Brathwaite leads West Indies fightback after Labuschagne feat

PERTH: Dogged skipper Kraigg Brathwaite scored an unbeaten 101 Saturday to lead West Indies resistance as they chase 498 to win the first Test against Australia ater Marnus Labuschagne joined rare company in making a double and single century.

The home side declared at lunch on day four in Perth ater reaching 182-2 to go with their first innings 598-4, having bowled out the Caribbean nation for 283.

The in-form Labuschagne belted an unbeaten 104 to go with his first innings 204 — only the eighth player to achieve the 200-100 feat in the same Test, joining the likes of Sunil Gavaskar, Brian Lara and Kumar Sangakkara.

In reply, the West Indies batled to 192-3 at stumps, still 306 runs behind, with Kyle Mayers yet to score alongside Brathwaite.

Tagenarine Chanderpaul (45), Shamarh Brooks (11) and Jermaine Blackwood (24) were the wickets to fall. In a blow for Australia, skipper and pace spearhead Pat Cummins did not bowl ater experiencing thigh soreness.

Openers Brathwaite and Chanderpaul were cautious with 154 overs to get through for an unlikely draw, frustrating Australia. The experienced Brathwaite brought up his 5,000th Test run with a boundary off Cameron Green before completing a second successive 50 ater his first innings 64.

Chanderpaul was dropped on 42 with the ball slipping out of Mitchell Starc’s fingers at full stretch in the deep ater he hooked Green.

But the speedster quickly made amends when he bowled the son of West Indies great Shivnarine Chanderpaul to snap a dangerous 116-run stand.

Nathan Lyon’s spin accounted for Brooks, a concussion substitute for Nkrumah Bonner, with Steve Smith taking the catch at slip ater an edge, and then Blackwood for 24 with Labuschagne the safe pair of hands.

But Brathwaite was unmovable and brought up his 11th Test century off 157 balls to keep his team’s hopes alive.

Australia resumed at 29-1 with David Warner, who began on 17, the only wicket to fall, out for 48.

Labuschagne confidently built on his overnight three to reach a ninth Test century with Smith, who hit an unbeaten 200 in the first innings, not out 20.

In a setback for the West Indies, Mayers was unable to bowl with a right shoulder strain and Kemar Roach went off with a hamstring injury,