Australia's batting woes continue with poor start to second West Indies Test
Captain Pat Cummins chose to take first dig at St George's on Thursday (Friday AEST) as Australia hunt a series-clinching victory at a ground where they've never before played a Test match.
But even though Steve Smith made a remarkable return just 20 days after suffering a nasty compound dislocation of his finger, the stalwart was already back in the pavilion by lunch after being one of four batters dismissed.
He followed Usman Khawaja trapped leg before for 16 and Sam Konstas who was out for 25.
Travis Head and Cameron Green looked to have steadied things for the tourists before the big allrounder was caught by West Indies skipper Roston Chase off Jayden Seales for 26.
Australia, who won the first Test by 159 runs in Barbados, have lost only one of their last 22 men's Tests against West Indies and victory at the island country's National Stadium would be the 58th unique venue at which they have won a Test match.
With just one previous visit to Grenada for an ODI back in 2008, Australia will retain the Frank Worrell Trophy, which they have held since 1995, if they back up their 159-run win in the first Test.
Australia coach Andrew McDonald called it 'a step into the unknown,' with just four Test matches played at St George's.
And Cummins' decision goes against the grain of recent history – all three previous Test victories at the ground have been earned by the side batting second on a surface that often produces help for pace rather than spin.
The 36-year-old Smith batted for almost an hour in his first training session since rejoining the Test squad last Sunday as he acclimatised to wearing a protective splint after dislocating his right little finger during the World Test Championship final.
He batted No 4 in the hope that he could bolster Australia's top order with Josh Inglis, who played two poor shots to get out in the first Test win last week, missing out.
A win will give Australia their fourth straight series win after beating India (3-1) at home and Sri Lanka (2-0) and New Zealand (2-0) away.
For West Indies, Kraigg Brathwaite will become the 10th West Indies player to play 100 Test matches when he reaches the milestone in Grenada.
Six players have scored Test centuries in Grenada, including 32-year-old Brathwaite. Chris Gayle is the only player with a double-century.
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Jamie Smith blasts century in blazing England counter attack against India
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2 hours ago
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How Lions can fix scrum, line-out and restart woes
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They scored three second-half tries from scrums, eking out a penalty advantage here to lay a platform for Fin Smith to release Garry Ringrose: Garry Ringrose caps off a fine day for the Lions 🦁 — Sky Sports Rugby Union (@SkySportsRugby) July 2, 2025 Consistency is the key from here, not least because the referees for the Test matches – O'Keeffe, Andrea Piardi and Nika Amashukeli – are all overseeing the Lions in tour matches before those dates. Solution: John Fogarty, the Lions scrum coach, will not panic. Clarity over selection for the first Test will bring more scope for the front-line pack to scrummage together in training and focus on a sturdy set-up. That should lead to greater composure and accuracy in matches. A question mark does, however, hang over the tighthead prop berth. Furlong is the senior figure, but has not yet shown vintage form. 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He spins on the second dummy jump, from Tom Curry, to lift Canham: Later in the first half, Salakaia-Loto forces a spill at another five-man set-piece: The throw is only ever a single part of the complex line-out jigsaw, but this one from Ronan Kelleher is underdone. You can tell because Chessum is reaching forwards: Players and coaches speak about 'max drill', when jumpers take a throw at the very top of a lift. That is the case later for another five-man routine, when Luke Cowan-Dickie finds Itoje following a subtle dummy from James Ryan, an excellent line-out forward. Genge almost throws Itoje to take this: As it happens, Ryan Smith (Reds number 19) does well to splinter the subsequent maul after it has eked out metres: Polished line-out operations require immense diligence and energy, because there is so much that can go wrong. For instance, Bundee Aki should have dotted down at the tail of a drive in the first half against the Reds. 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He punched holes in the Reds chase and this cute pass to Duhan van der Merwe sparks an eye-catching break-out: There was one more hiccup at a shorter restart, though. Cowan-Dickie and Genge hoist Itoje here… …but the Reds flood through to win a maul turnover. As with the scrums and line-outs, restarts are multi-faceted. Solution: New laws on escorting mean that short restarts have become more of a lottery and Australia are bound to harness Joseph Aukuso-Sua'ali'i as they did at Twickenham last November. The Lions need to be quick over the ground when opponents go short, while working in groups to cover the 'seams' of their formation – for instance, the space in behind a lifting pod – and staying alert to inevitable ricochets. Freeman, who snaffled one of the Lions' own restarts in Brisbane, could be a trump card. What about a man-marking job on Aukuso-Sua'ali'i? The Lions must devote time and thought to what will be a pivotal aspect of the Test series.
