Rest of the World

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KP_fan wrote:

msp83 wrote:So India is getting back on the field tonight, kicking off their WTC campaign. Rohit has already confirmed Jaiswal will open, and Gill drop down to 3. When all the talk of Yashasvi taking over from Pujara at 3 was going on, I felt he should open, particularly since the team views Gill as the eventual successor to Virat Kohli at 4. Going forward, I see a top 4 of Jaiswal, Abhimanyu Easwaran/Devdutt Padikkal/Rohan Kunnummal, Gill, Ruturaj Gaikwad.

Eswaran has been hard done by......Jaiswal was jumped over him
Mayank Agarwal should not be ruled out...he has batted very well in FC and has a decent test match showing also.

And don't forget the favorite boy of seniors and BCCI in KL Rahul...as soon as he is fit he will walk back into the 11

Its been tough on Easwaran. Think Mayank and KL might find it difficult to now fight their way back in. Particularly if Yashasvi has a good start to his career. KL might still make a comeback when Rohit leaves, but I hope Easwaran, Rohan and even Padikkal will make better cases for themselves.
As for Yashasvi jumping over Abhimanyu, though its tough on the latter, think is the right call. Jaiswal scored hundreds on his Ranji, Duleep and Irani trophy debuts. He's versatile and has shown adaptability as indicated by his IPL success. And, its not much noted these days, but he's a handy parttimer with the ball, he very much was for the U-19s, hope he'll get a few chances right away to work on that secondary skill of his...

So that partnership chopped off before it could get really threatening : although Lyon took the vital wicket it was noteworthy that it came straight after Cummins returned to the attack . However it did show just how determined Rizwan (how on earth did he not get picked in Perth ? ) and the versatile newcomer Jamal have been in this series.
Also must have Pakistan wondering what might have been had they not imploded so dramatically last night. All due respect to Hazlewood but those key dismissals were as soft as you'd ever see in a Test Match...concentration is just so vital , often in those dying moments of a day. One of the things that has undermined a very spirited team effort over these matches...

Hasan going to have a bit of a swing...might as well . This won't last long. 115/9

...not long at all. A swing and a miss...three for Lyon and all done at 115. Really inadequate on a pitch which has some uneven bounce but not a monster. Australia need just 130 to win.

And Warner one more walk to the middle...

Not awful from Pakistan this morning. 130 gives them something to bowl at.

But most interest is naturally on Warner's last test innings.

Well now...PAKISTAN get the start they wanted with Khawaja gone for a duck...good first over from Sajid

Good response by Warner and Labuschagne to that early wicket. Both playing their shots - without being too reckless - and this rapid thirty runs has rather diffused any anxiety that the first over dismissal of Khawaja might have induced.
Warner lucky there though as a mishit skyer just evades Jamal ... Technically a drop though very hard . Perhaps he could have run back quicker ? Think Warner is destined to do the job today as he's had a couple of strokes of luck already...

Inevitably , Warner will be signing off with a fifty... Has had a bit of fortune , but his aggressive approach has killed any tension in this chase

90/1 and this is turning into a victory lap.

Hundred up now and looks as if this pair might bring it home by themselves. Any threat from Pakistan dissipated pretty early , in truth - largely due to the positive approach of the batsmen , which seemed to put the tourists on the back foot and insufficiently attacking , despite their initial breakthrough.

Warner's last stand luck continues as he survives a very close lbw due to Gough's reluctance to raise the finger and a minuscule umpire's call on review. And now Marnus is dropped at short mid on - straightforward chance ...this tour is ending as it has regularly gone , Pakistan can't catch
Can't win a review either : though that try for lbw against Marnus was more in hope...

All these reviews spinning it out a bit longer. Good for the bar takings. 105/1

Warner's luck runs out at last - though it took another referral to prove a pretty obvious lbw. (Pakistan probably feel , with a little justification , they've had the rough end of the umpire's call stuff this series)

But Davey walks off to a huge ovation with 57 to his name - happily raising his bat in a final salute, having settled his team's victory... Think he's happy with that

Smith in to put the final touches...

And that is it...Marnus 62no and a deserved eight wicket win for Australia...plus a three-nil series win , for all that Pakistan had their moments and showed a lot of spirit

So with this one over a day and a half early - and that nonsense in SA finished even sooner - 2024 cricket is in a temporary pause.

