Live With Cricket

Tea Australia 4 for 346 (Watson 96, Katich 80, Clarke 62*) trail West Indies 451 by 105 runs

Michael Clarke continued his brilliant Adelaide Oval form but at tea on the third day, Kemar Roach had kept the pressure firmly on Australia's middle order. Roach worked hard to earn the wicket of Michael Hussey, who painstakingly compiled 41, and although it was the only breakthrough in the session Australia still trailed by 105 runs at the break.

Marcus North was on 15 and Clarke had reached 62, with his sights set on what could become his fourth century in his past five Test innings at the venue. He brought up his half-century with a lovely on-drive for three off Ravi Rampaul and struck five boundaries, including a superb cover-drive off Dwayne Bravo.

Although Clarke found the going tough against the impressive Roach, he looked Bradmanesque compared to Hussey, who laboured so awkwardly that he didn't score his first four until his 115th delivery. The pressure almost led to Hussey being run-out attempting a suicidal single when he was on 24 but he was fortunate that Brendan Nash's throw from mid-off missed the stumps.

Hussey's second boundary came with a lucky top edge when he tried to withdraw from a pull against Roach but next ball he was put out of his misery when he was late on a cut and the ball flicked the toe of his bat on the way through to Denesh Ramdin. The wicket was well deserved for Roach, who breached the 150kph mark and regularly hit the high 140s, making all the batsmen uncomfortable.

He had earlier accounted for Ricky Ponting, who looked positive in reaching 36 but fell when he directed his pull off Roach straight to Bravo at midwicket. Roach and Sulieman Benn impressed their captain Chris Gayle so much that he didn't introduce Rampaul and Darren Sammy until the fourth hour of the day, and Benn bowled 24 overs unchanged from the first of the day until drinks in the second session.

Benn found plenty of spin and bounce and picked up both openers as well as causing problems for the rest of the batsmen. He got one to turn enough to just clip the face of the bat of Simon Katich (80) as he attempted a drive, and the ball lobbed off his leg to Adrian Barath at bat-pad.

That added to Benn's tally after he removed Shane Watson, who might have had a restless night having gone to bed on 96 but was given plenty of time to catch up on his sleep during the afternoon. He tried to reach his first Test century with a pull from the second delivery of the day but the ball wasn't quite as short as Watson anticipated and crashed into the top of his middle stump.