What a day of cricket! The last day promises to be even more special. One wonders if the West Indies personnel saw how to conquer fear and everything else. Simply, "fight fire with fire", and take the fight to the opposition.

Ridley Jacobs Photo CricInfo

That is what the lesser lights of the West Indies team, Mohendra Nagamootoo, Ramnaresh Sarwan and Ridley Jacobs showed in the second innings. These guys were a revelation to the senior batsmen. Even the fast bowlers tried to level things out further late in the afternoon, none more so than the ailing, but still trying Courtney Walsh, now with 494 Test wickets.

It was really Test match stuff. After Jimmy Adams, Sherwin Campbell had been dismissed for a good 54, and Marlon Samuels followed the very next ball, taking the from 112-1 to 112-4. 68 runs were still required to make Australia bat again, but the late order sparked wonderfully.

Marlon Samuels Photo CricInfo

Sarwan was luscious for his 51, hitting six wonderful fours, after being tentative at the start. Remember he made three consecutive ducks in three innings before this half century. His stroke-play was tremendous, confidence surfacing with every stroke.

With Brian Lara, Sarwan put on 42, of which Lara made 28. Sarwan was like a man reborn, the cover driving and the class oozing as he went along. It was something to behold. In time, this young man will destroy many a bowling attack, and he will do it with finesse.

Then came the consistency that was missing for so long during this tour. The ever-reliable Ridley Jacobs came to the crease at Lara's fall, and with Sarwan, he put on 85 for the sixth wicket. Jacobs is now worth his weight in gold, so reliable he has been.

He pummelled all in his usual style, taking on the bowlers and winning. While Sarwan caressed the bowling, Jacobs slashed, hooked, bashed and generally showed the kind of commitment he has had, but which has been missing from the West Indies batsmen this season.

Then Sarwan got the best delivery of the game, from Glen McGrath, the first ball with the second new ball. It was quick, since McGrath had warmed up nicely with a few bouncers. It was perfectly pitched, and cut away. Even with his Kanhai-like technique, Sarwan could not keep his bat away, the edge lodging safely in gloves of Adam Gilchrist. If McGrath could conjure up many of those, he will get to 400 Test wickets very quickly.

After Sarwan, Nagamootoo carried on with aggression and confidence. The Australians wilted somewhat, perhaps under more pressure in this game than any before.

Nagamootoo, in his own determined style, in only his second Test, showed why he should have been picked earlier. While Jacobs, with the confidence of being the best West Indian performer overall in this series, reached his fifth Test 50, Nagamootoo did likewise, stroking, slashing, slogging all in succession. It was a West Indian middle order reborn.

Then both got too ambitious, and fell. Jacobs pulled across a straight one from Mark Waugh, and was out LBW, while Nagamootoo chose the wrong Colin Miller delivery to slog, only to be caught in the circle. But their efforts had at least given the West Indies a chance.

Overall, Steve Waugh's team have been better prepared and focussed in this series. Australia have always been confident, purposeful, and thoughtful too. The West Indies, lacking enough personnel up to the mark in Test cricket, were out-thought.

A vivid example of this came at the start of the play today. The West Indies were 98-1 overnight, Wavell Hinds having been bowled by the last ball of the previous day. But the West Indies still had a great opportunity to show that they had started, even at this late stage of this tour, to think positively.

But incredibly, out came Adams with the overnight batsman, Campbell. A team needs a decent, in-form batsman at No. 3, if not the best batsman. Brian Lara, despite what he and others may have thought, should have been promoted to No. 3 in this innings, if not the game. No. 3 is the pivotal position in any batting line-up, and at 98-1 Lara would have been in his element, especially starting first thing in the morning.

Before his final innings of the series, Adams had only made 146 runs at about 20 runs per innings. He was soon gone, lbw to Glen McGrath for 5. That gave him an aggregate of 151 runs from 8 innings, or a final average from five Tests of 18.87. Is this what is required from a batsman who promotes himself to No. 3? I do not think so!

It has been said many times over this disastrous summer for the West Indies that whenever something is tried, there must be a plan. Going through the motions makes no sense. Too often when they have had an advantage, the West Indies have squandered it with negative planning and thoughts.

So, here are the West Indies, 98-1, and Adams comes to the crease. Any bowler worth his salt, fast or slow, would be champing at the bit to get at such a non-productive batsman.

The West Indies team officials talk a great game. But they do not follow up these words by deeds. How many times have we seen a new batsman at the crease for Australia, with the home team in some bother, with absolutely no changes being made by the West Indies?

It is as if the West Indies are one-dimensional. They set a plan, but if it doesn't work, they do not know what to do next. The West Indies were bowled out for 82 at Brisbane in the first innings. The only way back would have been to carry the attack to Australia. At one stage, they even had Australia 117-4, with Steve and Mark Waugh fresh at the crease, and only Adam Gilchrist to come.

There was no change in the field-placing, with only two slips, and the outfield packed. No imagination was shown. It was as if there was no alternative plan.

The West Indian bowlers suffered too in the earlier Tests. They got little help from the captain and his brains trust. Now he and the rest of the team have a chance to salvage some pride.

Here is an example. The West Indies won the toss at Melbourne and elected to field first, a positive move. Then it fell away. Australia had moved to a handy 306-8, when Colin Miller came to the crease. Adams' first move was to put five fieldsmen on the boundary. By the time Miller was out, at 347-9, he had made 29. He had no pressure on him at all.

It comes down to the last day of this series to see if the West Indies can exert the pressure that they should have been applying all Australian summer. These Australians might be good cricketers, some even great, but they too react to pressure.

We will also see what Steve Waugh and his lads are worth, if they are to set another record, that of winning a clean sweep against the West Indies in a five Test rubber.

The final day promises something special.

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