Oh but not so : Zimbabwe take on Sri Lanka in an ODI in Colombo in just five and a half hours !

Can hardly wait

Pak showed flashes of good play, but failed to nail the moments when in ascendancy.
Their catching,  openers, Babar, Sarfaraz and Saud Shakeel were the disappointments.
Masood's captaincy offers hope and Agha Salman and Aamer Jamaal are rising stars for Pak bringing balance with all-round skills.
5 test series might have enabled Pak to put one thru. Winning a test in Aus is a big thing, as big as winning a test in India.

Applause for Warner as he walks into the sunset with glory and riding high

Cummins is at the peak of his bowling prowess and as a captain as aus's uncomplicated approach prevails again.

Aus's 4 man attack continues to amaze especially with their fitness and potency.
Their cricketing system is never heard cribbing and complaining about rest and rotation.

Marsh shows the butterfly effect of that one niggle of Green that let him in during Ashes  and he never looked back in tests and took that form and confidence into ODIs too.

Congratulations to Aus, where is the only aussie of this forum PJ these days ?

WI play two tests in Aus, weren't they here only last year?
And the first test between Eng and Ind starts in a bit over two weeks from the end of this weekend

KP_fan wrote:Pak showed flashes of good play, but failed to nail the moments when in ascendancy.
Their catching,  openers, Babar, Sarfaraz and Saud Shakeel were the disappointments.
Masood's captaincy offers hope and Agha Salman and Aamer Jamaal are rising stars for Pak bringing balance with all-round skills.
5 test series might have enabled Pak to put one thru. Winning a test in Aus is a big thing, as big as winning a test in India.

Applause for Warner as he walks into the sunset with glory and riding high

Cummins is at the peak of his bowling prowess and as a captain as aus's uncomplicated approach prevails again.

Aus's 4 man attack continues to amaze especially with their fitness and potency.
Their cricketing system is never heard cribbing and complaining about rest and rotation.

Marsh shows the butterfly effect of that one niggle of Green that let him in during Ashes  and he never looked back in tests and took that form and confidence into ODIs too.

Congratulations to Aus, where is the only aussie of this forum PJ these days ?

WI play two tests in Aus, weren't they here only last year?
And the first test between Eng and Ind starts in a bit over two weeks from the end of this weekend

Thanks, KP_fan.

I'm still here quietly following proceedings but have had a bit of a break from posting over the last few weeks. I've enjoyed alfie's commentary and summaries throughout this series and also everyone else's posts on the SA-India matches.

So there's a lot going on in the world of cricket. I've been keeping an eye on the BB and the Aus Women's tour of India as well.

As a general over-arching comment on all that's going on currently - I'm also anxious to see how teams will evolve and perform over the next 12-18 months in all formats. Seems to be a renewal period underway for most teams managing retirements, player availability. Some more drastic than others but in Australia's case, it's Warner finishing today but who will be next? I think we have a year up our sleeve to maintain the core group of today but then there could be 1 or 2 more retirement announcements by this time next year.

England, India and SA are also faced with their own selection dilemmas. Like a few on here, I'm not so familiar with some new names (for SA and India) but it will be interesting to see who shines through in the coming years.

On the Warner note for a final time - it was very interesting how his Test career progressed after his initial T20 introduction. I believe Virender Sehwag played a major part in encouraging him to apply his aggressive method across all formats. Seems to have worked in the long run, a respectable average, a high SR (taking into account his struggles in England and India to some extent) over a 13 year test career. His fielding was top notch too.

I remember seeing him field a ball which looked headed for the SCG ropes for sure... but I then saw what I thought was a pit bull terrier (at first) get larger and larger as it sped towards me. He cut the ball off with a couple of meters to spare so I was very impressed with his speed and confidence to chase that one down. Kinda feral and terrier-like it was!  

As to who should replace him? I think the selectors will go the easy option and slot Green back in (in Warner's opening spot) but I wouldn't mind seeing Bancroft get another chance as a proper Test opener. He's in top Shield form (ave 58? cf Harris and Renshaw in the low 30s) and it would also mark an ironic reinstatement 6 years after Sandpapergate. Just my opinion... but I've always felt a bit sorry for Bancroft. The fall guy for someone else's devious plans.. Warner or Smith's? He always looks worried or guilty. He was very silly and stupid but I also think a little intimidated (or 'bullied') by other senior players who hatched the cheating plan. So he deserves another chance, imo.

