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At stumps, the West Indies were 13-1, holding a lead of 35 runs, after Chanderpaul was deemed out on review for a faint edge off Josh Hazlewood in the final over of the night.
Australia bowled out the West Indies for 311 in their first innings during the opening session. Australia faced a challenging situation in their first innings, finding themselves at 24-4 and later at 54-5. However, a counter-attacking innings from wicketkeeper Alex Carey, who scored a brisk 65 off 49 balls, rescued the team.
After Carey’s dismissal at 150, Australia was still 161 runs behind, and the West Indies appeared set to take a substantial lead into the second innings. Nevertheless, captain Pat Cummins, along with Usman Khawaja (75), orchestrated a lower innings recovery, guiding Australia to 242 before Khawaja’s dismissal.
Cummins’ declaration at 289-9 late in the night session set the stage for the late dismissal of Chanderpaul, giving Australia a chance to even the contest. The match promises further excitement as it progresses into the subsequent days.
Following Usman Khawaja’s dismissal, Australian captain Pat Cummins adopted an aggressive approach, achieving his highest Test score of 64 with a mix of conventional cricket shots and powerful hits.
Nathan Lyon’s wicket marked the ninth down for Australia, prompting Cummins to declare and give his bowlers a 35-minute opportunity under the lights against the West Indies.
Earlier in the day, Kemar Roach delivered a blow to Australia by taking quick wickets, dismissing key batsmen such as Steve Smith, Marnus Labuschagne, Cameron Green, and Travis Head before dinner. Smith’s early departure came after a successful West Indies review, revealing an lbw decision that left Australia at 6-1.
Labuschagne’s thick edge to fourth slip off Alzarri Joseph and a catch by Kraigg Brathwaite at mid-off from Green’s drive put Australia in a precarious position at 11-2 and 24-4, respectively. Head, who had an outstanding century in the first Test, fell for a first-ball dismissal, tickling a delivery down the leg side.
Despite the challenging start, Mitchell Marsh provided a counter-attacking effort with a quick 21 off 19 balls. However, on his 20th delivery, he mistimed a pull shot, resulting in a leading edge caught at mid-off by Joseph. Australia found themselves at 54-5, reminiscent of the West Indies’ first innings.
Similar to the West Indies’ lower-order resilience, Australia’s lower half managed to recover and contribute significantly, putting them back in contention in the game. The seesaw battle between bat and ball promises an intriguing continuation of the Test match.
(With AFP inputs)
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