The West Indies team and Australia's Matthew Hayden (left) applaud Brian Lara (right) as he walks off the field for what will most likely be his final Test in Australia. - REUTERS
ADELAIDE (CMC):
THE WEST Indies lost the third and final Test by seven wickets at Adelaide Oval on Monday night (Jamaica time), as Australia completed a clean sweep of the series.
West Indies gave up the ghost about 15 minutes after the lunch interval on the fifth and final day, when Mike Hussey pushed a delivery from Ramnaresh Sarwan behind point for his 30th run to take Australia safely to their target of 182.
West Indies captain Shivnarine Chanderpaul believes his young team would have benefited from the experience of playing Australia.
"Congratulations to Australia, they were the better team, but our young players will have learnt a lot from this," remarked Chanderpaul at the post-match presentation ceremony.
Australia completed the whitewash, after winning the opening Test at Brisbane by 379 runs, and the second Test at Hobart by nine wickets to keep the Frank Worrell Trophy, symbol of supremacy between the two teams.
ENJOYABLE SERIES
"It's been a very enjoyable series, as it always is when Australia and West Indies play each other," Australian captain Ricky Ponting said.
Any thoughts of a miraculous West Indies comeback, or a nervous finish for the home team, evaporated in the face of resilient batting from opening batsman Matthew Hayden.
The left-hander was unbeaten on 87, and narrowly missed out on becoming the third player in history to make hundreds in five successive Tests, but he was later named 'Man-of-the-Series' for accumulating 445 runs in the series.
The visitors saw Australia steadily make progress to victory, after they resumed on their bedtime total of 76 for two.
BREAKTHROUGH
Daren Powell made a breakthrough for West Indies, when he had Brad Hodge caught at backward point for 23 that ended a stand of 55 for the third wicket with Hayden.
But West Indies could make no further inroads into the Australia batting, once Hussey joined Hayden at the crease and the two added 72, unbroken, for the fourth wicket.
Corey Collymore was the most successful West Indies bowler with two wickets for 51 runs from 20 overs.
West Indies batting kingpin Brian Lara was named 'Man-of-the-Match' principally for his 226 in the first innings, that made him the most prolific batsman in the history of Tests, surpassing former Australia captain and fellow left-hander Allan Border.