A very good end for Warner then, and Australia's phenomenal record at home v Pakistan continues. Puts Australia top of the table, also, they're going to cruise to another final.

Warner finishing with 8,786 runs at an average of 44.59, 26 centuries, and a SR of 70. He was a very consistent player between his debut and 2020, with 2014 and 2015 being his standout years, before falling away in the last few years.

Big disparity between his home batting (57.85 average + 20 centuries) and his away batting (32.5 average + 6 centuries), not helped by playing so many tests in England and India where he struggled (29 tests in those places, zero centuries and an average just below 25).

Overall, a terrific, destructive player at his best, particularly in Australia, but an appalling sportsman and one I will not miss from the game.

The disparity between his home and away record means he'll never be considered anything more than a good opening batsmen. 23 of his 26 centuries came on bouncing pitches, the fact he's a revolting cheat doesn't help either nor does the expectation of getting a send off at home, selfishness at its worst.

South Africa Star Heinrich Klaasen Announces Shock Retirement From Tests.
Well it's obvious a hitter of his class, who can also keep wickets can be lucratively employed by leagues around the world, all the time.

Test cricket is losing relevance totally in SA and I wonder why in such times they did not encourage Dean Elgar to stay on and captain

It appears from news in Aussie media and statements of their ex players that Smith will get named as opener when the team for WI series is announced.
And that will open a middle order berth for Green

Yes there are a few hints that will happen. Home games against a fairly weak West Indies team so not sure it will prove much even if it seems to work well ? Though you could equally say the same if they installed one of the regular opening trio...
I certainly don't see Green opening and they are itching to get him in so this looks the the most likely - for now. If Green doesn't thrive they might think again - especially if Smith the opener doesn't make up for the loss of his solidarity at four.
Going to miss Warner's explosiveness at the start anyway , with the new front three all more accumulators. But against West Indies I can't see it will matter too much.

I could see Khawaja and Smudge being a really good opening partnership in Oz. Quality players, both good against pace and the moving ball, both score at a decent enough rate to put pressure back on.

If Cam Green is struggling to take a full bowling load due to that kidney condition then using him higher up the order also makes sense to me. He clearly prefers pace coming onto the bat. To me he seems a batter more suited to the middle order, rather than lower middle. At 6 or 7 having a player who can really keep pressure on after a good foundation or put pressure on after a collapse is very useful. Green doesn't seem that sort of player against the red ball.

It does feel like a move that highlights Australia's issue of the generation coming up behind this excellent group of talent not being as strong though. Pucovski is a terrific talent but may never get to develop, sadly. Even Head is 30-years-old.

It feels like parallels to England's seam bowling. The previous generation have been very good for a long time. There is talent behind but how good that talent can be, especially away from home, is yet to be seen. Then the relative young 'un we're hoping can take over leading the attack in Ollie Robinson is sneakily only 6 months younger than Pat Cummins.

It's why the next Ashes in England is such a bizarre prospect in some ways. No one really knows how either side might look or even what the state of Test cricket will be by that point. I can see a decent number of this generation of Aussies holding on for one more home Ashes. It'd be a surprise if they made it much further. Similar with some England stalwarts. Having watched them fielding at the CWC, 2027 feels a long way afield for Stokes and Bairstow. 37-year-old Mark Wood will surely be some sort of Tuffnell-esque radio commentator who monologues about the imaginary dog he walked to the ground that morning.

All official now anyway with Smith confirmed as the new opener , Green to bat at four - despite Cummins stating just the other day that he didn't want to see the order changed around. The other interesting point being that Renshaw has been picked as the reserve batsman in the squad : given their recent Shield records I'd say Cam Bancroft might as well go seeking franchise contracts because he is apparently persona non grata with the selectors...

Feel a bit for Bancroft. Feels a bit like he's the one having sandpapergate held against him

Just seems an odd move to me. It would be like Root, Williamson or Babar getting bumped up to open (no jokes about how Root opened many times when England were 10/2!).

I'd want to keep the man averaging 60+ at number four in the number four spot, rather than weaken the middle order and put someone with no experience at opening to open.

