Australia Takes Series Two Nil

Third Test: Australia v West Indies

Windsor Park, Dominica

Australia 328 and 259

defeated

West Indies

228 and 294

Despite some late order hitting by West Indian captain Darren Sammy, Australia has defeated the West Indies by 65 runs, winning the series 2 Tests to nil.

The unlikely bowling hero in the final Test was Michael Clarke, who claimed his second 5 wicket haul in Tests. On a turning surface, Nathan Lyon was the other chief wicket taker, with 3 victims to go with his 4 in the first innings.

With Shivnarine Chanderpaul dismissed just prior to stumps on the penultimate day, the West Indian cause appeared defeated. However, the ever-underestimated Darren Sammy had other ideas. Sammy smashed 3 sixes and 4 fours, in 51 ball innings of 61. Despite his heroics, he couldn’t get his team over the line, in what would have been a remarkable victory.

The Australians bowled with discipline, and with the victory have leapfrogged India in the Test rankings. The West Indian team will be heartened by continued good performances, however they will be keen to start turning honourable losses into victories.

Chanderpaul claimed the man of the series award with a stunning batting performance for the series, in which he averaged 86; head and shoulders above any batsman from either side. Kemar Roach and Shane Shillingford both claimed 10 wickets in a match, with Roach taking the bowling honours with 19 wickets for the series.

The Australians had no standout performer with either bat or ball. Ben Hilfenhaus had another excellent series, while Ryan Harris excelled in the matches he participated in. The series was won with consistently good performances – when a wicket was required, someone chipped in. When a partnership was needed, the two batsmen at the wicket grafted tough runs. This is a good sign for an emerging team.

 

 

Clarke wickets put Australia on top

Third Test: Australia v West Indies

Windsor Park, Dominica

Day 4

Australia 328 and 259 (Ponting 57, Cowan 55; Shillingford 4 for 100).

West Indies 228 and 5 for 173 (Chanderpaul 69, Bravo 45; Clarke 3 for 34)

Michael Clarke’s golden run as Australian captain continued, as he claimed three crucial wickets to put Australia in a winning position leading into the final day of the third Test. Crucially, Clarke removed Chanderpaul for 69 in the final over of the day, as he threatened to take his resistance deep into the Test match.

The hosts are chasing 360 for the victory, and with Chanderpaul and Bravo at the crease, this target did not look insurmountable. However, the pair did lost last until stumps, as Watson removed Bravo, before Clarke trapped Chanderpaul in front for his second score in the 60s for the match. Throughout the course of his innings, Chanderpaul passed 10,000 Test runs – only the second West Indian player to do so. He has been a major contributor to West Indian cricket over a long period of time.

The Australian tail could not wag as successfully as in the first innings. Resuming from the overnight score of 6 for 200, Australia were dismissed for 259. Mitchell Starc again showed skill with the bat, scoring 21, while his lower order partners could not rediscover their first innings form. Shane Shillingford took another 4 wickets, to make 10 for the match. An excellent return from an emerging player. With Roach, Rampual, Deonarine and Fidel Edwards, the West Indian attack is starting to show some teeth.

Australia appear likely to secure victory well before the close of the match, with Sammy the next batsmen in, followed by three inexperienced tailenders. One thing is certain at the moment, Michael Clarke can not do anything wrong.

Third Test: Australia v West Indies

Day Three

Windsor Park, Dominica

Australia 328 and 6 for 200 (Ponting 57, Cowan 55; Deonarine 2 for 28)

West Indies 218 (Chanderpaul 68, Powell 40; Lyon 4 for 69)

The West Indies are facing a substantial fourth innings chase to level the best of three series, despite showing some fight on the third day at Windsor Park.

In contrast with many of his team mates, Shivnarine Chanderpaul playing a typically determined innings in taking the West Indian total past 200. Ravi Rampual again reinforced the trend of strong tailend batting in this Test with a dogged 31. Nathan Lyon ended the innings with a four wicket haul, including the crucial wickets of Powell and Barath, which turned the match in Australia’s favour.

Ed Cowan strode to the wicket in what would be his final Test innings before a 6 month break. Cowan, who had not passed 34 in his previous 7 innings, had not looked out of his depth in Test match cricket. However he had failed to press on with promising starts. Today he anchored the innings as Warner and Watson fell in quick succession. Cowan batted serenly in collaboration with Ricky Ponting, who would have been thankful for an extended stay at the wicket. Cowan launched a cut shot to Deonarine, only to edge the ball to Sammy at slip, who held onto a lightning quick chance. This will have frustrated Cowan to no end. On the other hand, Sammy’s allround versatility as a cricketer is coming to the fore, after few gave him a chance of succeeding as West Indian captain.

