A determined century from captain Ramnaresh Sarwan helped West Indies to hang on for a draw on the final day of the second Test against Australia on Tuesday. After Australia declared before the start of play, setting West Indies a highly unlikely victory target of 372, the hosts were struggling at 95 for three at lunch but recovered thanks to Sarwan and fellow Guyanese batsman Shivnarine Chanderpaul. The pair put on 143 for the fourth wicket before Sarwan was caught off Mitchell Johnson for 128 with the first delivery of the new ball. When Dwayne Bravo (1) quickly followed, Australia felt they had a chance of victory but Denesh Ramdin joined Chanderpaul to see the innings through until five overs from the scheduled close when Australia captain Ricky Ponting signalled he would settle for the draw. Chanderpaul, who scored 107 not out in the first innings, was unbeaten on 77. Australia, gaining little or no assistance from the hard, docile pitch, endured a frustrating afternoon, as it could find no way through either Sarwan or Chanderpaul, and the pair spent four hours together to add a match-saving 143 for the fourth wicket. The Aussies came close to making the breakthrough, when MacGill flummoxed Sarwan on 88 with a well-flighted leg-break and the batsman appeared to have been stumped. But a referral to video umpire Norman Malcolm was too close to call and the batsman was given a reprieve. Before lunch, Brett Lee continued from where he left off the previous day, when he collected two wickets to carry Australia closer to victory. Lee removed opener Devon Smith for a duck in his opening spell, and returned to add the scalp of Runako Morton for 14. Lee softened Smith up, when he struck him on the right arm with a short, rising ball, and then took his wicket a few balls later, when the left-handed opener was caught at gully guiding another lifting delivery pitched outside the off-stump. After Stuart Clark had Xavier Marshall caught behind gloving a rising ball for five, Lee returned for a second spell and trapped Morton lbw with a full-length delivery to which the batsman played back and across. Australia leads the three-Test series 1-0, after it completed a 95-run victory in the opening Test last Monday at Sabina Park in Kingston, Jamaica. Australia has won 13 of the last 14 Tests it has contested against West Indies. The Aussies have not lost a Test series in the Caribbean since 1991. The third and final Test between the two sides starts on June 12 at Kensington Oval in Barbados.