Not sure Australia will learn a great deal from this series anyway. The weakest West Indies side I've seen in a little while, and that's saying something. They struggled to 251/8 in a tour game v a Cricket Australia XI that was comprised of players with barely any FC experience.

The two test series (Ahhhhhhh why only two?) between NZ and Australia in March should give a better indication of Smith's ability to open.

The pitch at Newlands, meanwhile, was graded 'unsatisfactory'. I suppose 'unfit' has to be for when teams literally can't play on it.

Duty281 wrote:

The pitch at Newlands, meanwhile, was graded 'unsatisfactory'. I suppose 'unfit' has to be for when teams literally can't play on it.

What are the different pitch ratings given by ICC?
The different pitch ratings given by ICC to a particular pitch following assessment are as follows:

Very good
Average / satisfactory
Below average / unsatisfactory
Unfit

Unfit is when it's so dangerous that the game has to be called off because of risk of bodily injuries to batsmen.
Eg.
ODI between SL and India called off in 1997 after 3 overs at Indore because about 10 balls jumped off a length and hit Mahanama and the other Lankan opener. I remember watching that game. Think somehow rain water leaked under the cover.

ODI Ind vs Lanka 2009 , Delhi was called off  after 20 odd overs...too many balls kicking off a length and hitting batsmen on body. SL were 5 down

1997 Eng became 17-3 after 10 overs of taking many body blows at Sabina Park
Umpires called the test match off.

In today's era Unfit pitch leads to automatic disqualification of that venue for 12 to 24 months

The Newland pitch did not fit the definition of Unfit

First test between Australia and West Indies starts in about 12 hours time. Looks like a huge, depressing mismatch. Australia's team is as we all know:

Australia 1 Usman Khawaja, 2 Steven Smith, 3 Marnus Labuschagne, 4 Cameron Green, 5 Travis Head, 6 Mitchell Marsh 7 Alex Carey (wk), 8 Mitchell Starc, 9 Pat Cummins (capt), 10 Nathan Lyon, 11 Josh Hazlewood.

The West Indies have three debutants.

West Indies 1 Kraigg Brathwaite, 2 Tagenarine Chanderpaul, 3 Kirk McKenzie, 4 Alick Athanaze, 5 Kavem Hodge, 6 Justin Greaves, 7 Joshua Da Silva (wk), 8 Alzarri Joseph, 9 Kemar Roach, 10 Gudakesh Motie, 11 Shamar Joseph.

Hodge at 5 is a 31yo all-rounder (spin), but he has a very uninspiring FC batting average of 29 and bowling average of nearly 38 after 55 games. Greaves is also an all-rounder (medium pace according to Cricinfo), but has a FC bowling average of under 23 and a batting average of 27. And they're coming in at 5 and 6...

Shamar Joseph has a FC bowling average of 22, though only five games played in his career.

If West Indies even make a battle of this game I'll be astonished.

It could get very ugly. This is a very good Aussie side and their home conditions are the most unique in cricket. The bounce in Australia differentiates itself form elsewhere in the world more than any other home conditions. Plenty of places spin, plenty seam, some do a bit of both. Only Australia has steep bounce like their pitches. Hence their incredible home record.

Even Chanderpaul, one of the elder statesmen here, plays his home cricket in Guyana on basically sub continent pitches with very low bounce.

Roach is a magnificent bowler. The way he recreated himself after the broken shoulder then car crash soon after - it's hard to know which was the bigger culprit in his pace dropping but Roach has always downplayed the crash. He was a legitimate quick who could move it in the air both ways early. So fast that he once roughed Ponting up with short stuff, forcing him to retire hurt. One of the best players of the short ball I've ever seen, who once got hit in the face by a bouncer whilst batting in a cap and carried on. After injury he not only had to get fit again, but, having lost a lot of pace had to develop himself into a different bowler. He then became extremely accurate, learnt the wobble seam, bowls long spells, varies his width on the crease, is a master at coming round the wicket to lefties. A completely different but still excellent bowler. It's a Lillee-esque rebuilding of his body and bowling action. The latter version of Roach is less suited to Aussie conditions though.

