BRIDGETOWN: Roston Chase and Shai Hope compiled an unbroken partnership of 63 to lift West Indies to 135 for five in reply to Australia’s first innings total of 180 at lunch on the second day of the first Test here at the Kensington Oval on Thursday.
Resuming at the uncomfortable overnight position of 57 for four and losing Brandon King within 20 minutes’ play at 72 for five, the Barbadian pairing defied the Australian bowlers in contrasting styles to reach the day’s first interval with Chase on 44 and Hope on 31.
Much scepticism and speculation have accompanied the return of these two players to the West Indies Test side after more than two years away, more so in the case of Chas, who, surprisingly to many observers, has succeeded Kraigg Brathwaite as captain.
Yet both displayed great determination in coping with an experienced bowling attack.
While Chase needed more than a little luck in surviving testing opening spells from Josh Hazlewood and Mitchell Starc on either side of the demise of debutant King for 26, bowled offering no shot, Hazlewoodood, Chase started his first Test innings since March 2023 positively, getting three boundaries at the start of his innings.
Chase, in his 50th Test, hoisted off-spinner Nathan Lyon for a six over extra-cover as he grew in confidence deeper into the session.
Australian captain Pat Cummins turned to Beau Webster with the lunch interval approaching, but the all-rounder could not separate the pair.
On Wednesday, Australia’s pacers struck back with four wickets after they were dealt some of their own medicine in being dismissed for 180 by the West Indies fast bowlers.
Starc, Cummins and Hazlewood replicated the devastation of West Indian counterparts Jayden Seales and Shamar Joseph to bring Australia right back into the first Test of a three-match series.
Seales capitalised on the early blows inflicted by Joseph, polishing off the lower order to finish with five for 60, his third five-wicket innings haul in his 19th Test.
Joseph, who enjoyed a sensational debut series at the expense of the Australians, highlighted by a match-winning innings haul of seven for 68 in Brisbane 17 months ago, was again in devastating form against the same opponents, prising out four of the first six wickets to fall over the first two sessions.
He cast aside the ordinary performances of most of the previous year and a half to claim four for 46 from 16 overs of sustained pace.
Debutant Brandon King was the chief culprit, missing three chances at gully. But the most expensive lapse was from new captain Roston Chase, who, in his 50th Test, dropped Usman Khawaja at first slip when the opener was just on six.
Earlier on the first day, opener Usman Khawaja battled to 47 before eventually falling to Joseph, featuring in an important 89-run fourth-wicket stand with Travis Head after the Australians had slumped to 22 for three in the morning following Cummins’ decision to bat first on winning the toss.
Head’s top score of 59 was highlighted, as usual, by flamboyant drives and pulls, the left-hander counting nine boundaries in his 78-ball innings.
SCOREBOARD
AUSTRALIA (1st Innings, overnight
57-4):
S. Konstas lbw b S. Joseph 3
U. Khawaja c Hope b S. Joseph 47
C. Green c Greaves b S. Joseph 3
J. Inglis c Hope b Seales 5
T. Head c Hope b Greaves 59
B. Webster b S. Joseph 11
A. Carey c Chase b Seales 8
P. Cummins c Brathwaite b Seales 28
M. Starc c Greaves b Seales 0
N. Lyon not out 9
J. Hazlewood c Hope b Seales 4
EXTRAS (LB-2, NB-1) 3
TOTAL (all out, 56.5 overs) 180
FALL OF WICKETS: 1-8 (Konstas), 2-14 (Green), 3-22 (Inglis), 4-111 (Khawaja), 5-123 (Webster), 6-138 (Carey), 7-142 (Head), 8-143 (Starc), 9-170 (Cummins)
BOWLING: Seales 15.5-1-60-5, S. Joseph 16-3-46-4 (1nb), A. Joseph 12-3-37-0, Chase 4-0-9-0, Greaves 9-2-26-1
WEST INDIES (1st Innings):
K. Brathwaite c Webster b Starc 4
J. Campbell c Carey b Starc 7
K. Carty c Carey b Cummins 20
B. King b Hazlewood 26
J. Warrican b Hazlewood 0
R. Chase not out 44
S. Hope not out 31
EXTRAS (LB-1, NB-1, W-1) 3
TOTAL (for five wickets, 46 overs) 135
STILL TO BAT: J. Greaves, A. Joseph, S. Joseph, J. Seales
FALL OF WICKETS: 1-10 (Brathwaite), 2-16 (Campbell), 3-52 (Carty), 4-53 (Warrican), 5-72 (King)
BOWLING: Starc 13-1-58-2 (1w), Hazlewood 12-1-23-2, Cummins 13-4-21-1, Nathan 5-0-27-0, Webster 3-0-5-0 (1nb)
