Eighteen wickets fell on an eventful second day, yesterday, as the opening match for the touring Australians, continued at the Everest Ground.
At the close of play on the second day of the three-day match Australia batting a second time, were 180-8, with an overall lead of 425, with Martin Love not out 55 and Stuart MacGill not out 17.
Earlier in the day, the tourists had declared on their overnight score of 377-3 and inserted the West Indies Carib XI to take strike in their first innings.
They crashed to 132 all out in only 37 overs soon after lunch.
Only Imran Jan with 42 not out (five fours) and Carlton Baugh 32 (three sixes and three fours) offered some resistance to the Aussies.
Brad Hogg snared 4-23, while Jason Gillespie, Andy Bichel and Stuart MacGill had two wickets each.
When the Carib Beer XI started their reply opener Devon Smith, saw his poor form with the bat continue, with his third `duck' in three successive first class matches, when he edged Jason Gillespie to Adam Gilchrist behind the stumps with the score on 2.
He faced 10 balls and spent only ten minutes at the crease.
With the demise of Smith, captain Sylvester Joseph came in at the important no. 3 slot and found life tough against the pace of Gillespie edging the Aussie quickie past third slip for a boundary to get off the mark.
The West Indies XI lost Joseph when he reached six, edging again, but this time to wicketkeeper Gilchrist off Bichel who generated some good pace off the docile Everest track.
The Carib Beer XI had slipped to 17-2 at that stage.
The fall of Joseph's wicket brought Dwayne Bravo to the crease and he lasted one ball as he too went caught behind next ball and Bichel was on a hatrick.
Guyanese Narsingh Deonarine who was applauded as he went to the middle, averted the hatrick as he left alone a ball from Bichel that was just outside off-stump.
At the other end, Jan, who was probably playing the innings of his life, looked solid even though he played and missed a few times.
While wickets were tumbling around him like nine pins, he kept his composure and tried to play each ball on its merit.
Deonarine was growing in confidence in front of his home fans and played some competent shots to push the score after 12 overs to 27. Spin was introduced in the 14th over with MacGill operating from the southern end of the ground.
His first over was eventful as the first two deliveries were sent crashing to the boundary by Deonarine who raced to 13. However, MacGill had the last `laugh' as he induced Deonarine into sweeping, the batsman succeeding in top-edging the third delivery to wicket keeper Gilcrist who gobbled it up.
The Caribbean side at this stage were in serious trouble at 35-4 after 14.2 overs.
The fall of Deonarine's wicket brought Aneil Kanhai to the wicket and he too did not stick around. MacGill, flighting his deliveries well, induced a false shot from Kanhai which he slapped into the lap of the mid-on fielder Justin Langer and he had gone for four and the home team in more trouble on 47-5.
Omari Banks was next in and played a scorching on drive for four off pacer Ashley Noffke to get off the mark as the Carib Beer XI moved to 51 off 19 overs.
As lunch approached, the impressive Jan punched Noffke for consecutive fours through mid off and mid on to move to 26 and his side to 63.
With Noffke proving a bit expensive and ineffective, he was replaced by Brad Hogg from the north in the 24th over of the innings.
Hogg struck for Australia in his second over when he trapped Banks LBW with a faster straighter ball which thudded into his pads and he had gone for 14 and the Caribbean side on the verge of collapsing as they were now 76-6 in over no. 26.
Wicket keeper Carlton Baugh was next in and had a shaky start when he hit the first ball he faced just over the head of Jason Gillespie at mid off.
Baugh however went into `overdrive' and launched into MacGill for a six over long on. To show that the shot was no fluke, he followed up next ball by cutting MacGill past cover for another boundary.
Jan on the other end was also progressing nicely as he lofted Hogg over mid wicket for another boundary to move to 35 and his team to 93-6.
The final over before lunch was memorable as the small-framed Baugh tore into MacGill who was giving the ball generous flight. He smashed two fours and a six in that over to race to 26 off only 15 balls as the Caribbean side went to lunch at 109-6, the 100 coming up in the 28th over.
After lunch Baugh again went after the bowling and swept Hogg powerfully over mid wicket for six to move to 32.
His tactics however caused his downfall as he tried to repeat the shot next ball and was caught at cover point by MacGill.
He made 32 off 17 balls with three sixes and three fours and the home side had dipped to 117-7.
Dave Mohammed was next to go when he skied a ball from Gillespie to be out for eight with two fours, and the Carib XI was in dire straits at 128-8.
More disaster followed as Marlon Black fell for a `duck' and his side plummeted to 132-9.
Adam Sanford also fell at the same score, making the fourth `duck' of the innings LBW to Hogg.
With a lead of 245 Australia did not enforce the follow-on but opted instead to give their batsmen valuable batting practice ahead of the first test, starting Thursday at Bourda.
Adam Gilcrist and Brad Hogg opened the batting in the second innings.
Gilcrist was the first to go after two cracking shots for four, caught at mid wicket by Jan off Sanford, with the score on 19.
Hogg was next to go as he fell in similar fashion to Gilcrist caught at mid-wicket again by Jan off Sanford for 16 and Australia were 27-2.
Andy Bichel was next in and he did not last long as he lost his middle and off stumps to an express delivery from Marlon Black.
He made seven and Australia were in a little bother on 32-3.
The Australian 50 came up in 13 overs as Ashley Noffke who had replaced Bichel played some rasping shots to move quickly to 20.
With the introduction of Dwayne Bravo from the North the home side got more success as Bravo shattered Noffke's stumps to have Australia on 54-4.
The Australian overall lead had by now increased to 299 with six wickets in hand.
Martin Love joined Darren Lehman who had come in at the fall of Bichel's wicket and the two added a further 72 runs before they were separated by Dave Mohammed. Lehman was caught a first slip after he had made 42 off 89 balls with three fours.
Justin Langer joined Love but perished quickly as he too was caught at slip off Omari Banks, with Australia on 129-6.
It soon became 139-7 as captain Steve Waugh fell cheaply for 2, caught and bowled by Banks.
Gillespie and Love then took the score to 150 when the eight wicket, that of Gillespie, fell for seven, adjudged LBW to Mohammed.
Love brought up his fifty just before the close off 100 balls with five fours, and has added 30 runs for the ninth wicket with MacGill who was unbeaten on 17 at the close and Australia looking for their first victory of the tour, today.