BRIDGETOWN: Australia needed 131 runs in the final session to win the first Test against the West Indies on the fifth and final day here on Wednesday.
Shane Watson and Ed Cowan went into tea unbeaten on 23 and 11 respectively with opener David Warner the only wicket to fall as he went for 23.
Earlier the West Indies had added 77 more runs to their overnight total of 71-5 to set a relatively tough target of 192.
The hosts hadn't looked like getting anywhere near that when they started the day on 71-5 and promptly lost Narsingh Deonarine lbw to Ryan Harris.
Darren Sammy's big hitting in the first innings had given the West Indies innings but he went for 14 as he played a delivery late and it dropped behind him and was heading towards the wicket.
Sammy's reaction was to kick the ball away but his footballing skills let him down and he only managed to knock the ball against the stumps.
Carlton Baugh was key to the West Indies reaching a competitive total. On 18, he edged a Ben Hilfenhaus delivery straight to first slip. Michael Clarke, who had just taken himself out of that position, crouched down in disbelief.
It wasn't too costly as with the first ball of his next over Hilfenhaus provoked Baugh into chipping straight to Harris at mid-on and the chance was held.
Watson almost had a second when Fidel Edwards on one, hit the ball in the air to the bowler's left but the ball didn't stick.
The next chance that Edwards gave Watson was much easier and stuck.
He hit a ball from Siddle high in the air to Watson at mid-off - it was a poor shot to play with every run so important to the West Indies cause.
Despite working it's way through the West Indies tail, the Australians again hadn't had the best of days in the field.
A third catch went down when Kemar Roach, in Lyon's first over, cut a ball that went hard to Clarke at first slip.
Neither team had managed to take the final wicket in either of the first innings and the West Indies last pair were determined to hang around again.
They batted long enough for lunch to be delayed but, having added 19 runs, Roach got an inside edge off a Harris ball and it crashed into his stumps.
When they came out, the West Indies set defensive fields from the first ball as though a draw was their only hope. Cowan and Warner found it hard to score.
Warner had to work hard for his runs and, perhaps in frustration, tried to run a Darren Sammy ball to third man but instead he got a thin edge through to Baugh.
The game suddenly came to life as the West Indies applied some pressure.
Sammy was nursing a bad back and, having removed Warner, was off the field with Kirk Edwards standing in as captain.
Immediately he asked for a review of a Roach delivery that rapped Watson on the pads before he'd scored but the not out call stood.
Cowan then had a life when Baugh couldn't hold on to an edge off Sammy's next over.
Roach's next over was a beauty. The West Indies used up their final review when, on another lbw appeal against Watson, the ball was shown to have hit his pad outside the line of the off stump.
Next ball he was dropped in the gully by Sammy who'd got both hands to the cut shot.
After that Watson settled and with Cowan playing the anchor role there was an acceleration in the run-rate towards the tea break making the final session target achievable as long as the weather held.

















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