Batting Malfunction Causing Windies Demise

-Timothy Thompson

With the 2nd Test on the horizon, the West Indies team was eager to face the Australians once again. This time the showdown started in the Spice Isle of Grenada, surrounded by many fans who were inspired by the showing in the first Test at Kensington Oval.

The Aussies won the toss once again and decided to bat first to continue their winning fortunes, but once again it was the Windies bowlers putting on a show. It was Alzarri Joseph who struck first in the 11th over of the Test match, dismissing the batting powerhouse Khawaja, who only managed to score 16 runs, just 2 short of surpassing his 6000 run mark. Despite only now passing 6000 runs in Test cricket, Khawaja would be really disappointed in the manner he was dismissed, especially considering what occurred to the Australians by the end of Day 1. The Windies bowlers really toiled on this first day, constantly finding new treasures as every Aussie fell into the West Indian picnic basket.

Australia, after that staggered effort, fell to 286 all out, with Alzarri Joseph leading as the senior statesman and the pick of the bowlers with figures of 4 for 61. Joseph was the culprit removing Khawaja and legendary Test batter Steve Smith. From a batting point of view, Australia will be disappointed once again as their struggles continue while they try to overcome their partial rebuild. The only batters that seemed to be tuned to sound were wicketkeeper Alex Carey and Beau Webster, who both scored team-high 60s.

The West Indies, looking to capitalize on a good bowling effort, were then again put on the back burner by the Australian bowlers. This occurred as Kraigg Brathwaite’s struggles continued right into his 100th Test match. He also entered the history books, as he not only became the 10th West Indian player to play 100 Tests but also unfortunately became the 10th player to be out for a duck in his 100th Test match.

Moving further into the batting, Jamaicans Brandon King and John Campbell put on a show. Campbell was batting magnificently but then suffered his usual brain fade to fall 10 runs short of his 4th Test fifty. King though, recorded his first Test fifty in a vintage Brandon King manner. A beautiful 75 fueled with class and patience is what helped the West Indies get close to the Australian first innings total. King, with his 75, also claimed the highest score by a batter this series which speaks volumes about the top quality bowling on display. Other than King and Campbell, the other batters had subpar performances. Amidst the disappointing batting display, the West Indies tail had valuable contributions, with both Josephs showing their batting pedigree, a 27 from Alzarri and 29 from Shamar. This then helped the West Indies to stumble to 253 all out, trailing by 33 runs.

With about 30 minutes left to run in at the Australian batters, the West Indies bowling attack was hungry. Seales showed why he is the best developing seamer in world Test cricket, taking two beautiful wickets to remove openers Konstas and Khawaja, which prompted the visitors to send out nightwatchman Nathan Lyon late on Day 2 to avoid further damage to the batting lineup. The Aussies then finished Day 2 wounded at 12 for the loss of 2 wickets.

At the start of Day 3, rain was an important factor as it caused play to be interrupted multiple times. The Windies bowlers had a mammoth task ahead to remove the visiting batters and avoid chasing a total they were incapable of negotiating.

Smith and Green had different intentions as they soared to half centuries, with Green falling right after the milestone and Smith falling on 71 thanks to a well directed in swinging delivery by Justin Greaves. Continuing on, the Windies bowlers finally made important breakthroughs at the right times which restricted Australia to 243 all out, with Shamar Joseph leading the charge with 4 for 66.

The West Indies, with 277 runs to win and almost two days to accomplish this feat, seemed to be in an excellent position. But the West Indies continued with old and familiar ways, with John Campbell getting a second ball duck to put the home side in a troubling position early. Wickets continued to tumble as Carty was in and out in an extremely quick manner.

With the West Indies at 29 for 2, fans around the region expected the veteran Kraigg Brathwaite, playing in his 100th Test, to step up to the plate. That he didn’t, as he failed to listen to sayings of old. Curiosity killed the cat. Curiosity indeed caused the demise of Kraigg Brathwaite’s iconic career as we know it, with his form continuing to spiral especially with his dismissal in the second innings, hanging the bat to a ball over the fifth stump region.

From there, it was a race in the middle for the Windies batters to see how fast they could be dismissed and be back in the pavilion. The Windies looked ages off pace as the Australian bowlers once again had a field day with them. Captain Roston Chase had the most significant innings, scoring 34 runs which was scored in vain, and Shamar Joseph who once again showed his cricketing pedigree, scoring 24 runs from 23 balls with three big sixes, gave the home fans something to cheer about.

With Australia winning the series and the first two games of their World Test Championship quest, we may see the introduction of players such as Marnus Labuschagne who has been omitted thus far in this series. For the West Indies, the game could be seen as an opportunity to offer players like Johann Layne, Kevlon Anderson and Tevin Imlach valuable playtime against a strong opposition. This would give the Windies young stars an early wake up call or perhaps a golden call to glory. As Windies fans sit disappointed, we can be eager to watch Test cricket back in Jamaica as we await the direction Head Coach Daren Sammy will take for the final Test against the Aussies.