Aus v WI 2nd Test, Day 1 Review: Khawaja consolidates Australian domination

West Indies won the toss and chose to bowl on the Boxing Day hoping to put up a better performance in the field compared to the one at Hobart. Carlos Brathwaite was given a Test cap by the visitors who replaced the injured Shannon Gabriel. For Australia, Usman Khawaja came back in the team at the cost of Shaun Marsh and did so in grand style; justifying his selection on the very first day.

David Warner started the day in a typical fashion looking to dominate the bowlers. He made 23 off just 12 balls hammering 5 fours before being dismissed by a short ball from Jerome Taylor. Khawaja and Burns played cautiously to deny the visitors any further wickets.

Australian selectors dropped Shaun Marsh in order to make room for Khawaja, and the classy left-hander repaid their faith by playing another memorable innings to mirror those he produced against New Zealand in Brisbane and Perth before suffering a hamstring injury. Having made his debut on the Boxing Day last year, Burns looked determined to vindicate the selectors’ decision not to split his opening partnership with Warner by playing a brilliant knock.

The two batsmen were helped by the West Indian bowlers, who conceded runs at a lesser rate than they had done in the first Test but were unable to create any pressure on the batsmen. The fielding was also lethargic and the intensity levels seemed low. Holder had hoped that his fast bowlers would be able to exploit the moisture evident in the pitch after rain delayed the start by an hour. But they were stunned by Warner’s cameo and never really recovered from that.

Debutant Carlos Brathwaite went for 1 run in his first two over while Kemar Roach extracted one edge from Burns before lunch, but it fell short of the slips cordon. Few such moments could be found in the afternoon, as Khawaja and Burns accumulated steadily batting attractively. Holder’s control of proceedings was loose at times, his fields invariably defensive due to inconsistent bowling, and his choices of bowlers also poor.

Jomel Warrican was unused this time until the day’s 42nd over. Having exploited some moisture on the first morning in Hobart to gain useful spin, he should have been given the ball early in the innings. At tea, the score was 192/1 with both batsmen having scored 83.

The first over after tea saw Burns hammer Warrican for a six and a four as he raced into the 90s. Khawaja chased his team-mate by smashing two fours off Taylor in the next over. Both batsmen brought up their well-deserved hundreds two overs later. The off-spin of Kraigg Brathwaite gave the Windies a much-needed breakthrough in the form of Burns, who departed for a solid 128. He was stumped by Denesh Ramdin, trying to charge down the pitch.

Khawaja was dismissed by Taylor after scoring a marvelous 144. The elegant left-hander tried to flick one of his thigh pad however guided it into the safe hands of Ramdin. The Aussies ended the day on 345/3 with Steve Smith and Adam Voges being unbeaten on 32 and 10 respectively. There were doubts about the interest the match may generate owing to the poor form of the visiting team, however nearly of 53,000 fans in attendance must have delighted the organizers.

Brief Scores:

Australia 1st innings– 345/3 in 90 overs (U Khawaja 144; J Taylor 2/83)