Ponting played an assured innings, and for once in the series had an ounce of fortune, surviving a run out and a dropped catch. His nemesis Kemar Roach claimed his wicket with a lifting delivery, and thus ended Ponting’s batting career in the West Indies. Ponting was out to a ‘periscope’ shot as he ducked a bouncer, leaving his bat in the path of the ball and spooning a catch. Another bizarre dismissal for Australia’s former skipper, who appears to be batting quite well, though is just finding ways of getting himself out.

With Australia holding a lead in excess of 300, with 4 wickets in hand and two full days to play, only two results seem possible. A win would cap an excellent 6 months of Test cricket for Australia, while the West Indies will be feeling as though some good cricket in recent times has been somewhat unfulfilled. Then again, being ‘good’ isn’t necessarily good enough in Test match terms.

Third Test: Australia v West Indies – Day 2

Australia v West Indies

Third Test: Windsor Park, Dominica

Day 2

Australia 328 (Wade 106, Warner 50, Watson 41, Starc 35; Shillingford 6 for 119).

West Indies 8 for 165 (Powell 40, Barath 29; Lyon 3 for 49)

Australia took a stranglehold on the third Test, with a dominant display at Windsor Park. Resuming at the precarious position of 7 for 212, Australia would have been hoping for a score over 250. However Matthew Wade, in just his third outing in the baggy green, forged an excellent century with great support from Starc and Hilfenhaus, which forced the Australian score past 300.

Captain Michael Clarke had only just publicly reinforced his support for regular Test keeper Brad Haddin, who returned to Australia at the start of the tour for family reasons. Perhaps this spurred Wade, who had yet to demonstrate his potential with the bat in the Test arena. The innings ensures the Australian selectors will have to make a tough decision when the Test team resumes later this year, however the innings also took control of the match away from the West Indies, who had edged ahead at the close of day one.

Shane Shillingford continued to pose the greatest danger on a turning wicket, claiming his best figures in Test matches and perhaps exposing the weakness of Australian batsmen against quality spin bowling.

The West Indies batsmen, as is so often the case in recent times, lost wickets at crucial stages and failed to build partnerships. From a position of relative comfort at 1 for 62, the innings imploded to 8 for 120 as Nathan Lyon and the Australian quicks ran through the West Indian middle order. Some late resistance from Ravi Rampaul and the ever reliable Shivnarine Chanderpaul saved the innings from absolute capitulation.

Lyon is to be commended; after struggling to take wickets throughout the Australian summer and the first Test in the Carribean, he has responded with game turning performances in the past two matches.

The West Indies must push the score past 200 in the early stages of day three, then bowl the Australians out cheaply to have any chance of levelling the series.

Third Test: Australia v West Indies

Windsor Park, Dominica

Day One

Australia 7 for 212

Warner 50, Watson 41, Starc 24*

Shillingford 4 for 77

With Australia having retained the Frank Worrell Trophy, the concluding Test match of the series appeared to be a relative formality. However, many questions lingered. Australia’s top order had not yet settled. Australia’s bowlers, however formidable, were proving mortal in the face of stress and strain which was resulting in a high injury rate. The West Indies batting had proven to be prone to collapse throughout the opening two Tests, though there was enough resolve to suggest that this top 6 was worth persevering with. The West Indian bowling attack, mixing pace with spin, was showing a formidability not seen for some time.

 

The Third Test opened with the newly installed opening pair of Ed Cowan and David Warner needing runs. Cowan went early for 1, trapped in front by the returning Ravi Rampaul. Watson and Warner steadied, taking the score to 84, before Watson departed for a studious 41. Runs were tough to come by, which continued the trend of slow scoring in this series. The normally free scoring Warner was palying a circumspect innings, while Ponting grafted out a steady 23. Australia lost consistent wickets, with no playing really able to capitalise on their starts. Of the top 5 batsmen, only Cowan failed to make it into the 20s, however only Warner managed a half century, losing his wicket to offspin bowler Shane Shillingford for an even 50.

 

Shillingford proceeded to run through the Australian batting, removing Ponting, Clarke and Hussey cheaply. Before long, Australia were 7 for 169 and in a fair degree of trouble. Mitchell Starc, returning to the Test side with injuries to Siddle and Pattinson, played possibly the most fluent innings of the day, with a cameo of 24 not out which saw Australia through to stumps.