Image Credit- AP
On the first day of the pink-ball Test at the Gabba on
Thursday, January 25, West Indies battled to post 266/8 thanks to a fantastic
rearguard effort from half-centurions Joshua Da Silva (79) and Kavem Hodge
(71), as well as a fleeting cameo of 32 from Alzarri Joseph. The top-order was
upset early on by Mitchell Starc’s triple strikes, but the sixth-wicket
combination stuck together and staged a recovery that kept Australia at bay
until the very end of the day’s play.
West Indies did the obvious when the batting
conditions were better, but following the Adelaide fiasco, the top-order
continued to fall to wayward strokes outside off stump. The decision backfired
catastrophically on the visitors. But Da Silva and Hodge struck a courageous
149 runs together, which not only saved their first innings but also held Starc
and Co. at bay for the majority of the action that remained.
In the afternoon, Tea reduced the Windies to 64/5
thanks to three strikes from Starc, who was the destroyer-in-chief. To be fair,
though, the opening pair of Tagenarine Chanderpaul and Kraigg Braithwate did a
commendable job of navigating the difficult new-ball spells from him and Josh
Hazlewood for the first half hour, before the captain’s hesitant push gave the
home team the first opening.
Kirk McKenzie, who had taken over for Nathan Lyon
after a wicket fell, played with tremendous intent during a 33-run stand for
the second wicket. He smoked a full ball into the long-on stands. However,
after one too many shots, the No. 3 was quickly retreating, and Pat Cummins
ended the bold collaboration.
Chanderpaul paid the price for fishing outside off
after hitting a good 21, but Starc returned for a second spell and needed only
two balls to make an impression. As soon as Alick Athanaze tried to drive away
from the body, the seasoned bowler nicked off and quickly reached 350 Test
wickets. At the stroke of Tea, Khawaja pouched another low, crisp catch to mark
the end of Justin Greaves’ short stay in the middle and give Starc his 351st.
Just as captivating as the West Indies’ 4 for 22
collapse moments earlier was the second session. In an attempt to immediately
finish out the lower order, Australia were severely frustrated as Da Silva and
Hodge mounted a strong comeback during a wicket-less session, the first of the
two Tests that was entirely owned by the visiting team.
Hodge and Da Silva both shown excellent foresight and
resolve as the pink ball gradually softened and the course gradually eased out.
The way Cummins shifted his bowling options in search of that much needed
breakthrough showed how frustrated Australia was. For the last over before
dinner, Marnus Labuschagne was even called upon, but to no avail.
In the end, Lyon provided Australia with the
much-needed breakthrough by trapping Da Silva LBW on 79. The hitter did
squander one of his team’s reviews in the hopes that his height would help him
escape death. Hodge also went quickly after that, with Starc eventually getting
his man for his fourth wicket of the day at 71. However, just as the home team
was beginning to believe that they could finish the innings cheaply, Alzarri
Joseph hit a barrage of boundaries against Starc and Cummins to push Windies
over the 250-mark. In the last over of the day, Hazlewood removed the ball with
an edge to second slip to end his highly entertaining 32-run cameo. It was his
second wicket of the day.