AUS vs WI Day 3 Test: Australia 598 for 4 dec and 29 for 1 lead West Indies 283 (Brathwaite 64, Chanderpaul 51, Cummins 3-34, Starc 3-51) by 344 runs

Pat Cummins, captain of Australia in the first Test at Optus Stadium, resisted making West Indies follow on late on day three after a starring role in which he took his 200th wicket in style. In the final session, Mitchell Starc and Cummins ran through the West Indies with the second new ball, giving Australia a 315-run lead in the first innings. After Australia struggled against the tenacious batting of the West Indies on a surface that lacked the anticipated venom, wickets arrived quickly. 

Australia had 11 overs before stumps, but Usman Khawaja, the team’s opener, was caught behind off quick Kemar Roach because Cummins wanted his bowlers to rest. Opening batsman David Warner got the game started with consecutive boundaries in the lengthening shadows cast by the towering grandstands. This may have been inspired by England’s explosive batting against Pakistan in the concurrent Test in Rawalpindi. It was a hint of what was to come early on day four, when Australia is looking for quick runs before a likely declaration. However, Warner will be looking to capitalize after failing in the first innings, which continued a poor Test season. 

With wickets distributed among the frontline bowlers, Cummins led a well-balanced attack. 

After an unsuccessful short-ball strategy late on day two, Australia’s quicks successfully reverted to hitting better lengths. Cummins memorably celebrated his 200th wicket by pearling captain Kraigg Brathwaite after lunch. In his 44th Test, Cummins surpassed Clarrie Grimmett, Dennis Lillee, Stuart MacGill, and Shane Warne as the fifth fastest Australian to reach the milestone. With a Test bowling average of 21.50, he surpassed Glenn McGrath to become the lowest Australian bowler with at least 200 wickets. After tea, Cummins took two more wickets with the second new ball, ending West Indies’ resistance.

When Starc trapped Jermaine Blackwood lbw with a full delivery, which was upheld on review in an umpire’s call, he did the most damage. As Starc began to menacingly conjure swing, his signature full delivery then cleaned up Josh Da Silva. All-rounder Cameron Green took his first Test wicket at home when he caught Shamarh Brooks behind for a head injury. 

After threatening earlier in the day with sharp pace and conjuring bounce with his towering height, Green received a commendable reward by not batting in Australia’s first innings in his home Test debut.No.’s helmet was struck by a piercing green bouncer. 3 Nkrumah Bonner, who batted for an additional forty minutes in the morning session before Brooks took his place and was eventually ruled out with a concussion. After lunch, Cummins had earlier cast a powerful spell to demonstrate that the green-tinged surface contained some spice. He led an Australian attack that took three wickets in the middle session and beat a determined West Indies batting order. 

It dashed West Indies’ hopes of batting for the long haul as they attempted to bring down Australia’s massive first innings score of 598 for 4. West Indies had set themselves the goal of batting at least 100 overs before the match, which they almost did, but it was almost not enough after such a lackluster bowling and fielding performance. They had started well despite the odds with a 78-run partnership between Brathwaite and debutant Tagenarine Chanderpaul. 

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However, in the first over of the day, he nicked Josh Hazlewood to first slip, ending his impressive 79-ball knock. Brathwaite continued to play a strong rearguard to blunt Australia’s accurate attack, and Chanderpaul scored his half-century with a lucky boundary through slips. But Brathwaite was unable to stop a gem from Cummins’ opponent, who put on another memorable performance.