Australia produced a lower innings recovery, enabling captain Pat Cummins to declare at 289-9 late in the night session, after they had bowled the West Indies out for 311 in their first innings halfway through the day-night Test. Tagenarine Chanderpaul’s late termination was the result of that choice paying off. After a disastrous opening to their first innings, the Australians were reduced to 24 for 4 and 54 for 5. Wicketkeeper Alex Carey’s counterattacking innings, which saw him smash 65 off just 49 balls, saved them.
Carey was fortunate enough to escape a dire situation and save his team from certain disaster, otherwise he would have been fired quickly.
Shamar Joseph delivered a short delivery that brushed past the off stump bail on the second ball of the 15th over, with Australia struggling at 72 for 5. Though Carey was lucky to escape unharmed, the delivery reached its destination at a speed of 141.7 kmph.
After launching a furious counterattack, Carey reached 50 runs in 38 balls. He quickly put on 96 runs with Khawaja before Carey, at 65, attempted one big shot too many and misjudged a pull shot that went straight to Chanderpaul at deep fine leg.
The Australians were still 161 runs behind when Carey was removed with the score at 150, and it appeared as though the West Indies would take a commanding lead into the second innings.
However, Cummins had other ideas, and he and Usman Khawaja (75) successfully guided Australia to 242 before the opener was removed at first slip, becoming Kevin Sinclair’s first Test wicket as an off-spinner.
After being dismissed, Sinclair celebrated spectacularly, running to cover, rounding off, and doing a back somersault.
After Khawaja was removed, Cummins decided to press the attack even harder, and in an innings that featured both conventional cricket shots and agricultural swipes, he sprinted to his highest Test score of 64.
Cummins had enough and decided to give his bowlers 35 minutes under the lights at the West Indians after Nathan Lyon edged Alzarri Joseph to wicketkeeper Joshua Da Silva to become the ninth wicket down.
Following an intriguing second day of play in the second Test match against the West Indies in Brisbane on Friday, Australia took the late wicket of Chanderpaul to level the score.
In the final over of the evening, Chanderpaul was given out on review for the tiniest of edges off Josh Hazlewood, and the West Indies were up 35 runs at stumps.
