Smooth-flowing Ganga and Samuels take WI to safety

Trinidad’s Daren Ganga, playing his first Test match at home, celebrated with a century, while Marlon Samuels scored a half century as West Indies avoided the follow-on in the second Test against Australia on Monday.

Ganga, the first Trinidadian to score a Test century at the Queen’s Park Oval for 20 years, made 117 before being dismissed in the first hour after lunch.

West Indies, replying to Australia’s first innings total of 576 for four declared, were 377 for 8 shortly after tea on the third day. Samuels was dismissed for 68 when the team was one run short of avoiding the follow-on. Debutant Carlton Baugh was out, hit wicket, for a lively 19 on the last ball before the tea break.

Earlier, Ganga completed his hundred, in which he faced 185 balls, by sweeping leg-spinner Stuart MacGill through mid-wicket for his 15th boundary before lunch.

The 24-year-old, who did not score a century in his first 17 Test matches, has now scored hundreds in his last two.

His effort partially atoned for the crowd’s disappointment on Sunday when fellow Trinidadian Brian Lara missed out on his first home Test century by nine runs.

The last Trinidadian to make a century in Port of Spain was Larry Gomes against India in 1983. Resuming on 186 for three overnight and still needing 191 to avoid a follow-on, Ganga and vice-captain Ramnaresh Sarwan chipped away at the total.

They added 62 to the overnight score before Sarwan, who missed the first Test with a fractured finger, was yorked by Brett Lee for 26.(Reuters)