Australia vs West Indies five quick hits: Steve Smith cops a painful blow and Cameron Green gets back in the runs on day three
Here are five quick hits from the third day of the second Test in Grenada. Tap here for the full match report and re-live the live blog.
In Test match cricket, weaknesses don't go unexploited for long.
Still dealing with the effects of the dislocated finger that kept him out of the first Test, Steve Smith had been noticeably ginger in the outfield for much of day two.
And coming to the crease after nightwatchman Nathan Lyon had been dismissed during a rain interrupted day three morning session, the last thing the veteran needed was a hit to the recently relocated digit.
But that's exactly what he got on his very first delivery, when a nasty one from Alzarri Joseph nipped back and reared up and struck him plumb on the pinky.
Smith was in some serious discomfort as his head went back and glove came off.
Thankfully for Australia, the vice-captain was able to battle on.
Cameron Green is on the comeback from back surgery, but even before that he wasn't in glistening form.
Leading into the second innings, Green was averaging just under 27 since the 2023 World Test Championship final. And that average plummeted by 10 if you took out one innings — his career-high 174 not out against New Zealand in Wellington in early 2024.
That towering knock was his only score over 42 since Australia's tour of India in March 2023, but day three in Grenada changed that.
In tough conditions, Green showed gritty watchfulness while attacking bad balls to deliver exactly the kind of innings Australia needed.
Elevated to number three in the batting order and not bowling as he continues his recovery from back surgery, runs are more important than ever for the 26-year-old West Australian.
After 121 painstaking deliveries, Green brought up his drought-breaking half-century with a glorious drive back past Shamar Joseph.
Two balls later, he was back in the pavilion courtesy of an ugly lapse in concentration.
Looking to manufacture a bit of width to a back of a length Joseph delivery, Green's attempted cut ended up cannoning back into his stumps.
It was a lazy, loose shot and Green was fully aware of it, throwing his head back and his bat to ground.
Up the other end, Smith was equally disappointed.
On the way to a milestone of his own, the vice-captain shook his head as Green trudged off.
In a career defined by statistical superiority, Smith's remarkable record against the West Indies might fly under the radar a touch.
Including his efforts this week, Smith has played 10 Tests against the West Indies, scoring almost 1,000 runs as well as three centuries at an eye watering average of over 116.
And Smith was typically imperious on day three, especially after passing 50.
He charged down the track to clobber Justin Greaves back past the medium pacer, deposited captain Roston Chase over the fence for six and manipulated a tiring West Indian field expertly.
There were multiple rain delays on day three at Grenada's National Cricket Stadium, but with stumps in sight and showers blowing over, umpires didn't want to take the players off unless it was absolutely necessary.
It wasn't immediately clear on the television broadcast how much it was raining, but every angle illuminated by the setting Grenadian sun showed a healthy squall.
It was in these conditions that Beau Webster found himself at the crease after Smith's surprise dismissal.
After a couple of attacking strokes, the Slug from Snug nicked off to his sixth delivery, perfectly picking out Roston Chase as the only fielder in the slips.
Cricket famously isn't a wet weather sport, so most likely Webster doesn't have much experience in inclement conditions. He certainly looked a little extra perturbed as he trudged off.
Three overs later, a similar downpour was enough to force the teams off.
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Last to go was Hazlewood, who made four with a beautiful straight drive to the boundary before being bowled by Azarri Joseph, cousin of Shamar, who took out the middle stick. It was a credible innings from the Aussies, who made 286 in the first innings, with the highlight a composed 71 from Steve Smith. Shamar Joseph had been their chief tormentor, taking 4-66.
