Australia’s top order stutters again to leave first Test in West Indies finely balanced

Day two: Australia 180 & 92-4; West Indies 190 | Australia lead by 82

Beau Webster impresses with ball to keep West Indies in check

The wheel turned as the wheel so often has in Australia’s Tests the last couple of years: the batters under-delivered, the bowlers made it right. With the team having been bowled out for 180 on the first day of the first Test against West Indies in Barbados, Australia’s quicks turned around and returned the favour, keeping West Indies to 190, the lead to 10, and making the match a one-innings shootout in an often chaotic day. The second Australian batting effort then stuttered to 65-4, before improving the score by stumps to 92, a lead of 82.

Spare yet another thought for Shamar Joseph. In three career outings against Australia, the West Indies pace prodigy has been a bowling Mozart, but he runs towards a slip cordon with more drops than Tiësto. In the first innings after getting Sam Konstas lbw, his notional catchers put down chances from Cameron Green and Usman Khawaja in the space of 10 balls, and Nathan Lyon later in the innings. Second time around was even more galling: tearing in for his first over, hitting an irresistible line with pace, and having Konstas dropped twice in three balls.

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