I genuinely think Gudakesh Motie could be a fantastic bowler from what I've seen of him. I believe that cricviz have shown he puts more side spin on the ball than any other SLA bowler on their database. Given that bowlers putting more overspin on the ball tend to thrive in Oz that again isn't a great matchup.

Alzarri Joseph is a decent bowler but can spray it around which is likely to punished by the Aussie batters.

It could be a painful series for the Windies players and all fans.

Yes I’m not expecting a close contest…will be making sure to watch tomorrow because at least that should be one day that doesn’t completely decide the whole game (though it might ! ). Not sure how many further days there will be - especially if West Indies bat first…

At least it will be interesting to see their new players - and the New Opener for the home team.

Main surprise this morning is Cummins chose to field first after winning the toss : unusual choice in Adelaide.

West Indies openers saw off Starc and Hazlewood in a patient start but the skipper then entered the action and removed both of them : Chanderpaul drawn into a drive without footwork which was snaffled by Green in the gully ; and Braithwaite done beautifully by one which tailed sharply in…leaving them 27/2 after 14 overs at drinks.
Athanaze and McKenzie have played pretty well since : cautious but not strokeless , have pushed on to 52/2 after 23.
Bowlers being switched around : we have seen Lyon , and now a bit of Marsh.
But now Hazlewood has returned ; and bingo ! Athanaze makes a very ill judged decision to leave one…down go his stumps and off goes he for just 13…

52/3 and Hazlewood has 1/9 from six overs. Much better length in this second spell.

Tourists (predictably) in trouble already…

Lunch , with no further damage , after 27 overs. 64/3 with McKenzie - who has looked pretty handy - hitting the last ball of the session for four to walk off 26no ; and his partner Hodge just off the mark in his debut appearance.
Cummins definitely the pick of the bowlers , though Hazlewood has been very tight and of course chipped in with that third wicket.

Australia doubtless happy with that after sending them in.

98/4 now as Green takes another excellent catch to remove Hodge after a battling 12 runs on debut. Hazlewood again - and he nearly has Greaves first ball with an inside edge just missing.
Cummins keeping it to short spells all round :with all his resources , he can ! Lyon having a second spell at the other end : McKenzie looking to attack him , and reaches his fifty with a lofted four followed by a nice off drive for one
Greaves off the mark with a cover driven boundary making that an expensive over from Lyon. 107/4. 39 0vers down.

…but now it’s Hazlewood striking again ! McKenzie had played well but can’t go on as he feathers one behind for an easy catch for Carey.
107/5 and Hazlewood is having a party now…
Drinks coming out : West Indies fans might feel the need for a stiff whisky ?

Becoming a procession now as Greaves spoons Hazlewood straight to Marcus at cover 108/6.
That was soft. Disappointing…though not for Hazlewood who has 4/15 now from eleven overs. There is something for the pace men in this pitch - at present - but I reckon this will settle into a good batting track as usual so can see a pattern developing already : West Indies skittled ; Australia batting once and big ; game over late on day three…

Some aggression from Joseph and Da Silva ; but the latter can’t keep his pull shot down and Head takes a good catch in the deep to give Cummins his third wicket… 133/7 and won’t be too long before Steve Smith starts his New Life as an opening bat.

Motie didn’t hold them up long … skied Starc to point …and Joseph gave Cummins his fourth via a nice catch by Smith at slip.

The other Joseph joins Roach at the crease at 134/9…probably not for long…

Great spirit shown by number eleven Shamar Joseph on debut…

He has taken on Hazlewood : couple of well struck boundaries and now he’s launched him for six over mid wicket

He’s on to 25 now in a stand of 32 for this last wicket. Don’t think Australia will be in panic mode exactly ; but it is getting a bit frustrating for them at 166/9

…and kept it going to a delayed tea break after play was extended for half an hour with nine wickets down. 177/9 , Joseph a defiant 31no and Roach giving solid support on 11.

Australia have had their problems against the tail on a few occasions recently. A few useful tail end efforts by Pakistan come to mind : not that this has stopped them winning regularly

Roach raises the fifty partnership by hoisting Lyon into the stands... Fair to say Lyon has been a little off his best today , 0/36 from 12 without really threatening.

Joseph has mixed some rather rough looking swings with a number of quite impressive strokes for a number eleven. Anything short or wide he's been having a go at , but playing quite carefully against those that threaten his stumps.

