Brisbane:Australian captain Ricky Ponting blasted a brilliant 149 as Australia recovered from a middle-order collapse to reach 7-340 at stumps on day one of the first Test against the West Indies.
Paceman Corey Collymore backed up his captain Shivnarine Chanderpaul's bold decision to send Australia in by taking 4-47, including 3-2 in 11 balls.
But Ponting stood firm to share vital partnerships of 92 with opener Matthew Hayden (37) and 104 with Adam Gilchrist (44).
Ponting, who moved to fifth and then to fourth on Australia's all-time Test run-scoring list, hit 15 boundaries and faced 213 balls in his 24th Test century after coming to the wicket at 1-9.
Brett Lee on 19 and Shane Warne on 31 were at the crease whenthe stumps were drawn with Ponting hoping for a total of around 400.
The Aussie captain passed David Boon's mark of 7,422 Test runs and Mark Taylor's 7,525, to be fourth on Australia's all-time Test run-scoring list headed by world record holder Allan Border (11,174).
Showing great poise amid the collapse of wickets around him, Ponting moved to equal eighth in Test cricket for most hundreds with Greg Chappell and Viv Richards on 24, and the Tasmanian trails only Border (27), Don Bradman (29) and Steve Waugh (32) for Australia.
It was also Ponting's fourth successive hundred in Tests against the West Indies, including the first three in the 2002-03 series in the Caribbean.
But the skipper was more interested in finding out the racing results from Melbourne than discussing his latest record-breaking feats with the bat.
"It's pleasing to get a hundred today but more pleasing that the team are seven for 340," Ponting, 30, said after his 316-minute innings.
"Stats have never been anything that motivated me as a cricketer.
"I wouldn't even know how many Tests Viv played (121 to Ponting's 95) or whatever. I think he'll end up being regarded as a better player than me."
Ponting said he would have batted if he had won the toss and said only Collymore extracted sideways movement from the wicket.
But he admitted the form of Michael Clarke (5) and Simon Katich (0) was a concern.
"Michael and Simon would have liked to have done better but hopefully they can get a second innings in this game and spend some time out in the middle."
Gilchrist was out lbw to Collymore at 5-215 in the first over after tea, the pair having rescued Australia from a shaky 4-111.
Shane Watson (16) was then lbw to Fidel Edwards and Ponting was finally out caught at mid-wicket off Jermaine Lawson at 7-294 before some lusty hitting from Lee and Warne.
Australia went to lunch at 1-95 before Collymore turned into a one-man wrecking ball for the inexperienced West Indies attack, knocking over Hayden, Clarke and Simon Katich as Australia lost 3-10.
Collymore's pace onslaught was too much for Clarke and Katich, whose Test spots appear safe although both are averaging under 40.
Hayden was out lbw in Collymore's eighth over and the 27-year-old right-armer from Barbados struck again in his next, having Clarke caught behind as he squared the batsman up.
Katich then edged a low catch to first slip in Collymore's 10th over.
The only wicket to fall before lunch was 30-year-old debutant Mike Hussey. After finally gaining his chance with the rib injury to his fellow West Australian Justin Langer, Hussey miscued a hook shot and was caught behind off Daren Powell for one.
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