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Australia wins first Test in style

GEORGETOWN (Guyana) April 14. Australia defeated the West Indies by nine wickets in the first Test on Sunday, celebrating its captain Steve Waugh's world record 157th Test appearance in emphatic style.

Australia reached its target of 147 before tea on the fourth day, opener Justin Langer following his first innings 146 with an unbeaten 78.

Ricky Ponting, who hit the winning single, was unbeaten on 42 as Australia, which will return to the top of the world Test standings if it wins the four-match series, knocked off the runs in the 43rd over.

Fast bowler Jason Gillespie set Australia on the way by taking four wickets for four runs at the start of the day to polish off the West Indies second innings. Gillespie finished with five for 38, his seventh five-wicket haul in Test cricket.

The home team, a daunting 252 runs behind from the first innings, resumed at 381 for five but lost its remaining five wickets for a paltry 17 runs in 45 minutes as it was bowled out for 388.

Waugh, back at the helm after being left out of Australia's victorious World Cup squad, broke Allan Border's appearances world record when he took to the field on the first day.

The 37-year-old made his debut in 1985 and has scored 10,039 Test runs, the third highest total behind Border (11,174) and Sunil Gavaskar of India (10,122).

Australia made a comfortable start, picking off the loose deliveries to reach 47 for no wicket at lunch.

Langer had a huge let-off on 46 when he miscued a Marlon Samuels delivery to Dave Bernard at cover point but the substitute fielder dropped the ball.

The 32-year-old left-hander made the most of his escape by cutting his seventh four through the covers of the next ball to complete his fifty.

The host's only breakthrough came when Matthew Hayden lobbed Jermaine Lawson to square leg and was caught by Bernard for 19.— Reuters

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