Australia’s center order rescues the group once more as Cameron Inexperienced fails to money in on his finest begin in a 12 months in Grenada.
Listed here are 5 fast hits from the primary day of the second Check in opposition to the West Indies.
1. Konstas got here to play
Konstas was shiny early on day one in Grenada. (AP: Ricardo Mazalan)
After a battling return to the Check group yielded simply eight runs in Barbados, younger Sam Konstas grew to become one thing of a personification of the Australian prime order’s struggles.
The 19-year-old opener seemed not sure on the crease within the opening Check, however there have been no such considerations within the opening exchanges at St George’s.
Konstas confirmed loads of that overused phrase “intent”, turning the second ball of the match for a single, then clattering his subsequent supply (Shamar Joseph’s first) over sq. leg for 4 with a wonderful pull shot.
One factor was for certain, Konstas was going to take the sport on in Grenada.
He and Usman Khawaja in the end discovered the rope six instances within the first hour earlier than falling in successive overs.
2. Smith cannot stop one other collapse
Smith was dismissed cheaply on his return to the Check area. (AP: Ricardo Mazalan)
Regardless of their group securing a 159-run victory, Australia’s prime 4 had a disastrous first Check in Barbados, combining for 105 runs from eight underwhelming innings.
Nevertheless, with Steve Smith again within the facet for the second Check, there was an expectation the veteran would agency issues up in Grenada.
That is not the way it performed out.
Smith got here to the crease after Khawaja and Konstas had been dismissed in consecutive overs and his idiosyncrasies have been on show from ball one, crab strolling throughout the crease and leaving pronouncedly.
However solely six balls into his innings — and simply after he had taken a child transferring behind the bowler reasonably personally — Smith was caught within the deep attempting to drag Alzarri Joseph for six.
The returning vice-captain was out for 3 and Australia had gone from 0-47 to 3-50.
3. Inexperienced will get a life … and wastes it
Within the penultimate over earlier than lunch, Cameron Inexperienced lofted a large Shamar Joseph supply over cowl for 4.
4 balls later, he chipped an identical ball to cowl, the place John Campbell grassed a simple likelihood.
4 after that, he received one other take a look at a large ball he might have simply left alone, however threw his arms at it as a substitute and this time edged to a sure-handed Roston Chase at gully.
It was the final ball earlier than lunch it doesn’t matter what and ended not solely his finest Check innings in over a 12 months but additionally minimize quick a helpful restoration effort with Travis Head.
4. Carey’s counterpunch
In a 12 months to date outlined by Australian top-order collapses, Alex Carey has quietly come into his personal as a counter-attacking center order batter.
His calm head and flashing arms have earned him a 2025 common nicely into the 60s and a strike charge of just about 80.
Carey has been in glorious type to date in 2025. (AP: Ricardo Mazalan)
Coming to the crease at 5-110, Carey was constructive from ball one in Grenada.
With Beau Webster struggling for fluency up the opposite finish, Carey pulled authoritatively and drove attractively to place some stress again on the West Indian bowlers.
It was one other key innings from the Australian wicketkeeper, who mixed with the more and more comfy Webster for the vacationers’ finest partnership of the day.
Carey cantered to the eleventh half century of his Check match profession however not earlier than he was dropped by wicketkeeper Shai Hope on 46.
Carey led Australia’s battle again on day one in Grenada. (AP: Ricardo Mazalan)
It was the hosts’ eighth, and maybe most consequential, drop of the sequence to date.
5. Seeing the humorous facet
When a quick bowler lands a brief ball then has a batter bowled off the subsequent supply, you’d suppose it was a superbly executed set-up, however that wasn’t precisely the case with the dismissal of Pat Cummins.
Sure, Alzarri Joseph’s bouncer compelled him again within the crease, however the ball that collected stumps was pitched for an additional rib-tickler and it simply refused to rise up.
It in the end grazed Cummins midway up his pads earlier than caroming into the stumps, with Joseph and even umpire Richard Kettleborough unable to stifle their chuckles on the ridiculous variable bounce late on day certainly one of a Check match.
As joyous because it at all times is getting a wicket, little question there have been a couple of West Indian batters grimacing after they noticed that one go underground.
