Hobart, November 20:

Australia will need only 78 to win the second Test in Hobart on Monday despite Dwayne Bravo’s century for West Indies. The tourists began day four on 82-4 and an innings defeat was on the cards when Shane Warne removed Brian Lara (45) and Marlon Samuels to leave them on 140-6.

But Dwayne Bravo (113) and Denesh Ramdin (71) made their highest Test scores in a partnership worth 182 runs. Warne (4-112) and Stuart MacGill then polished off the innings for 334 to set up a winning 2-0 lead.

After their hammering in Brisbane, the Windies will have been encouraged by the fight shown by Bravo and wicketkeeper Ramdin. Their seventh-wicket stand was the second highest for the Windies after the world record 347 put on by Dennis Atkinson and Clairmont Depeiza against Australia in 1954-55.

The tourists needed something special after Lara was given caught behind off Warne, although replays suggested he was unfortunate. Samuels, who required a runner after injuring his knee earlier in the match, was dropped by Warne offf MacGill when on 18, and was grateful when a bat-pad appeal was turned down.

But his luck ran out on 29 as Brad Hodge grabbed a catch at short-leg off Warne. Bravo also had an escape on 46 when he was dropped by a diving Hodge at square-leg off Brett Lee and made the most of it to score his score a second Test hundred in as many games. He made 107 against South Africa in Antigua in May but was omitted from the team for the Gabba defeat. The 22-year-old Trinidadian reached his century off 153 balls when he smacked a full-toss from MacGill to the boundary.

Ramdin, playing in just his fourth Test, bettered his previous top score of 56 with a controlled display, hitting six fours off 190 balls before nicking a catch off MacGill to Warne at slip. After that, the end was not long in coming as Daren Powell was given out lbw for a duck to a MacGill wrong’un. Bravo was bowled by Warne attempting to come down the track and Corey Collymore was caught behind off Warne in the last over of the day.