BRISBANE – Openers Travis Dowlin and Adrian Barath provided the best news of the tour for the struggling West Indians as they reached  133 for one against Queensland at stumps  on the third day.
Since the squad arrived in Brisbane last week they have lost their captain Chris Gayle, who flew  to Jamaica to be with his sick mother, and received a tough initiation in their opening tour game against Queensland. Ramnaresh Sarwan, one of the two leading batsmen, has also been told by his doctor  to stay off the field  because of an infection.
So after the Bulls declared at 617 for seven, with a lead of 346, the tourists needed something to cheer and Dowlin and Barath provided it during a 95-run opening stand.
With Gayle increasingly unlikely to be back  in Australia before Thursday's first Test,  the side is desperate  for the remaining openers in the squad to find form.
The team management is still waiting to learn when Gayle is likely  to return and the selectors are expected to meet over the weekend to consider possible replacements  and whether to extend  the outfit to 16 men  for the three-Test series.
Life has been tough and will become harder when they run into an Australia side preparing for their first series since  the Ashes defeat.
Dowlin, who made only two in the first innings, rebounded with a much more authoritative display, striking seven boundaries in his 53 before he was caught behind off the rampant Nathan Reardon.
Barath, who is expected to make his Test debut next week, followed his first-day duck with  a composed 65.
He was dropped  by Chris Hartley on  34 but held on to make  it to stumps, taking advantage of some loose bowling by leg-spinner Dan Doran to increase  his boundary tally to nine.
Reardon’s 147 was the major problem for the tourists on the third day as he became the third home batsman to register a maiden first-class century in the innings.
Kemar Roach,  the 21-year-old fast bowler, continued to run  in hard despite his side’s situation and returned figures of three for 135 from 32 overs,  but he did not receive much help from his teammates, who wilted against a modest  batting line-up.
The day began well for them when Hartley (12) edged a short ball from Roach in the third over, but they were soon pummelled by Reardon’s muscular stroke-play.
Reardon, a 25-year-old in his second four-day game, joined Nick Kruger (172) and Wade Townsend (100) in raising centuries, which was only  the second time in Australia three players have achieved their maiden first-class hundreds in the  same innings.
Reardon resumed  on 45 and sped towards his century, equalling  a state record with his seven sixes while taking advantage of the  mediocre offerings.
He was particularly brutal against the left-arm spin of Sulieman Benn, who was lashed for two sixes in one over and later launched on to the roof  of Queensland Cricket’s offices at midwicket.
After lunch he also pulled a tiring Roach high into the Matthew Hayden Stand before eventually falling caught behind to Dwayne Bravo.
Captain Chris Simpson also blasted one  on to the office roof off Ravi Rampaul, who continued to find life  in Australia difficult.
Benn gave up 151 runs in 34 overs and Rampaul went for 131 in 29, while Bravo and Narsingh Deonarine also failed to make much of an impact. (Cricinfo)