KINGSTON: West Indies slumped to 143 for eight in reply to Australia’s first innings total of 399 following an eventful second day of the second and final Test, highlighted by Steve Smith missing out on a double-century by just one run.

In the second half of the day though it was Nathan Lyon’s off-spin that brought him three wickets as first-change bowler, pushing him ahead of Hugh Trumble as Australia’s most successful Test off-spinner ever with 144 victims.

“This was a much more helpful wicket than [the first Test] in Dominica,” said Lyon. “You just had to bowl in the right areas and be patient. There was always something likely to happen.”

Pacer Josh Hazlewood also claimed three scalps, including Jermaine Blackwood for a top score of 51, in another typically miserly effort.

Two wickets in the last two overs of the day left the West Indies in an almost hopeless situation needing another 56 runs just to avoid the follow-on.

Having provided the foundation around which his team’s total was built, vice-captain Smith became only the third Australian and eighth overall in the 138-year history of the traditional format to be dismissed for 199 in a Test.

He fell when Jerome Taylor, who finished with the outstanding figures of six for 47 off 25 overs, earned a leg-before verdict against the right-hander who had batted with great assurance for almost nine hours.

“It’s disappointing to have gotten so close because I’ve never even managed 200 in a first-class match,” said Smith in reflecting on his near-miss. “More importantly though we’re in a great position and it’s really up to the captain [Michael Clarke] to decide what he wants to do if they don’t get past the follow-on.”

His departure broke another stubborn partnership involving Hazlewood.

Hazlewood contributed 24 to a 63-run ninth-wicket stand with Smith and was last out, giving Veerasammy Permaul his only wicket of the innings in the left-arm spinner’s 35th over.

Australia then wasted no time in exposing an inexperienced and vulnerable West Indies batting order.

Debutant Rajendra Chandrika edged an attempted drive at Starc to wicket-keeper Brad Haddin before he had scored and Lyon, surprisingly brought on as a the first-change bowler, responded to the challenge by bowling the other opener, Kraigg Brathwaite and then trapping Darren Bravo lbw.

Scoreboard

AUSTRALIA (1st Innings):

D.A. Warner c Hope b Taylor 0

S.E. Marsh lbw b Taylor 11

S.P.D. Smith lbw b Taylor 199

M.J. Clarke c Ramdin b Holder 47

A.C. Voges c Ramdin b Taylor 37

S.R. Watson b Taylor 25

B.J. Haddin b Taylor 22

M.G. Johnson c Bravo b Roach 5

M.A. Starc b Holder 6

J.R. Hazlewood c Blackwood b Permaul 24

N.M. Lyon not out 5

EXTRAS (B-5, LB-7, NB-6) 18

TOTAL (all out, 126.5 overs) 399

Fall of wkts: 1-0, 2-16, 3-134, 4-210, 5-264, 6-296, 7-306, 8-330, 9-393.

BOWLING: Taylor 25-10-47-6 (2nb); Roach 25-2-113-1 (4nb); Holder 22-3-64-2; Permaul 34.5-7-124-1; Brathwaite 19-2-39-0; Blackwood 1-1-0-0.

WEST INDIES (1st Innings):

K.C. Brathwaite b Lyon 4

R. Chandrika c Haddin b Starc 0

D.M. Bravo lbw b Lyon 14

S.O. Dowrich c Haddin b Hazlewood 13

S.D. Hope c Haddin b Lyon 26

J. Blackwood c Warner b Hazlewood 51

D. Ramdin lbw b Hazlewood 8

J.O. Holder not out 13

V. Permaul c Haddin b Johnson 0

EXTRAS (B-6, LB-1, W-1, NB-1, PR-5) 14

TOTAL (for eight wkts, 47 overs) 143

FALL OF WKTS: 1-1, 2-9, 3-25, 4-44, 5-77, 6-119, 7-142, 8-143.

TO BAT: J.E. Taylor, K.A.J. Roach.

BOWLING (to-date): Starc 12-2-33-1 (1w); Hazlewood 11-7-15-3; Lyon 12-4-35-3; Johnson 10-1-38-1 (1nb); Watson 2-0-10-0.

Published in Dawn, June 14th, 2015

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