The third Test in Jamaica continued to move at hectic pace through the second day and night despite the slow speed of West Indies’ scoring, with 16 wickets falling in 81.1 overs to all but ensure the match will end on day three. After bowling out West Indies for a meagre 143, Australia’s third innings was a reciprocally woeful 99 for 6 by stumps, with a not out Cameron Green the lone point of resistance among the top order.
That means Australia’s final innings of the series completed an unhappily familiar pattern for struggling openers Sam Konstas and Usman Khawaja. In each of the three matches, they have batted first and been dismissed cheaply on day one, then been back at the crease for a second dismissal before the end of day two.
In six hits, Khawaja has 117 runs at 19, bolstered by his best score of 47 during which he was dropped twice. Konstas totalled an even 50, averaging 8. The 19-year-old now won’t be there for the start of Ashes, and his partner shouldn’t be, though the team’s coterie approach is more likely to protect Khawaja.
Like the bobsled in Cool Runnings, things went downhill fast. With the lights taking effect to start the evening session, Konstas edged to slip for a duck. Khawaja and Steve Smith both edged into their stumps for 14 and 5 respectively, Australia’s No 4 dismissed after jumping around during a peppering from Alzarri Joseph.
At 28 for 3, Sabina Park’s modest crowd was roaring like 10 times the size. The new pink Dukes ball was soaring off the pitch. The next streak of three wickets followed soon afterwards, taking the score to 69 for 6, after Travis Head and Alex Carey edged into the slips either side of Beau Webster getting another piece of bowling brilliance from Joseph, seaming the ball away from his defensive shot to beat the bat and hit off stump.
Green was the one to cope with the bowling, though he was involved in three simple run out chances that the West Indies fielders somehow botched each time. Green finished the night on 42 with some support from his captain Pat Cummins, whose modest tally of 25 balls faced was better than all of the dismissed players.
With the lead currently contained to 181, West Indies should be feeling good about themselves, but the problem as ever is the batting. After being choked out for 143 during daylight hours, even the current lead would be an unlikely target against the quality of Australia’s attack.
Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, and Scott Boland peeled the wickets away one by one from the start of the day. But the level of resistance was so negligible that it felt like Australia could get the same results picking Sean Abbott from the bench, or Andrew McDonald from the coaching staff, or pulling out a ouija board to summon Bill Johnston on one ghostly knee.
After talking about positive batting as a way to counter Australia’s quicks, captain Roston Chase made 18 at a strike rate of 25. John Campbell, who was moved to No 4 after an injury stopped him opening the previous evening, top-scored with 36. The bowling was tight and the ball gave Australia assistance, but with the sedentary batting, the whole innings was one long non-event. It wasn’t even an anti-climax, but that relies on some initial promise of a peak.
Boland had the best figures with 3 for 34, vindication for him replacing Nathan Lyon’s spin in this game, while Konstas got one last moment of Test enjoyment with a sensational throw from the boundary into Boland’s waiting hands on the full, allowing the bowler to run out Justin Greaves.
That contributed to wrapping up the second innings with a lead of 82, an imposing number in the conditions, and the reason the Australians will be comfortable overnight despite yet another batting failure. They might end up as the worst-performing team to win a 3-0 whitewash. As in the first two matches, West Indies are still in with a chance at the business end of the match, but they’ve squandered both to date. Third time lucky is a nice phrase and a poor predictor.
