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Weather could continue to play a part as the West Indies resume their batting in the Sydney Test against Australia. Join The Roar for a live blog of the second day of this third Test match at the Sydney Cricket Ground from 10.30am AEDT.
Despite all the heavy rain on the opening day in Sydney, 75 overs were possible and the West Indies got themselves to 6/207 in the stipulated time. They could have been restricted to a lot less than that but for a 48-run stand for the seventh wicket that saw Carlos Brathwaite play his natural, aggressive game to carve out an unbeaten 35-ball 35.
Interestingly, it was the other Brathwaite earlier, Kraigg, who ensured the West Indies did not totally fritter away the advantage at the toss with a well-made 85. That followed his near-century in the first Test and the starts he got in the second.
Unfortunately for the West Indies, Darren Bravo failed to convert the start he got, falling for 33, with Marlon Samuels continuing his disappointing run. Samuels, who has come in for a lot of criticism, ran himself out for four before being at the receiving end of a stinging Shane Warne rant – not for the first time in the series too.
The weather forecast, unfortunately, for the second day’s play isn’t the best.
The day begins with some rain which could wash out the first session of play, and it could alternate between rainy and cloudy weather throughout the day, making it an on-and-off day at best.
But with the kind of turn that’s on offer, the Australian spinners, especially Nathan Lyon, will be looking forward to getting some time on this surface to try and pick up the rest of the wickets.
Already Lyon has compared the pitch to a sub-continental surface and the worry is the ball might not even hit the wickets soon.
“I think it (the pitch) is going to deteriorate, and it’s going to be tough for our spinners to be able to find a way to hit the stumps,” he said after day one.
“It’s probably a lot closer to a sub-continental pitch. It’s good fun to bowl on for spinners but it’s challenging. “It’s spinning pretty big and it’s got decent bounce, so it’s a challenge for me to try and hit the stumps.”
What Australia would also want is for Steve O’Keefe to get himself a few wickets, adding to the five he’s already had in his career. That second spinner’s berth has been up for grabs for some time now and this could be the pitch and opponent he could be looking at.
Now, only for the weather to be as supportive.
Weather forecast:
Weather forecast for Sydney, not looking too good. #AUSvWI #PinkTest pic.twitter.com/U2C75Etil7
— Suneer (@suneerchowdhary) January 3, 2016
You can follow the live scores & blog of this second day of the Australia v West Indies 3rd Test from 10:30am AEDT on Monday and post your comments in the section below.
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