon's bowling, when Clarke could not hold a thick edge at slip which came off Wade's pad. Alongside Deonarine he initially focused solely on survival - although Deonarine was inches from being run-out the ball before lunch - but at the start of the afternoon session Australia lost their way a little and the batsmen cashed in.

Pattinson struggled with his rhythm throughout the day and later left the field with back spasms after an awkward piece of fielding. His first over of then afternoon was taken for 16 by Chanderpaul which included three boundaries alongside two no-balls. Deonarine was not all defence, either, and a whip through midwicket off Lyon stood out before he launched David Warner over midwicket for six. Rain brought an early tea, but had not seemed to disrupt West Indies.

Chanderpaul brought up the 200 with another six, a slog-sweep off Michael Beer, and when Deonarine's third half-century arrived from 132 balls with a rasping cover drive thoughts were even turning to the potential of the hosts building a first-innings lead that would put the pressure back on Australia. Then, however, Test cricket showed that despite it being the longest format a strong position can unravel in the blink of an eye. And, for West Indies, it was a familiar feeling.

West Indies v Australia, 2nd Test, Port-of-Spain, Day1,Cricinfo

Australia 208 for 5 (Watson 56, Hussey 26*, Wade 11*) v West Indies

Fluent strokeplay has not been top of the agenda in this series and the opening day in Port-of-Spain was another where the batsmen had to grind for their rewards. With that in mind, Australia were better placed than 208 for 5 might imply but West Indies ensured they stayed within range with Shane Shillingford, the tall offspinner, impressive on his return to Test cricket.

The turn that Shillingford - and, to a lesser extent, Narsingh Deonarine - found on a first-day pitch suggested that anything around 300 would be a good total while Australia have two frontline spinners to exploit conditions after recalling Michael Beer to partner Nathan Lyon. Once the hardness had gone from the ball, which allowed Australia to reach 42 after 10 overs, the remaining 80 overs of the day brought 166 runs with West Indies opting not to take the second new ball.

Shane Watson was the mainstay of the innings for more than three hours as he ground his way to a half-century from 128 balls. Boundary opportunities had been rare for Watson, and mostly came when the quick bowlers offered width, before he got an inside edge to short leg where it was superbly held by Adrian Barath who had to reach upwards for the catch.

It was a deserved second wicket for Shillingford, who earlier struck fifth delivery playing his first Test since remodelling his bowling action, after he had twice been denied the opportunity to double his tally. Once that was by technology and another by the inconsistent glovework of Carlton Baugh, who dropped Michael Hussey when he had 5 from one which turned sharply to take the glove.

Shortly after tea Shillingford was awarded an lbw against Michael Clarke but the Australia captain reviewed, by the looks of it at the time more out of hope than expectation. However, the replays showed he had been struck outside off stump on the back pad so survived and even shared his slight surprise with the close fielders.

Clarke couldn't cash in on the reprieve when he managed to pull a long hop from Deonarine to deep square-leg having briefly provided the most fluent batting of the day when he took the attack to Kemar Roach at the start of the final session. Roach, who had earlier collected the important wickets of Ed Cowan and Ricky Ponting, was more than twice as expensive as any other of the bowlers and offered Clarke width to drive as the fourth-wicket stand with Watson grew to 84.

Soon, though. Australia had to rebuild again and without Ryan Harris or Peter Siddle in the lower order - the former surprisingly rested, the latter suffering a stiff back - there is a longer tail than in Barbados when they hauled the visitors out of trouble and into the ascendency. But with Michael Hussey still present West Indies could yet rue Baugh's mistake. Matthew Wade was also put down, on 2, although the chance to Kraigg Braithwaite at short leg was tough.

West Indies thought they had taken a wicket in the first over the day when David Warner was given out caught behind by the umpire Marais Erasmus before Darren Sammy indicated the ball had not carried to the keeper. That was clearly the case and replays also showed it was also nowhere near the edge but if Erasmus had given the decision as lbw on-field it would have stood.

After that early intrigue Australia moved along at a healthy rate as both Warner and Cowan latched onto anything short, although Warner also had to battle to survive against Roach when the fast bowler went round the wicket and probed the outside edge. It was Shillingford who provided the breakthrough with his fifth ball when he enticed Warner to drive at a full delivery which spun enough to find the edge and Sammy pocketed a simple catch at slip.

Shortly before lunch Cowan was extracted lbw from around the wicket by Roach, who then added Ponting in the sixth over of the afternoon session with a beauty to square up the batsman and find the outside edge. However, the wicket did not come easily as Baugh palmed the chance away but, fortunately for the home side, Sammy was alert at slip to collect the rebound.

West Indies v Australia, 2nd Test, Port of Spain,Cricinfo,Lance Gibbs

Lance Gibbs tells Lyon to develop vigorous follow-through

Lance Gibbs, the West Indies offspinner who once held the world record for Test wickets, has suggested a more vigorous follow-through after delivery as an area in which Australia's offspinner Nathan Lyon should develop after watching him in action during the first Test against the West Indies at Bridgetown.

Lyon and Gibbs spoke in St Lucia earlier in the tour, but at that point Gibbs had not yet seen the younger man ply his trade in a Test. Having observed the five days of the match at Kensington Oval, won so dramatically by Australia on the final afternoon, Gibbs told cricinfo a certain snap was missing from the conclusion of Lyon's action.

"In the finish of his action he needs to cut his body in half as much as he can, give it everything with each delivery," Gibbs said. "His line and length is quite good, I could not judge too much about how he varies his pace, but in the finish of his action he seemed to be lacking something.

"On the fifth day of the game you should see something as far as spin is concerned, but he didn't really beat the bat, though he should have been spinning the ball away from the left-handers. If you're really giving it everything with your whole body, then you're going to see more spin."

Lyon managed figures of 1 for 113 in 42 overs at Bridgetown, returning only the wicket of Kemar Roach for his efforts. However, his analysis was no worse than that of the West Indies legspinner Devendra Bishoo, who also claimed only one wicket for the match and was hit out of the attack on the final day, as the part-time finger spin of Narsingh Deonarine was preferred.

Mindful of Trinidad's tendency for sharp turn and variable bounce, the West Indies selectors have bolstered their spin options by recalling the offspin of Shane Shillingford, who Gibbs said would spin the ball harder than Lyon while also varying his pace. Australia must also consider the option of playing the left-arm orthodox Michael Beer as a second spinner, a ploy not resorted to even on the dustbowl of Galle against Sri Lanka last year when Lyon debuted.

At times in Barbados Lyon's front arm did not seem to be leading off his action as strongly as it has on earlier occasions, while other observers have wondered whether his approach to the wicket is too straight. Earlier in the summer, Arthur had said he was working with Lyon on bringing his point of delivery a little closer to the stumps, to accentuate his drift away from the bat.

Nevertheless, Arthur and the national selector John Inverarity have both expressed happiness about how Lyon is developing. Arthur said that there remain areas for Lyon to improve, but all would follow given time, offering the reminder that the Adelaide-based offspinner is still a novice in terms of first-class experience.

"I'm really happy with where Nathan's at, he's worked extremely hard," Arthur said. "There's little facets of his game he needs to keep developing, and like any player in our side they've all got little facets that we're continually working on. He needs to do that, but he's a very good finger spinner.

"We must also realise he's only played 20 first-class games and I think 12 of them have been Test matches, so he's still learning his art in the toughest form of the game. He's going to be a very good spinner. We just have to keep monitoring Nathan, but I'm very happy with where he's at."