Australia 225 and 99 for 6 (Green 42*, Alzarri 3-19, Shamar 2-26) lead West Indies 143 (Boland 3-34) by 181 runs
West Indies’ pace bowlers surged under lights on the second day at Sabina Park as the Test moved a breakneck speed with Australia stumbling to 99 for 6 amid a torrid working over in some of the toughest conditions imaginable.
Sam Konstas’ miserable series ended with a duck, leaving his Test prospects for the Ashes in jeopardy, but Cameron Green played outstandingly for an innings worth far more than the 42 on the scoreboard although he could have been run out on 14. By the close of another hectic day which saw 15 wickets fall, Australia held a lead of 181 which was already considerable in the conditions but West Indies had given themselves a glimmer.
West Indies had been dismantled for 143 with Australia’s bowling sharing the success. Scott Boland, who replaced Nathan Lyon in the XI, finished with three wickets. It meant a first-innings lead of 82 for Australia, but also saw them starting their second innings at the beginning of the final session as the lights took full hold.
The passage of play when West Indies took the new ball was electrifying. Konstas wasn’t able to get off the mark as he jabbed at a short-of-a-length delivery from Shamar Joseph and was taken in the gully. It left Konstas, who had been billed as the future of the top order, with 50 runs in the series at 8.33.
Usman Khawaja managed to take his balls-faced tally in the series to over 300 – a not inconsiderable achievement given the conditions – but inside-edged a big drive against Shamar Joseph into his stumps, making it all six dismissals for the series from around the wicket.
Then Alzarri Joseph turned up the throttle against Steven Smith with a spell where he touched 147kph and produced the fastest over by a West Indies bowler in the series.
More to follow