After Australia’s massive win in Hobart, hopes weren’t high for a competitive Boxing Day Test.
By stumps on day two, the West Indies were 6/91, still 460 runs behind. Many expected Australia to fire out the tail, enforce the follow-on and secure another win inside three days.
Doomsdayers were busy predicting the demise of the West Indies, with the once highly coveted Frank Worrell Trophy (which Australia has owned since 1995), rumoured to demoted to an August pre-season in Darwin and Northern Queensland.
Then, on the third day, something happened.
The West Indies actually showed some fight.
The first session was tough, old school Test cricket. Darren Bravo (81 off 204 balls) and debutant Carlos Brathwaite (59 off 126 balls) grinded out 30 runs in the first hour and 82 before Nathan Lyon took a sharp caught and bowled off Brathwaite in the 72nd over, ending a 90-run stand.
Australia was partly to blame, with two wickets off no-balls. Resuming at 7/173 after lunch, Kemar Roach and Bravo put on 42 as the West Indies were eventually dismissed for 271 in 100.3 overs. By contrast, their two innings in Hobart lasted just 106 overs. Though Australia led by 280, there were no thoughts of enforcing the follow-on, which was a moral victory for the West Indies in the circumstances.
Encouraged by an improved batting display, Jerome Holder and Brathwaite took early wickets. At 2/64, Australia would have been in trouble against any other team, but Steve Smith (70 not out) and Usman Khawaja (56) restored some sanity, batting Australia to 3/179 and an overnight declaration.
While the West Indies could take heart from their fight, nobody expected them to bat two days, let alone chase 460. Surely a well-rested Australian bowling attack would make short work of it on day four.
Again the West Indies continued to fight. Their top seven batsman made double figures. This forced Australia to work harder than expected on a dead pitch. At 5/150 in the 58th over, Australia were still confident of a fourth day win. Captain Jason Holder (68 off 86 balls) and wicketkeeper Denesh Ramdin (59 off 90 balls) scored 100 runs in 21 overs. Unfortunately, the West Indies’ tail folded and they were dismissed in 88.3 overs, just shy of forcing Australia to take the optional extra half hour.
In the end, Australia won by 177 runs deep into the fourth evening, retaining the Frank Worrell Trophy.
While the West Indies improved, the result was safe by the second day, so it was a case of how much Australia would win by at that stage.
Is this how far the West Indies have fallen? Where any Test that lasts more than three days is considered a victory? The current squad at times seems like a sub-district team: a handful of good players with a sudden drop in quality from there.
The sad thing is some of the West Indies’ best are playing in the Big Bash. What they wouldn’t give for Andre Russell, Dwayne Bravo or Chris Gayle to pull on the whites.
Australia does benefit from some resistance. They’re a rebuilding side under Smith and need to be pushed, rather than feasting on sub-standard opposition. Australia showed some character in persisting on days three and four (cue horrid clichés about “sticking to plans”, “controlling the controllables”, “hitting good areas”, “backing your ability”, “credit to the boys” so on and so forth) when many expected the West Indies to roll over again.
Now the West Indies need to continue their improvement at the SCG. Nobody expects them to win, but it’d be great to see them push Australia a little bit and show they can take Test cricket seriously.
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