BRISBANE, Australia (CMC) – All-rounder Dwayne Bravo said yesterday he was pleased with West Indies performance, after they limited Australia’s batting juggernaut on the opening day of the first Test at the Gabba.

Winning the toss and opting to bat, Australia reached 322-5 with three batsmen scoring half-centuries, but failing to carry on to get big scores.

Bravo, playing his first Test in a year-and-a-half, took 2-66 from 21 probing overs to help keep the Aussie batsmen in check.

“The pitch is good for batting. It did not do as much as we first thought, so we knew we had to stick to the job,” Bravo said.

“We had a game plan to stick to good lines and lengths and it worked quite well for me. Maybe they [Australia] got about 20 to 30 runs more than we would have liked, but we stuck to it and we are in the game.

“Overall it was not a bad day for us. This is Test cricket and it was never meant to be easy. We are in the right frame of mind and we are motivated to challenge the Australians in every session on every day.”

Bravo accounted for left-handed opener Simon Katich who missed out on a century with 92 and he also prised out the dangerous Michael Clarke for 41.

Captain Ricky Ponting also got among the runs, hammering 55 before being undermined by pacer Kemar Roach.

Bravo said if West Indies were to take control of the Test, they would need to make inroads early on the second day on Friday (Thursday night, Eastern Caribbean time).

“The first hour will be very important for us on the second day. It is crucial that we come out and hit the right areas and try to limit the Aussies,” the 26-year-old said.

“After that we will have to put our heads down and look to build a competitive total.”

West Indies are seeking their first Test series win against Australia in 15 years.