Chanderpaul reached 55 not out on a rain-hit day three in Antigua

West Indies edged to 255-4 in reply to Australia's 497-7 declared at the close of play on the third day of the second Test in Antigua.

The home side resumed on 125-3 after a five-and-a-half hour rain delay and Shivnarine Chanderpaul remained defiant at the end on 55 not out.

Chanderpaul had Dwayne Bravo (29 not out) for company after the West Indies lost Ramnaresh Sarwan for 65.

Australia lead the three-Test series 1-0 after a 95-run win in Jamaica.

Only 36 overs were possible on the third day following heavy overnight rain.

The hosts batted confidently at the start of play and Sarwan added 77 for the fourth wicket with Chanderpaul.

But Sarwan fell with the score on 182 after he edged to Michael Clarke at slip off spinner Stuart MacGill.

The rain continued into the morning session and left the outfield soggy. Despite the return of good weather at lunch, no play was possible until after tea.

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During the long delay, MacGill made the surprise announcement that he would be retiring from international cricket at the end of the match.

The 37-year-old has failed to recover from wrist surgery, after he was diagnosed with carpal-tunnel syndrome last year, and he has failed to make an impact in the series.

"Unfortunately now my time is up," MacGill said in a Cricket Australia statement.

"As I said many times last summer, there is no way I will ever walk onto a cricket field unless I can guarantee that I can dismiss top order batsmen consistently.

"The prospect of letting myself and the team down is simply not an option. I have worked way too hard for too long to sabotage my achievements by playing Test cricket for the wrong reasons."

A replacement player will not be sent from Australia for the remaining Test match to be played in Barbados.

Australia and West Indies have, meanwhile, been fined for their slow over-rates in the first Test in Jamaica.

Captains Ricky Ponting and Ramnaresh Sarwan were both docked 50% of their match fees, with the other players losing 25%.