Lyon continues ...and I think he has got one now , subject to review ...

Yes that's out . Joseph lbw for a commendable 36 on debut. All out 188. Not enough on what is going to be a pretty good batting track for the next day or two - but at least those tailenders showed a bit of fight to make it some fifty odd more than it might have been. Cummins and Hazlewood 4/41 and 4/44 the outstanding bowlers.

Now for Khawaja and Smith to see if Australia can survive without Warner

Nearly the perfect start for West Indies ! Khawaja edges Joseph but the keeper can't hang on to it...

Got there with his dive but the ball hit more wrist than glove ; bit of luck for Khawaja. Was good bowling from Joseph - but no reward. Not what the tourists needed defending less than 200.

Not the sort of explosive start we are accustomed to seeing from Warner. 11/0 from the first five. They are giving Smith a fair bit of short stuff early on - he has scored exclusively from the pull shot so far. But don't think he's too bothered as he collects a boundary from Joseph to move to 11 from 18 balls. Joseph and Roach aren't exactly Holding and Garner and I think the tourists might be in for a long time in the field here...

Joseph has bowled with plenty of pace (up in the mid 140s) but Roach doesn't have his pace of old...

Here is the other Joseph...the new boy after a good batting effort :

And what a start !!! First ball at Smith ...draws the edge and the ball is well held low at third slip

What a first day in Test Cricket for the young man ! 25/1.

Impressive first over , all around 140k and on that fourth stump line. West Indies should draw encouragement from this , considering they really ought to have both openers out... A chance to put some pressure on the hosts if they can pick up another one here...plenty of catchers in place for Marnus , who is yet to lay bat on ball. 27/1.

Marnus and Khawaja both watchful against S Joseph and Roach who has now switched ends. Not missing out on loose balls though with the field up...nice drives from both bats at the end of that last Roach over. 41/1 from 14. Think West Indies are going to regret not having another pace option to maintain the attack as it has really only been the pair of Josephs who have threatened. They'd love another wicket here to get Green in....

And they have it ! Bouncer from Shamar Joseph, Marnus hooks ...and well caught on the leg boundary for just ten ! The new lad has 2/9 in four overs ...must think this Test Cricket is an easy business

Really good catch by Motie , by the way. 45/2...

Joseph has bowled very well ; but he has an annoying habit of aborting his run up halfway through : we have had at least half a dozen such in his five overs ...twice he's dropped the ball while running in. Stopped again then though that was down to Khawaja pulling out of his guard for some rubbish blowing across the field.

52/2 and Alzarri Joseph back into the attack from the other end to his namesake. Good idea : have a real go at Green before he can settle.

Time for a bit of spin before bedtime as Motie enters the attack. Loose ball gets Kawaja off strike and he’s happy to watch Green block out the over and stroll off at 30no…

Stumps drawn after 21 overs , 59/2 so Australia are on top …but not overwhelmingly so , thanks to an excellent debut by Shamar Joseph

That’s it from me ; and tomorrow off on a day trip in the country so my fans on here will have to make do with cricinfo  

alfie wrote:Time for a bit of spin before bedtime as Motie enters the attack. Loose ball gets Kawaja off strike and he’s happy to watch Green block out the over and stroll off at 30no…

Stumps drawn after 21 overs , 59/2 so Australia are on top …but not overwhelmingly so , thanks to an excellent debut by Shamar Joseph

That’s it from me ; and tomorrow off on a day trip in the country so my fans on here will have to make do with cricinfo  

Excellent commentary throughout our night, Alfie and you deserve the personal reintroduction of a rest day for Tests!

I don't know how the Adelaide track usually plays or the history of toss decisions at the ground but I immediately identified with your assessment of Cummins' thinking and the current Aussie template - skittle the (weak) oppo for under 200, look to put 400+ on the board batting just the once and then bowl 'em out again for a very comfortable innings win late day 3 / early day 4.

I watched about the first hour. Lovely bowling by Cummins to account for the openers including another tasty catch by Green on his return.

An absolute dream test debut for Shamar Joseph, in just his 6th FC match. To get Steve Smith with your first ball, wow. And then Labuschagne not long after with a good short ball. Plus the cameo he played with the bat, not letting his FC average of 7 put him off!

