Australia took command of the day-night second test on Saturday, positioning themselves 156 runs away from a series clean-sweep after dismissing West Indies for 193 on day three in Brisbane.
Leading the charge for the visitors, Kirk McKenzie top-scored with 41, but the West Indies faced challenges in their second innings due to the disciplined bowling performances of seamer Josh Hazlewood (3-23) and spinner Nathan Lyon (3-42).
At stumps, the hosts were at 60-2 from 19 overs, having declared at 289-9 in their first innings and earlier dismissing the West Indies for 311.
Despite the efforts of the Caribbean seamers, who coped without the injured Shamar Joseph, the task ahead to defend a modest 216 runs looks daunting.
McKenzie expressed determination, stating, “One thing’s for sure, we’re going to fight to the very end,” in an interview with ABC radio.
Usman Khawaja (10) and Marnus Labuschagne (5) fell early in Australia’s second innings, but Steve Smith (33*) and Cameron Green (9*) stood unbeaten overnight.
On day three, Green claimed the first dismissal by having West Indies captain Kraigg Brathwaite caught for 16. McKenzie’s promising innings ended with a lbw dismissal, missing a slog-sweep facing Nathan Lyon’s first ball.
Australia’s premier spinner, Lyon, shouldered much of the workload in the second session, tightening the screws on West Indies as Pat Cummins strategically rotated his fast bowlers.
Despite fielding fumbles, including two drops by Steve Smith, Lyon’s efforts were redeemed when he dismissed Alick Athanaze (35). Travis Head’s sharp run-out of Kavem Hodge shifted momentum further in favor of the hosts.
The West Indies innings concluded after 72.4 overs when Shamar Joseph retired hurt on 3. Wet weather forecasts for the final two days of the match could add further complexity to the series finale in Brisbane.
