The West Indies were defeated by Australia before tea on the fifth and final day of the second Cable and Wireless cricket test at the Queens Park Oval in Trinidad yesterday.
The win gave the visitors an unbeatable 2-nil lead in the four test series after their crushing win inside four days in the first test in Guyana.
West Indies skipper Brian Lara was brilliant as he battled away with little support from the other end to reach his first test century on his home ground after falling nine short in the first innings.
The world double record holder hooked completely focused despite some hostile high-class fast bowling from Bret Lee just before lunch. Lara punched the air as he saluted his home fans on reaching his 20th test hundred and eighth against Australia.
The West Indies skipper said after the game that he was not concerned with how many runs he got but his main aim was to bat for as long as possible yesterday.
"I was delighted to get a hundred at home and I hope that will be the first of many to come ... But you know .... I really wanted to bat as long as possible because I thought that at lunch we had a great chance of winning the game" Lara said.
Lara was 52 overnight and his team 300 runs away from victory with seven wickets in hand. With Vice-captain Ramnaresh Sarwan and Marlon Samuels still to be dismissed, there was some hope of the home team capitalizing on Steve Waugh's sporting declaration and registering a series leveling victory.
But that was not to be although Lara had one of the largest last day crowds for a test match in Port of Spain jumping in true Carnival style in blazing sunshine as he and Sarwan took their team to 210-3 by lunch.
The crowd increased after lunch as the news spread that a sensational West Indies win was now a great possibility. Hundreds of 'Trini to the bone' fans took the half-day from work to see the Prince of Port-of-Spain in full flow.
But this West Indies team is so predictable, even to the half-drunk, sun burnt and flag waving Aussies in the ground. Most of the close to 300 Australians in the ground (and quite a few West Indians too) felt that if Sarwan or Lara fell inside the first 30 minutes after lunch the West Indies would lose.
This was another venue, another day, another match but the same result. A century for Lara overshadowed by a defeat for the West Indies.
Steve Waugh said in Guyana that he does not mind if Lara scores a hundred in every game and the West Indies loses. To the professional Aussies, winning is more important than personal glory and so far they have totally outplayed the West Indies.
Waugh, with 35 wins as captain, is now just two wins away from breaking Clive Lloyd's record 36 and the 37-year-old is hoping to break that record in this series with a 4-nil white wash.
Waugh said he declared because he wanted enough time to bowl the West Indies out a second time.
"The runs did not matter that much but we knew that we needed time to bowl them (West Indies) since the pitch was still quite good for batting and Lara always saves his best for Australia" Waugh said.
"If we are goon enough then the West Indies, which has quite a few young inexperienced players, should not make 400 runs against us chasing victory on the last day ... so the declaration was also a challenge to our bowlers who responded to the task" Waugh said. Lara has now lost 12 of his 20 games as skipper despite his fine batting and has only played in one series that the West Indies has won since 1998.
The disappointed left-hander who also hit a hundred in a losing cause in Guyana test, felt that the Australians were under some pressure after not picking up a wicket in the first session yesterday.
"We picked seven batsmen and I did not honestly feel we should have lost 20 wickets on a pitch like this. But I guess the guys will learn from this and I know everyone is really eager to perform well and as hurt as the fans when we lose" the batting star said.
But Lara, who was given back the captaincy after Carl Hooper led the regional side to the World cup, feels the main reason for the West Indies loss is their inability to prevent the Australians from scoring so quickly.
"In Guyana and here again we allowed Australia to score too quickly and that is our biggest problem. We will sit down and have a long talk about our bowling. We scored over 400 runs in our first innings with Daren (Ganga) batting really well and Marlon getting a half-century so I don't think the batting is that big a worry at present" Lara pointed out.
"We lost in four days in Guyana ... I think we did well here even though we spoiled it with our batting after lunch yesterday. We should not have lost this game from 210-3 at lunch but the guys bowled well and we can't take anything away from them" the captain said.
Lara said there might be a few changes for the third test which starts on Thursday May 1 in Barbados but added that Sir Viv Richards, Joey Carew and Gordon Greenidge and himself will have to meet before the third test squad is named. According to Lara, Tino Best, the leading wicket taker in the Carib Beer regional first class competition this year and one of the quickest in the West Indies, was not selected for this game was because of the number of debutants in the side.
Carlton Baugh and David Bernard were given their first test caps after good showings in the regional competition. However, like so many of our recent young 'stars' they both seemed unable to make that transformation for a sub standard regional first class competition to the high level of test cricket.
Yesterday, it was a combination of good Australian cricket and the lack of mental toughness and commitment to the cause of fighting for your country that caused the West Indies demise.
There is talent in the West Indies team but the way Samuels, Sarwan, Bernard and Baugh played loose shots and gifted their wickets with their team batting to hold on for a draw to keep the series alive says a lot about the attitude of many of our young players.
Sarwan, batting well on 34, decided to pull a short ball just after lunch and gave a catch to mid on with Lara in full flow at the other end. That was the end of the West Indies fight as the Aussies ran through the rest of the batting order despite an unbeaten 26 from Vasbert Drakes.
At 33, Drakes looks the best of the fast bowlers and has shown his willingness to work hard for the team. Mervin Dillon, the spearhead of the attack has been very disappointing in the series so far and should lose his place for the next test if Lawson is fit. We cannot win this series anymore so Best should be given a run on his home track in place of left arm pacer Pedro Collins who has looked way below par with the ball and in the field.
It is time for the selectors to stifle their pride and pick Chris Gayle. The WICB had their way with the shocking removal of Hooper as skipper. The West Indies fans, who pay hard earned money to watch cricket are paying for Hooper's absence with having to sit in the scorching sun and watch batsmen way below test level embarrass West Indies cricket. It is not too late to bring back Gayle.
Chanderpaul was dearly missed in this test and if there is one thing the so-called stars like Samuels and company should learn from him is the value of their wickets.
Brian Lara might not be the best man to captain the young side but he's by far the best batsman in the side. But it is unfair to expect him to make all the runs all the time.
Judging from the way the rest of batsmen have gotten themselves out in this series so far, the West Indies might lose all of their games in much the same way as they did against Sri Lanka despite the brilliance of Lara with the bat.
Let's hope that our young players realize the importance of playing for the West Indies and the millions of fans who hold West Indies cricket close to their hearts.