Australia make steady progress to tea in day/night third Test against West Indies / Photo: Randy Brooks - AFP
Australia make steady progress to tea in day/night third Test against West Indies
Sam Konstas was an early casualty again for Australia as the tourists reached 50 for one at the tea break on day one of the day/night third and final Test against the West Indies at Sabina Park in Jamaica on Saturday.
Usman Khawaja and Cameron Green will resume after the interval in the first pink-ball Test to be played in Jamaica and just the second overall hosted in the Caribbean.
In pursuit of a clean sweep of the series and opting to bat first after captain Pat Cummins won the toss for the third time in a row, Konstas was fortunate to last as long as he did before being trapped leg-before for 17 off the first ball bowled by all-rounder Justin Greaves.
He was just on one when a direct hit from John Campbell at midwicket off the bowling of Jayden Seales would have found him well short of his ground as he took off for a non-existent single and was sent back by Khawaja.
Off the very next ball he was let off by debutant Kevlon Anderson who spilled a catch at third slip to extend the West Indies abysmal streak of missed chances in the field in this series.
Anderson, who replaced Keacy Carty, is one of three changes to the West Indies team from the second Test in Grenada, which Australia won by 133 runs.
That match was Kraigg Brathwaite's 100th in Test cricket and possibly his last, as he was dropped in favour of Mikyle Louis for the series finale while left-arm spinner Jomel Warrican returned to the team at the expense of fast-medium bowler Anderson Phillip.
In contrast, Australia dropped their lone specialist spinner, Nathan Lyon, opting for another pacer in Scott Boland.
Their attack includes left-arm fast bowler Mitchell Starc, who is playing his 100th Test and is five away from the landmark of 400 Test wickets.
P.Prasad--MT
