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West Indies trail Australia by 82 runs in third Test / Photo: Randy Brooks - AFP
West Indies trail Australia by 82 runs in third Test
West Indies' fragile batting line-up was again exploited by Australia with the hosts routed for 143 in their first innings in an eventful middle session on the second day of the day/night third Test at Sabina Park in Jamaica on Sunday.
A day after the visitors lost their last seven wickets for 68 runs to be dismissed for 225, the Caribbean side were marginally worse, their last seven wickets tumbling for 61 as Australia's array of seamers ran riot against players ill-equipped for such a challenge.
Australia will start their second innings under lights, when the pink ball tends to be even more of a challenge for batsmen, with a lead of 82 runs.
Scott Boland, selected at the expense of veteran off-spinner Nathan Lyon, led the demolition with three for 34.
Josh Hazlewood and Pat Cummins claimed two wickets each in a performance that was nevertheless far from flawless as wicketkeeper Alex Carey missed two chances that could have worsened the West Indies plight.
However, such was the discomfort of the home batsmen that they were incapable of making the most of those lapses.
Indeed, some of their wounds were self-inflicted via poor shot selection and then Justin Greaves, one of the beneficiaries of Carey's error-strewn late afternoon, ran himself out going for a third run to Sam Konstas' throw from the cover boundary.
Having bowled without success in the day's first session when two wickets fell, Boland triggered the final slide when he had John Campbell leg-before offering no shot for a top-score of 36. He also bowled Shai Hope, who had the next best effort of 23 and then rounded off the innings with the wicket of Shamar Joseph.
At the start of the day, the West Indies found free scoring almost impossible on a seamer-friendly surface against an attack offering very few scoring opportunities.
Just 57 runs came off 23 overs for the loss of two wickets.
Hazlewood and captain Cummins were the successful bowlers on a humid afternoon, accounting for the overnight pair of Brandon King and Roston Chase.
King was trapped lbw by a full delivery from Hazlewood while Australian captain Cummins removed his West Indian counterpart via an edge to Usman Khawaja at first slip as Chase failed to effectively negotiate a ball which lifted sharply off a good length.
Australia are seeking a clean sweep of the series after victories in the first two Tests in Barbados and Grenada.
West Indies' last Test match victory over Australia in the Caribbean was in 2003 when they set a new record for successful run-chases in Test cricket in reaching 418 for seven in Antigua to deny Ricky Ponting's team of a whitewash of the four-match series.
L.Girard--SMC
