Aus v WI 2nd Test, Day 3 Review: Hosts in total control of the Boxing Day Test

Darren Bravo and Carlos Brathwaite resumed the day 3 to prolong the inevitable. Bravo dropped anchor and defended stubbornly to deny the Australians his wicket at all costs while Brathwaite played with determination to register a half-century in his first Test innings.

The partnership between the debutant and Bravo served to keep the West Indian innings alive for long enough to leave Smith in doubt about enforcing the follow-on in search of a quick innings victory. It was only on the stroke of lunch that the home side was able to strike, Lyon taking a return catch from Brathwaite while bowling around the wicket. The big West Indian all-rounder made 59 teaching his teammates a thing or two about the importance of application.

Lyon and James Pattinson shared eight wickets between them, but the fast bowler was guilty of bowling two no-balls that allowed Brathwaite to continue his vigil at the crease. First was when he burst through the all-rounder who was batting on 13 and the other when he hooked to fine-leg to be caught on 50.

Bravo kept the remainder of the tail in the field for almost the afternoon session, with Kemar Roach, Jerome Taylor and Jomel Warrican all contributing runs and time at the crease. He eventually fell a few minutes before the scheduled interval for 81, having helped the West Indies’ last four wickets add 188. The visitors had slumped to 6 for 83 on the second evening hence, this was a big recovery.

Jason Holder gave his team an early breakthrough in Australia’s second innings. He got one to curl away from Joe Burns bowling a fullish length wide of off stump. The right-hander looked to play his shot but his feet went nowhere while his hands went chasing the ball away from his body thereby producing an edge that carried to second slip. At 7/1, the in-form Khawaja walked in and continued his good work.

He and David Warner took the score to 46 before the latter gave Brathwaite his first Test wicket. Warner leaned away looking to ramp a short ball over gully but didn’t get the desired elevation and Holder took a good catch over his shoulder, falling to his left.

Khawaja batted fluently for his 56 off 61 but eventually outsmarted himself. He shaped to move away from leg stump first and then moved the other way to finish outside off to a fullish slower ball from Holder. Looking to lap-sweep, he ended up middling it to the keeper. Steve Smith reached yet another fifty and finished the day unbeaten on 70 while Mitchell Marsh, who got a promotion in the batting order, scored an unbeaten 18. Australia will begin the day 4 with a lead of 458 runs having 7 wickets in hand.

Brief Scores:

Australia – 551/3d

West Indies 271 – (D Bravo 81; N Lyon 4/66, J Pattinson 4/72)

Australia – 179/3 (S Smith 70; J Holder2/49)