That was at least a bright spot for the West Indies. Otherwise, as expected. Hazlewood and Cummins were several levels above that of the West Indian batsmen, though Starc, perhaps trying too hard, didn't have his best day.

Hope the West Indies get a couple early tomorrow and make it interesting.

Well I must confess day two didn’t go at all as I had expected - though it seems to have ended up in much the same place

Was out on bird photography all day so did not witness any but the last hour or so ; but it seems young Joseph continued to impress , with decent support from another new man in Greaves. Might have actually given West Indies an advantage but for the superb efforts of local lad Travis Head : a brilliant century , the latter part of which was apparently scored at a terrific rate and took Australia to a handy 95 run lead.

Poor old West Indies then found out how hard it is to compete in Australia. For all their efforts to stay in the game , they were then blown away by Hazlewood - 19/4 at one point. I got in in time to see McKenzie again showing spirited resistance … but he couldn’t go on , getting out rather softly chipping Green to cover ; and Greaves - who also shows signs of being a decent player - likewise falling in the mid twenties to the last ball of the day. A little unlucky perhaps : lbw to Lyon on review - and both Mark Waugh and I , and presumably the on field umpire , thought the ball had pitched outside leg. Hawkeye disagreed , by a whisker…73/6 , still trailing by 22.

So the match will indeed end on day three with an easy Australian win , quite possibly by an innings. Just not the sort of scoreboard I expected ; Adelaide usually much kinder to batsmen and spin bowlers than this one has been !

Hazlewood and Head to toss up for PoTM ? On another day , young Joseph might have been a chance…

Head has a knack of scoring runs when his side really needs it.

When Green and Marsh fell in quick succession it looked like the Aussies were about to get their balls tickled in home conditions for a change. Head was just too good and the Windies batting too frail though sadly.

It's a great effort for Shamar Joseph to get a five-fer on debut in Adelaide nonetheless.

It's been a strange Adelaide pitch. A lot slower, less bounce and a bit more nibble than you'd ordinarily expect.

West Indies bowlers did well on it. Pitched it up and asked a few questions. Quite a few Australians were early on their shots. A superb debut for Shamar Joseph, even with his run-up problems, and Greaves had a pleasing debut with the ball also.

But Head ensured Australia had a commanding lead, with a typical Head innings of 119 off 134. Another important knock for one of the most improved cricketers in the world over the last couple of years.

Then Hazlewood outclassed the West Indian batting order again. A three-dayer, as expected, but the West Indies might not lose by an innings. And they have given more of a fight than I expected.

Was nearly going to be done by an innings…Starc removed Da Silva and A Joseph, and then Hazlewood got Motie for his fifth , with one run still needed to trouble Australia with batting again…

…but of course Shamar Joseph wasn’t having that Entered and took his first ball for a boundary… has subsequently slightly dented Hazlewood’s still excellent figures with a couple more and the game has made it to drinks with Joseph 15 and Roach 11 in an unfinished stand of 26.

No stopping this young man ! Think West Indies may have lost the match , but gained a real player

Lyon on after the break …and two balls later he has ended it , deceiving the charging Joseph in flight and stumped neatly by Carey.

So Smith gets another go at opening today with 26 to win…

Thought - as did the commentators - West Indies might have given young Joseph the new ball to have another go at Smith. But they’ve gone with the usual Roach and AJ…not that it matters , really. Might consider otherwise in Brisbane .

Speaking of Brisbane : given this game has barely gone over two days : the Gabba ; Pink Ball ; presumably still first choice Aussie pace attack (they’ve said they don’t want to rotate and can’t be too tired after this outing) … not sure fourth or even third day tickets will be in great demand !

Aussies not taking long to wrap this up…scores level after six overs.

S Joseph has had time to bowl one over (and managed to beat Smith with one beauty which didn’t quite get the edge ) to leave that personal contest intriguingly poised for next week. He has to bowl the last few balls now ; but at Khawaja…and he’s hit him with a fierce bouncer ! Oh that was a nasty one : Khawaja is looking very groggy , bit of blood showing …sensibly retiring hurt. Bad luck to cop that with just one run needed !
But good luck that the ball very narrowly missed falling on the stumps I guess

Marnus in and takes the winning run…ten wicket win for the home team : pretty comfortable in the end ; but at least some modest good signs for an undermanned West Indies