Samuels (5/87) puts Queensland in spin

Not satisfied with a career-best innings of 257 on Saturday, Samuels returned his best ever first-class bowling figures with his occasional off-spinners - five for 87 — and triggered a collapse that turned a quiet final afternoon into a grim battle for survival by the hosts.

Trailing on first innings by 289 runs, Queensland were just 54 runs ahead when the ninth wicket fell with just under an hour’s play left in the final session.

But wicketkeeper Chris Hartley’s battling unbeaten 60 frustrated the Caribbean side, and when Chris Gayle put down a straightforward catch at first slip offered by last man Michael Kasprowicz off Tino Best, a morale-boosting victory ahead of the first Test against Australia had slipped out of Shivnarine Chanderpaul’s grasp.

The West Indies captain accepted the inevitable and the match was called off half-an-hour before the scheduled close with the Bulls at 378 for nine, a lead of 89 runs.

In pushing the country’s most consistent and successful state team of the past decade to the limit, the tourists had earned respect in the lead-up to the start of the three-match series on Thursday at the Gabba.

However in the three days before locking horns with Ricky Ponting’s Australians, the West Indies will be closely monitoring a number of apparently minor injuries that may conspire against their best efforts to be competitive against the wounded world champions.

Wavell Hinds is already ruled out with a fractured finger, Brian Lara is also nursing an injured finger while in the midst of a poor run of form, Daren Powell’s sore hip prevented him from taking the field throughout Queensland’s second innings, and to add to the niggling setbacks, Ramnaresh Sarwan was left nursing a twisted knee after taking the first of three excellent catches at leg-slip off Samuels that breathed life back into the match on the last afternoon.

A 175-run third-wicket partnership between former Test batsman Martin Love and one-day international specialist Andrew Symonds looked to have condemned the match to a drab draw after Dwayne Bravo had home skipper Jimmy Maher caught behind for 33 and Samuels removed Shane Watson caught-and-bowled in his first over to keep the West Indies eager and alert in the morning session.

Having lost his record for the highest score on the ground to Samuels on day three, Love followed up hundreds against the English and Indian visitors over the last three years with a polished 37th first-class hundred - 108.

The tall right-hander survived a confident appeal for a catch at the wicket off Best, but that apart, played with assurance in reaching three figures in 210 minutes off 167 balls with 13 fours and one six.

Symonds looked set to follow him in reaching three figures, but after dabbling with his own wayward leg-breaks and even affording Sarwan an over as well, Chanderpaul turned to Samuels again, who lured the powerful right-hander, on 77, into a top-edged sweep that was well caught by a leaping Sarwan.

However in landing awkwardly, the vice-captain wrenched his right knee and was in obvious discomfort.

The pain did not prevent him from taking two more impressive catches at leg-slip off the same bowler as he dived low to his right on both occasions to account for James Hopes (five) and Chris Simpson (five).

In between those dismissals, Love fell LBW to Gayle for 108 and from the comfort of 262 for three, the Bulls were wobbling at 286 for seven.

First innings top-scorer Ryan Le Loux added 45 runs for the eighth wicket with Hartley but ambition got the better of good sense and in trying to hoist Samuels for a second consecutive four over long-on, the tail-ender skied a catch back to the bowler who celebrated his fifth wicket of the innings with moves that would not have been out of place in a Kingston dancehall.

Mitchell Johnson then sacrificed his wicket via the run out route in a mix-up with Hartley and at that stage, it seemed that a first West Indies victory over Queensland in a first-class match since December, 1981 was there for the taking.

But overs were running out and Gayle’s error at slip was just the slice of luck that the Bulls needed as the last pair pushed their advantage beyond what was reasonably possible for the West Indies in the little time that remained.

A team given no chance whatsoever against the might of Australia had outplayed one of the country’s top state teams.

Yet the intimidating atmosphere of Test cricket at the Gabba against some of the finest cricketers in the world will be far removed from the delightful surroundings of Allan Border Field. The West Indies have been encouraging over the past four days, but must now be up for the challenge - physically, technically and mentally - when the real battle begins.