There was plenty of drama on the opening day of play in the first pink ball Test at Sabina Park as verbal send-offs from West Indies speedster Jayden Seales caused controversy.
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Australia was wiped out in the final session under the lights to be rolled for 225.
Mitchell Starc struck early in the final overs of Day 1 and the Aussie pace battery continued to fire on Day 2 with Josh Hazlewood and Pat Cummins both picking up wickets to leave the home side 3/62.
While the Aussie bowlers keep getting the job done this series, the Aussie batsmen largely failed again.
Shamar Joseph again led the West Indies bowling effort with four for 33, lifting his tally to a series-leading 18 wickets.
Seales and Justin Greaves claimed three wickets each on a pitch offering considerable seam movement but still with enough in the surface to encourage the spinners, raising questions about the visitors’ decision to omit veteran off-spinner Nathan Lyon in preference for an additional fast-medium bowler in Scott Boland.
Seven of the visitors’ top eight — all-rounder Beau Webster was the exception — got past 15 although none could carry on to the really big innings to put their side in a dominant position.
Turgid, almost tedious cricket defined the first two sessions with Australia advancing to 138 for three by the dinner break.
However, a comparatively frenetic passage of play followed, triggered by the demise of Steve Smith for a topscore of 48, as Australia lost their last seven wickets for 68 runs in 15 overs.
Wickets fall early on Day 2
Josh Hazlewood has taken the early wicket of West Indies makeshift opener Brandon King.
King was trapped on the pads in front of the wicket, ending his nervous innings on 14.
The West Indies batter called for a review, with the ball just kissing the top of leg stump.
It didn’t take too long before captain Pat Cummins took his first wicket of the innings with the West Indies in trouble at 3/58.
Cummins got the prized wicket of Windies captain Rostone Chase with a ball that climbed high and took an edge through to Usman Khawaja at first slip.
Big twist in send off drama
Jayden Seales has denied his finger-pointing gesture made following the dismissal of Mitchell Starc was a send-off, with the West Indies paceman claiming he was signalling to a teammate rather than in the direction of the pavilion.
Seales was also given a caution by the on-field umpires after he screamed at Steve Smith after the vice-captain edged a Shamar Joseph delivery to second-slip.
Seales was handed a fine earlier this series after giving Pat Cummins an almighty send-off on the opening day of the first Test.
Speaking after stumps, Seales said he didn’t direct his celebrations at opposition players.
“No send-off, that was pointed directly towards Alzarri. We had a conversation before the delivery. No send-offs,” Seales said.
“I’m not planning to get any fines or push the limits with the umpires anymore, so definitely not crossing that line.”
Steve Smith the hero as Aussies fell apart
Smith and Cameron Green (46) put on 61 for the third wicket in the one passage of play during the daylight hours when the bat threatened to dominate the ball.
“It was almost like he was batting on a different wicket,” Green said at the end of play in an appreciation of Smith’s positive innings.
“I was really struggling out there but clearly he is a class above.”
Despite the batting collapse in the final session, Green, who is still unable to bowl for at least another three months, was happy with his team’s position after day one.
“We just wanted to give them a tricky last 45 minutes at the end and to get them one down is really crucial,” he added.
An almost T20-style attitude to batting, typified by captain Pat Cummins’ consecutive sixes off Seales, was also a reflection of Australia’s eagerness to get as many runs as they could quickly in that final session to allow the bowlers a decent shot at the West Indies’ depleted top order under the lights.
That helter-skelter tempo at the end contrasted sharply with the pedestrian opening session, made exciting only by the antics of opener Sam Konstas.
He was almost run out by Campbell and then dropped at third slip by Anderson off successive balls from Seales before being trapped leg-before for 17 off the first ball bowled by Greaves.
Anderson, who replaced Keacy Carty, is one of three changes to the West Indies team from the second Test.
That match was Kraigg Brathwaite’s 100th in Test cricket and possibly his last, as he was dropped in favour of Louis for the series finale while left-arm spinner Jomel Warrican returned at the expense of fast-medium bowler Anderson Phillip.
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