Tym Glaser, Associate Editor - Sport

Australia's Beau Casson ducks to avoid being hit by a bouncer on the opening day of the third and final cricket Test match against the West Indies in Bridgetown, Barbados, yesterday. West Indies restricted Australia to 226 for seven at close on a rain-shortened first day. - ap

BRIDGETOWN, Barbados:

THE WEST Indian seam attack made full use of a hard, fast and true Kensington Oval pitch to have Australia struggling at 226 for seven before rain intervened on the opening day of the third and final Digicel Test yesterday.

Skipper Chris Gayle, who put the Aussies in under grey skies, was happy with the work of his bowlers and the position the side is in.

"I thought the bowlers did really well and you have to give them credit," Gayle said after the expected but fashionably late rain came at about 3:40 p.m.

"We picked up early wickets and wickets at key times," he said. "They (the bowlers) have been doing a very good job for the past couple of Tests now and to see them continue is really good and it's important to finish off on a high now," he said of his side's hopes of levelling the series.

Hopeful

"Hopefully, we can pick up quick wickets tomorrow morning and then it'll be our turn to bat and hopefully set a total.

"I think the wicket was a bit slow to start with but it picked up pace and I expect it to be quick tomorrow but, with the ball coming on to the bat, it's good for batting and if you apply yourself you will get runs," he said.

The main damage to the world champions was done in a morning session abbreviated by 15 minutes thanks to a malfunctioning sight-screen at the northern end as play was about to begin.

Aussie openers Phil Jaques and Simon Katich raced the score to 46 in the 11th over when the former, who was particularly harsh on anything pitched short outside off stump, pulled paceman Jerome Taylor for four and then fell for the old two-card trick when, next ball, the Jamaican pitched one a bit shorter and faster and the New South Welshman top edged a skier which keeper Denesh Ramdin snared running back towards fine leg.

Jaques, who made a brisk 31, was one of three Australian batsmen to fall to the risk/reward of the cross-batted shot.

Taylor followed up with the key wicket of Ricky Ponting (18) 29 runs later when he trapped the Australian skipper plumb leg before, an over after Ponting had hooked Daren Powell for consecutive sixes into the Greenidge and Haynes Stand.

Ill-advised hook off

With lunch looming, Michael Hussey (12) played an ill-advised hook off Dwayne Bravo and was well caught inches inside the fine leg boundary by Powell.

Without addition to the score, Michael Clarke (0) prodded forward to Bravo and snicked a simple catch to Ramdin to reduce a promising Australian start to 96 for four.

Stoic Katich tumbled just after the break when he also fell happily hooking. After reaching a hard-earned 31, he swished at a Fidel Edwards bouncer and was well caught by Gayle, running back from first slip, about 20 metres from the boundary. Gayle jarred his back and sought treatment off the field for about 45 minutes before returning to the fray.

With the score at 111 for fiveAndrew Symonds and keeper Brad Haddin set about rebuilding the Australian innings in much the same fashion as they did in the first Test at Sabina Park when the tourists were reduced to 19 for five in their second innings.

They say fortune favours the brave, so Symonds must be extremely courageous as he pulled just short of mid-wicket when on four, was dropped by Xavier Marshall at first slip on nine, survived an adamant caught behind appeal off the same luckless bowler (Bravo) when on 14 and then, when facing the first ball from recalled left-arm spinner Sulieman Benn, thick edged him past Gayle at first slip for four.

Caution and aggression

While Symonds was playing cricket roulette, Haddin, nursing a broken ring finger on his right hand, set about his task with a mixture of caution and aggression. For the most part, he was happy to defend, but anything pitched on a length was beautifully driven through covers.

The pair put on 87 for the sixth wicket and seemed set to advance their alliance well past the 100-mark when Haddin lost concentration just before tea and swiped across a straight ball from Benn, missed and was leg before.

Symonds completed his third half century of the tour just before the break and then fell just after, for 52, when his luck finally ran out as he drove Bravo straight to Sewnarine Chattergoon at point.

Booed off

It was a just reward for the lively Trinidadian all-rounder while Symonds, who has been a thorn in the side of the West Indians - for more than one reason on this trip, was booed off the field by a fair-size opening day crowd.

Test debutant Beau Casson (six), who averages a useful 24.68 in first-class cricket for NSW, and his state mate Brett Lee (seven) held on until the rains came, although the latter appeared to inherit the luck of Symonds by being dropped at slip and almost run out in the same over.

Bravo ended the day with 3-48, while Taylor finished with 2-44, Edwards 1-47 and Benn 1-33.

Action resumes this morning at 9:30 a.m. (8:30 a.m. Ja time)