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Just when their supporters thought it couldn't get any worse, the West Indies collapsed to their lowest Test match total of 51 yesterday.

The humiliating result was a mammoth 312-run defeat in the first Test against Australia at Queen's Park Oval, Trinidad.

West Indies crumbled to 16 for five at lunch and were all out in less than an hour after the break. The innings lasted only 19.1 overs with all 10 wickets falling in the last 11.

It was not the start fans had hoped for against cricket's unofficial world champions after the West Indies were outclassed by South Africa 5-0.

Pacemen Glenn Mc-Grath and Jason Gillespie did the damage but several of the wickets fell to inept shots.

Man-Of-The-Match McGrath took five for 28 for his first 10-wicket Test match haul. He now has 50 victims against the West Indies in 10 Tests.

Gillespie uprooted Pedro Collins' middle stump to end the slaughter and finished with four for 18.

West Indies recorded their previous lowest total of 53 against Pakistan in Faisalabad in 1986.

Yesterday's 102-minute mauling also erased the old record for their lowest score against Australia - 78 in Sydney during 1951-52 - and their lowest score at home, 102 against England at Bridgetown in 1934-35.

Skipper Brian Lara, appointed captain for only the first two of the four Tests, said: ``Our batting is struggling at the moment. We, as a team, need to look at that immediately.''

In Barbados, fans reacted with sadness.

``You cannot go from nought to 10 overnight,'' said one caller to Voice Of Barbados, asking for patience after the South African debacle. ``If we couldn't even draw one with South Africa, how the hell you expect to beat Australia?''

Another was downright pessimistic.

``What we need is a priest to pray - to pray for rain because that is the only way that we are not going to be beaten 4-0.''

The West Indies have little time to recover and regroup as the second Test begins in Jamaica on Saturday.