St. George’s (Grenada), July 7: Australia completed its recovery to win the second cricket Test against West Indies by 133 runs with a day to spare, clinching the series to retain the Frank Worrell Trophy.
Australia dismissed West Indies for 143 in 34.3 overs on Day 4 to take an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-test series.
On Saturday, half-centuries by Steve Smith and Cameron Green had helped to put Australia back in charge after the visitors lost early wickets in their second innings, at one stage slipping to 28-3.
After resuming Sunday at 221-7 — and a lead of 254 runs — Australia was all out for 243, setting West Indies a tricky target of 277 for victory. Shamar Joseph took 4-66.
At 33-4, West Indies’ chase was in trouble. The match was over in the afternoon session. Left-arm pace bowler Mitchell Starc returned 3-24 from eight overs to lead the Australian attack. Josh Hazlewood took two wickets and offspinner Nathan Lyon returned 3-42 from 5.3 overs to clean up the lower order.
A six-wicket match haul moved Lyon to within one of Glenn McGrath at No. 2 on Australia’s all-time list of leading wicket-takers.
Lyon has 562 wickets from 139 Tests dating back to 2011. McGrath took 563 in 124 Tests from 1993-2007. Shane Warne, the great legspinner who died in 2022, tops the Australian list with 708 wickets in 145 Tests from 1992-2007.
Captain Roston Chase top scored for West Indies in the second innings with 34 before he was trapped lbw by Starc with a ball that kept low as it angle toward leg stump.
Shamar Joseph clouted three sixes in a run-a-ball 24 before he skied a catch off Lyon to Beau Webster in the deep and was the next-to-last wicket to fall.
Australia wicketkeeper Alex Carey was voted player of the match for his innings-salvaging 63 in the first innings, 30 in the second and four catches behind the stumps.
“To be able to do that and win a series for Australia is fantastic,” Carey said. The Caribbean tour was a vast improvement for his team on the previous bilateral series in Australia in 2023-24 when the West Indies troubled the home team and scored an upset win in the Gabba test. “They came out two years ago, and they challenged us. For us to win this series outright, it has been a fantastic tour.”
A dream start’
Australia captain Pat Cummins said the series win happened at a good time for his team which lost last month to South Africa in the World Test Championship final.
“An away (series) win as well, they’re not the easiest to come by, so really pumped with how we’ve bounced back after Lord’s,” Cummins said. “It’s a dream start, two from two gets us into the (new WTC) cycle and we’ve played some really good cricket.”
Australia won the first test against West Indies by 159 runs in three days.
The third test, a day-night match, starts Saturday in Kingston, Jamaica. (AP)