Telegraph
2 hours ago
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David Campese calls Owen Farrell's Lions call-up ‘a weak pick by Daddy'
David Campese, the legendary Wallaby wing, has labelled Owen Farrell's call-up to the British and Irish Lions tour of Australia as 'a weak pick by daddy' in a savage tirade against head coach Andy Farrell. As exclusively revealed by Telegraph Sport on Thursday, Owen Farrell will fly in to replace club-mate Elliot Daly, who suffered a fractured arm in the 52-12 victory against Queensland Reds on Wednesday night Andy Farrell, who urged supporters to cut out the 'nonsense' negativity surrounding his son's call-up, revealed that the Saracens playmaker will primarily cover inside centre and expects the 33-year-old to compete for a starting Test place. He also dismissed concerns around his fitness having not played since suffering a concussion for Racing 92 in May. None of that has washed with Campese, however. The 62-year-old, who retired from the sport in 1996 after winning 101 caps and a World Cup for Australia, believes that Owen Farrell's selection is 'weak', that it could disrupt the Lions camp, and that the 'ageing' fly-half 'left Paris with his tail between his legs'. 'For the life of me, I cannot fathom why Andy Farrell would call up an ageing fly-half-cum-centre to replace a classy back-three player,' Campese wrote in a column Planet Rugby. 'Yes, Owen Farrell has been a world-class ten in his time. Yes, he's been an outstanding British and Irish Lion. Yes, he's been a champion of Europe, a World Cup finalist and a Premiership legend. But the ever-present word there is 'has'. 'Owen's form since quitting England and Saracens for Racing 92 has been - well, I'm not sure there's been any form whatsoever. He's struggled with the pace of French rugby and the standard of the Top 14, he's not been able to get any sort of purchase into a style of game that's run by a production line of world-class nines and he's left Paris with his tail between his legs and a reputation that's suffered as a result. 'I also have to question judgement here. I have always been respectful of the Farrell name. This is a weak pick by Daddy – and weak isn't what I'd expect from them. 'It also puts huge pressure on Owen, who can't have a bagful of confidence after the Racing 92 experience, and that sort of thing can also disrupt camp... what message is this sending out to the likes of Marcus and Fin Smith?' Campese is no stranger to outspoken outbursts. Last month, he was brutal in his criticism of four individual Lions performances in the loss to Argentina. The Australian said of Wales back-rower Jac Morgan: 'I had to check to be sure Jac Morgan was even playing, such was his lack of impact... generally missing in action in a woeful personal performance.' However, after Morgan's player of the match performance against the Reds on Wednesday, Campese has performed a swift about-turn. 'I'll take my hat off to Jac Morgan after his response to criticism - and I'll buy him a beer in Brisbane!' Campese said. 'He was, as I said, pretty anonymous against Argentina; maybe a bit of fatigue, maybe learning the systems. But, against the Reds, he was absolutely compelling, and I'm happy to eat my words after a performance like that.' Luke Cowan-Dickie: Owen Farrell is a class player. I'm buzzing By Daniel Schofield, Sydney Hooker Luke Cowan-Dickie dismissed suggestions that Owen Farrell lacked the necessary form and fitness to merit a Lions call-up, stating 'you don't lose class'. As first revealed by Telegraph Sport, the former England captain was brought in to replace Elliot Daly, who suffered a fractured forearm in the Lions' 52-12 defeat of Queensland Reds. Head coach Andy Farrell's decision to call up his son has been questioned by figures such as former Lions fly-half Dan Biggar. Owen Farrell has not played since early May after suffering a concussion and it is 20 months since he last played a Test match after choosing to step back from international rugby to prioritise his mental health. However, Cowan-Dickie, who was captained by Farrell with England, says that no one within the Lions camp batted an eyelid when his call-up was confirmed. 'You don't lose class,' Cowan-Dickie said. 'I don't think you lose class. Faz is a class player, so I'm well happy. I'm buzzing for him. Obviously, I know Faz well. He's one of them players who will definitely add to the group, so quite excited to see he's a bit jet-lagged, so I can get into him a little bit. I'm quite excited. 'The internal reaction was good. Faz is a well-known player. He's played quality rugby over many years. We knew someone had to come in due to Elliot getting injured, which obviously is gutting for him. But yes, the overall reaction was as you'd expect. He's a top quality player.' Well much of the discussion around Farrell's call-up has focused on the effect on the fly-half pecking order, Cowan-Dickie says his off-field influence is just as valuable, despite being on the receiving end of some unfriendly Farrell fire. 'When I was younger, maybe,' said Cowan-Dickie. 'He did a few times. But, obviously, I've calmed down a bit now, so we're all right.' Cowan-Dickie was on the 2021 Lions tour to South Africa with Farrell and says that his ability to set standards did not dip even when he dropped out of the match-day squad for the third Test against the Springboks. 'He's always good,' Cowan-Dickie said. 'There's been games he hasn't played before and he always sets standards in training. I think he's a good team man. Even though he might not be involved one week or he might be in the next week, every single week stays the same from training-wise and standards that he wants to set. 'One thing about Faz, even if he's not captain or he is captain, are the standards he sets on the training field. He's got a bit of an aura about him on training fields, which makes you want to try and train to perfection. I know it's quite hard to perfect training every single day, but he definitely makes standards higher, so it's good.
