ADELAIDE - West Indies failed to carry the steadiness from their batting into their bowling, and openers Shane Watson and Simon Katich gave Australia a brilliant start to their reply in the second Test yesterday.

West Indies bowled inconsistently as Australia, replying to the visitors' first innings total of 451, reached 174 without loss at the close on the second day.

Chris Gayle's side - like Ricky Ponting's Baggy Greens before them - found the hard, true Adelaide Oval pitch uncooperative and failed to make a breakthrough before stumps were drawn.

They lacked serious firepower, with Fidel Edwards a non-starter for the series with a sore knee, and Jerome Taylor making an early return to the Caribbean with a sore left hip and back, as Shane Watson finished unbeaten on 96 - his best score in Tests opening the batting - and Simon Katich offered solid support with 71 not out.

West Indies were dismissed about 50 minutes after the lunch interval, Brendan Nash leading the way with 92 and shepherding the lower order.

Ravi Rampaul, batting at No. 11, enhanced his batting credentials with 40 not out, and Sulieman Benn spent an hour and a quarter over a painstaking 17 to heap further frustration on the Australians, along with Nash.

Mitchell Johnson was Australia's most successful bowler with three wickets for 105 runs from 26.1 overs.

Watson, Doug Bollinger and Nathan Hauritz supported with two wickets apiece.

West Indies then felt as helpless as their hosts earlier, when Watson and Katich went to work and tore apart their bowling either side of taking Australia to tea at 66 without loss.

Rampaul's bowling did not have the same venom as his bat earlier in the day, and left-hander Katich, typically solid, played him square into the off side for a single to advance to his 50 from 108 balls.

Benn came closest to breaking the stand near the end of the day when Watson, on 91, edged a cut and wicketkeeper Denesh Ramdin muffed the chance.

Earlier, Nash was bowled playing on a delivery from Mitchell Johnson to formally end West Indies' resistance.

Nash and Rampaul frustrated the Australians with a record stand in Tests between the two sides of 68 for the last wicket either side of carrying the visitors to 405 for nine at lunch.

Left-handed Nash remained unflappable throughout the morning period, after West Indies suffered an immediate setback when they resumed from their overnight total of 336 for six.

Darren Sammy was adjudged lbw to Peter Siddle off the first ball of the day without addition to his overnight 44, after he unsuccessfully challenged the verdict of umpire Ian Gould.

But Benn resisted and put on a valuable 44 for the eighth wicket with Nash before he was adjudged lbw to Hauritz for 17, following an unsuccessful challenge of a decision from umpire Asad Rauf, standing in place of the ill Mark Benson.

With Sammy and Benn needlessly using both of West Indies' obligatory reviews, Kemar Roach had no choice but to retreat to the pavilion when he was dubiously caught behind off Johnson for two.

Video replays revealed that Roach scraped the pitch with the toe of the bat and made no contact with the ball as he essayed a loose drive outside the off-stump, and Rauf had erred in his decision.

West Indies were 383 for nine, but Rampaul came to the crease and took the visitors over the psychological 400-run threshold, when he swung Hauritz over mid-wicket and deep into the crowd for the first of his two sixes. (CMC)

*****

Scoreboard:

WEST INDIES 1st Innings

(overnight 336-6)

*C. Gayle c wk Haddin b Bollinger 26

A. Barath c Hussey b Bollinger 3

R. Sarwan c Clarke b Johnson 28

S. Chanderpaul c wk Haddin b Watson 62

B. Nash b Johnson 92

D. Bravo b Hauritz 104

+D. Ramdin b Watson 4

D. Sammy lbw b Siddle 44

S. Benn lbw b Hauritz 17

K. Roach c wk Haddin b Johnson 2

R. Rampaul not out 40

Extras (b5, lb14, w5, nb5) 29

TOTAL (all out, 124.1 overs) 451

Fall of wickets: 1-26 (Barath), 2-39 (Gayle), 3-84 (Sarwan), 3-119* (Nash, retired hurt), 4-235 (Chanderpaul), 5-239 (Ramdin), 6-273 (Bravo), 7-336 (Sammy), 8-380 (Benn), 9-383 (Roach). NB: Nash returned at 6-273

Bowling: Bollinger 25-3-67-2 (nb4); Siddle 25-6-92-1; Johnson 26.1-3-105-3 (w1); Hauritz 36-5-111-2 (nb1); Watson 12-2-57-2

AUSTRALIA 1st Innings

S. Watson not out 96

S. Katich not out 71

Extras (lb1, nb6) 7

TOTAL (no wkt - 48 overs) 174

To bat: *R. Ponting, M. Hussey, M. Clarke, M. North, +B. Haddin, M. Johnson, N. Hauritz, P. Siddle, D. Bollinger.

Bowling: Roach 7-1-25-0 (nb2); Rampaul 9-1-32-0 (nb3); Bravo 9-1-30-0; Sammy 7-1-35-0; Benn 16-3-51-0 (nb1)

Position: Australia trail by 277 runs with all their first innings wickets standing.

Umpires: Mark Benson, Ian Gould. TV replays: Asad Rauf.

Match referee: Chris Broad.