BRISBANE (AUSTRALIA), Jan 27: West Indies made early inroads through its pace and made Australia work hard for the first time in its dominant test summer during the day-night test match at the Gabba on Saturday.
Australia lost its recently named test player of the year Usman Khawaja (10) and Marnus Labuschagne (5) to end Day 3 at 60-2, still needing 156 runs to make a clean sweep of its test summer that saw them rout Pakistan 3-0 and beat the West Indies by 10 wickets inside three days in the first test at Adelaide.
West Indies wasted numerous opportunities to swell its lead beyond 215 runs as it got bowled out for 193 in the last session after No. 11 batter Shamar Joseph had to retire hurt when he injured his right toe off a searing Mitchell Starc yorker. He was adjudged leg before wicket while negotiating Starc’s toe-crushing yorker only to see the bowler had over-stepped.
Josh Hazlewood picked up 3-23 with his impeccable bowling and Nathan Lyon grabbed 3-42 with Starc and Cameroon Green picking up one wicket apiece.
Shamar Joseph walked off in lot of pain and might not be able to bowl in the remainder of the test match, but Alzarri Joseph provided West Indies an early breakthrough when Khawaja edged the pacer down the legside.
Justin Greaves then squared up Labuschagne with a brilliant back-of-the-length delivery as Kevin Sinclair snapped a superb diving catch in the second slip.
Steven Smith, who is yet to make an impression in his new role as an opener after the retirement of David Warner, was unbeaten on 33 with Cameroon Green negotiating the last half an hour, not out on 9.
On an oppressively hot and humid day, West Indies lost the initiative through careless batting and some smart catching by the Australians. The tourists were progressing well at 148-4, ahead by 170 runs, when first innings half-century-maker Kavem Hodge was sharply run-out by Travis Head.
Hodge had frustrated Australia for 74 balls in scoring a patient 29 before he took few steps outside his crease. Head showed brilliant reflexes at forward short leg and flicked the ball back onto the stumps with Hodge failing to ground his bat back in time.
Kirk McKenzie (41) and Alick Athanaze (35) both looked to have challenge Australian bowlers but both fell to Lyon on either side of the first two session as the offspinner found appreciable turn and bounce off the third day’s wicket.
Earlier, Green made the first breakthrough of the day having captain Kraigg Brathwaite playing a loose drive which was caught by Labuschagne at cover for 16.
Lyon struck almost immediately when introduced into the attack with the veteran spinner teasing out McKenzie leg before wicket. Green should have had another wicket in the penultimate over before the dinner break but Smith spilt the one-handed chance at slip to give Athanaze a reprieve.
It was Smith’s second error of the innings after dropping a low chance from Brathwaite off Starc late on Day 2.
On Friday, a patient 75 by Khawaja and blistering half centuries by Alex Carey and captain Pat Cummins led Australia’s fightback as the host’s rallied to 289-9 declared in its first innings, despite still trailing by 22.
Cummins’ decision to give his fast bowlers a chance to bowl with the pink ball under lights for half an hour paid off as Hazlewood found a faint edge from Tagenarine Chanderpaul’s bat in the last over of the day with the West Indies at 13-1 at stumps for an overall lead of 35 runs. (AP)
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