HOBART: Dwayne Bravo scored a fighting century and shared in the West Indies' second best seventh-wicket partnership to defy Australia's bid for a quick kill in the second cricket Test at Bellerive Oval here on Sunday.

Bravo and fellow Trinidadian Dinesh Ramdin combined in a spirited 182-run stand to force Australia to chase 78 runs for a Frank Worrell Trophy series victory on Monday's final day instead of a fourth-day innings victory.

Bravo was out shortly before stumps for his highest Test score of 113, bowled by Shane Warne as he charged the wrist-spinner, who finished with four for 112. The West Indies was all out for 334 in the final over, leaving the Australians a modest task for victory on Monday.

The promising all-rounder scored 107 in his previous Test against South Africa in Antigua last May.

`The best'

"This one's the best. Batting against the best team in the world, four class bowlers. I had to play for the team and that's why I was so determined to give it my best shot," Bravo said.

"We talked together about playing positive. Dinesh played an excellent innings, he showed great determination. We both played together at junior level so we have a good understanding."

The record partnership ended when Ramdin edged Stuart MacGill to Warne at slip for his highest Test score of 71 in 225 minutes off 190 balls.

Only the world record seventh-wicket stand of 347 by Dennis Atkinson and Clairmont Depeiza against Australia in Bridgetown in 1954-55 ranks higher than the pair's epic effort for the West Indies. Their near four-hour resistance followed the body blow of losing champion batsman Brian Lara in contentious circumstances before lunch.

Bravo, 22, born in the same village as Lara, scored his second century in his eighth Test match after being overlooked for the first Gabba Test where the tourist was thrashed by 379 runs.

"Dwayne took his time when he first came in, it was pretty tough then, he had a look and decided which shots were available to him and played them pretty freely. He built an innings today, he batted really well," MacGill said. — AFP

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