St John’s: Australia built a solid platform of 70 for one at lunch after winning the toss and choosing to bat on the opening day of the second Test on Friday against the West Indies.

Captain Ricky Ponting followed up his 158 in the first Test with an unbeaten 28 at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium. Left-hander Simon Katich was batting on 24.

Dwayne Bravo gained the only breakthrough for the home team when he claimed Phil Jacques leg-before for 17 and finished the session with figures of one for 23.

The first Test match to be played at this venue was delayed by 15 minutes due to a brief shower just before the start, but Australia’s openers Jacques and Katich looked confident on a perfect batting pitch once play got underway.

West Indies’ fast bowler Fidel Edwards had a scare when he skidded badly on the way to his first delivery but avoided injury to bowl five overs in his spell.

The Australian openers added 36 for the first wicket in just over an hour before Bravo struck in his first over. Jacques hit two fours off 47 balls but was out leg before as he played across the line.

Ponting, needing only 61 runs in this innings to pass 10,000 Test runs, looked in fine form as he hit three fours off 33 balls.

The 33-year-old player is set to become the seventh player in history to reach five figures, after Brian Lara (11,953), Sachin Tendulkar (11,782), Allan Border (11,174), Steve Waugh (10,927), Sunil Gavaskar (10,122) and Rahul Dravid (10,098). Border and Waugh are both former Australian captains.

The visitors, leading 1-0 in the three-match series, made one change to the team that won the first match in Jamaica. Michael Clarke returned to the teamat the expense of Brad Hodge.