Fever-stricken Brian Lara fell victim to a controversial lbw decision to leave the West Indies facing a follow-on in the third Test against Australia on Saturday.

At the close of play, on day 3, the home side was 291 for eight in reply to Australia's huge 605 for nine declared.

Lara, who spent the first half of the day in his hotel room with what a team spokesman said was fever, emerged from his bed and came in at number eight in his attempt to save the West Indies after they lost four wickets for 40 runs either side of tea.

The 34-year-old Trinidadian, who was rumoured to have gone down with chickenpox, made a good start before being given out lbw to an Andy Bichel delivery by umpire Srinivasaraghavan Venkataraghavan, even though television replays suggested he got a thick edge on to the back pad.

Lara, who had made 14 off, left the field shaking his head after one of the most dubious decisions of the series.

West Indies, resuming on 89 without loss over night, edged slowly but surely towards their target until a disastrous period just before tea.

The home team were 205 for two when number three Daren Ganga threw away his wicket as he drove Darren Lehmann's waist-high full toss straight to mid-on where Andy Bichel took a comfortable catch.

RUNNING CATCH

Worse was to come for the home team three balls later when Shivnarine Chanderpaul, a key player in Lara's absence, was out first ball to Stuart MacGill with only one more run added.

The Guyanese batsmen, returning to the fold after missing the second Test through injury, hoisted his first delivery to mid-wicket where Brett Lee took a running catch with the sun in his eyes.

Shortly after tea, West Indies lost another two quick wickets.

Vice-captain Ramnaresh Sarwan, who was in for 175 minutes and faced 129 balls, went for 40 when Lee found the edge with an outswinging ball and was caught behind to leave West Indies 245-5.

Debutant Omari Banks followed in the next over and without a run having been added when he edged Gillespie to second slip and Ricky Ponting took a low catch to his left.

Banks, the first player from the tiny island of Anguilla to play Test cricket, made 24.

Lara, who made a century in each of the first two Test, then appeared from the pavilion to a huge cheer from the crowd.

STRONG START

Lara got off the mark with boundary between third slip and gully and had made nine he was dropped by Ponting at second slip off Gillespie.

He and Carlton Baugh added 36 for the seventh wicket before Lara was removed by Bichel. Australia got another wicket on the final ball of the day when Baugh was caught by Ponting off MacGill having made 24.

His dismissal left West Indies still needing 115 runs to avoid a possible follow-on with only two wickets standing.

It looked more promising early on as West Indies made a strong start to the day with openers Chris Gayle and Devon Smith putting on 139 for the first wicket before Gillespie removed both of them in successive overs before lunch.

After a frustrating morning for the bowlers on a lifeless pitch, Gillespie finally broke through in the 47th over with a delivery which straightened and clipped Gayle's off stump.

The Jamaican opener, controversially omitted from the first two Tests following confusion over West Indies eligibility rules, made 71 on his return off 155 deliveries and hit 12 fours.

Fellow opener Smith, who made a pair in the second Test, followed in Gillespie's next over when he edged the ball to wicketkeeper Adam Gilchrist and went for 59.

Gillespie, who finished the session with two for 18, had dropped Gayle on 50 when he moved in from mid-wicket but failed to hold the chance off MacGill.