WI vs AUS, 2nd Test: Smith, Green score fifties to put Australia in control v West Indies on Day 3
Australia, 1-0 up in the three-Test series, was back in charge after recovering its second innings from 12 for two at the start of the day to 221 for seven at Stumps and a decent lead of 254 runs.
With the pitch playing tricks, often shooting low, Australia was beginning to like its chances of setting a target that was beyond the West Indies' reach.
AS IT HAPPENED: West Indies vs Australia, 2nd Test Day 3 Highlights
'We are in a nice spot,' Smith said. 'I don't think the wicket is going to get any better, will probably do a few more tricks. The new ball is going to be pretty crucial for us. Hopefully, we can get (the lead) up to somewhere around 300.'
Australia generally laboured to score 209 runs in 58.3 overs, with around three delays for showers that added up to nearly two hours of play lost. When Stumps were called because of bad light, Alex Carey was on 26 off 27 balls with captain Pat Cummins on four.
But they were on top.
Smith joined Green after nightwatchman Nathan Lyon held out for nine overs to reach eight.
The first ball Smith faced from Alzarri Joseph smashed his right glove. Inside the glove was the pinkie finger he dislocated in the World Test Championship final last month, and which sidelined him from the first Test in Barbados.
'It was not ideal (getting hit on the finger), but it feels all right,' Smith said. 'It is that kind of surface. Some can shoot up, you might have to take a few on the hands.'
Green resumed the day on six and soon passed his highest score at No. 3 in the order, 15. After Lunch, his fifth boundary earned him 50 off 122 balls.
ALSO READ: Shubman Gill scores 200 and 100 in same Test, 2nd Indian to achieve feat
But on the next ball, he was out when he edged Shamar Joseph onto his stumps. Green finished on 52 and ended a 93-run partnership with Smith.
Smith's sixth boundary brought up his 50 in 79 balls.
He and Travis Head got Australia to Tea and a lead of 208.
But soon after, Smith was trapped by Justin Greaves. Smith reviewed, but it showed the ball hitting his pad in front of the off-stump. His 71 off 119 balls included seven boundaries and a six flogged off Roston Chase over long-off.
Greaves also got Beau Webster for 2, but Head and Carey gave the total a 31-run surge before Head's off-stump was bowled by Shamar Joseph on 39.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
News18
an hour ago
- News18
Akash Deep Channels Grief Into Greatness And Helps India Create History At Edgbaston
Last Updated: Akash Deep's 10-wicket haul helped India to a record 336-run victory over England in Jasprit Bumrah's absence. India's loss in the first Test against England in Leeds had put the team's bowling unit under the scanner. Jasprit Bumrah & Co. failed to pick all 10 English wickets in the second innings, letting the hosts chase down a daunting 371-run target with relative ease. As the team geared up for the next battle in Birmingham, things looked far from promising. Bumrah, the pace spearhead, sat out of the match due to workload management. The big question loomed – how would India win in his absence when they couldn't manage it with him in the XI? Who would have imagined that a group of young cricketers would script a historic win on English soil – and that too without its stalwarts? But on Sunday, Shubman Gill's Team India answered that question emphatically. They crushed England by 336 runs to level the series 1-1 and register a first-ever Test win at Edgbaston. More significantly, India discovered a way to win without Bumrah, and at the heart of that triumph was Akash Deep. Just seven Tests old, Akash was drafted into the playing XI to share new ball duties with Mohammed Siraj, alongside Prasidh Krishna. The combination raised a few eyebrows. But what unfolded over five days was nothing short of magic. Akash tore through England's batting line-up in both innings, claiming his maiden 10-wicket haul in Test cricket. He became only the second Indian fast bowler after Chetan Sharma to achieve this feat in England. He picked 4 for 88 in the first innings and followed it with a brilliant 6 for 90 in the second. The numbers might make him look like a rookie, but behind those figures lies a story of resilience, heartbreaks, and unshakeable belief. Back home, his father dreamed of seeing him in a secure government job – perhaps a constable or even a peon. Akash would fill out those exam forms, but never truly attempted them. Cricket was his calling, even back then. He left Bihar to pursue his dreams, settling in Durgapur, West Bengal, and playing for United Club in the CAB second division league. Just as things were looking up, tragedy struck. In 2015, within a span of six months, he lost both his father and elder brother. The burden of supporting the family fell on his young shoulders. Still, he kept grinding. His breakthrough came in the 2019-20 Ranji Trophy season where he picked 35 wickets, taking Bengal to the final. Four years later, he made his Test debut in the home series against England. Since then, there's been no looking back. With 25 wickets from 8 Tests, his best – 10/187 – came in Birmingham. Yet, behind the smiles lay more pain. Just two months ago, his elder sister was diagnosed with cancer which he disclosed publicly on Sunday night, after the world got to know about his ability in foreign conditions. 'Every time I had the ball in my hand, her thoughts would cross my mind," he revealed on live TV, holding back tears. 'This performance is dedicated to her. I want to tell her, 'Sis, we are all with you.'" Indeed, the hard work and the grind paid off, portraying him as one of the lethal weapons in India's artillery. But picking him at the right time was the key. Ahead of the second Test, former India all-rounder Irfan Pathan had told cricketnext that if India are not playing Bumrah in Birmingham, they should get in Akash Deep. It's safe to say now that his prediction was spot on. 'I think, Akash Deep is a right guy [if Bumrah doesn't play]. He is a very much Shami kind of a bowler who has got a straight seam. He can actually beat the batters with surprise. He has got off the pitch zip. So, he is the guy who should be playing and if Bumrah is not playing, great," Pathan had told CricketNext at a select media interaction. Akash Deep didn't just fill in for Jasprit Bumrah – he announced himself to the world. In the toughest conditions, he rose from personal loss to script a fairytale comeback, proving that grit, heart, and belief can turn dreams into history.
&w=3840&q=100)
India.com
2 hours ago
- India.com
Vaibhav Suryavanshi Creates History, Supasses Shubman Gill For Massive Record
Rising star Vaibhav Suryavanshi scripted history after his terrific performance in the five-match Youth One-Day International (YODI) series against England. Continuing his brilliant form, Vaibhav scored 355 runs during the series at an impressive average of 71 along with a fantastic strike rate of 174.01. The 14-year-old Suryavanshi also smashed a century - the youngest by any player in a YODI. He got to the three figure mark off just 52 deliveries, which is the fastest at this level. Vaibhav also slammed a fifty in the series, which he scored off just 20 balls, the second fastest by an Indian. In the five matches, he scored 48 (19), 45 (34), 86 (31), 143 (78), 33 (42) - a total of 355 runs, which are the most in a bilateral Under-19 series for India. Teenage sensation Suryavanshi surpassed Shubman Gill, who had scored 351 runs in four innings against England in 2017. Most Runs In A Youth ODI Series By An Indian 355 Vaibhav Suryavanshi vs ENG, 2025 351 Shubman Gill vs ENG, 2017 291 Ambati Rayudu vs ENG, 2002 278 Shubman Gill vs ENG, 2017 244 Aditya Srikkanth vs ENG, 2005 Interestingly, Vaibhav, who plays for Rajasthan Royals in IPL, recently said the he was inspired by Shubman Gill after seeing the India captain bat at Edgbaston. "I did not know that I had broken the record. I got a lot of inspiration from Shubman Gill when he scored his 100 and 200. He kept at it and took it forward," Vaibhav Suryavanshi said after his century," he had said. "I could have batted for longer. There were still 20 overs left in the match. I could have played a longer innings. I got out to a shot that I was not able to execute 100 per cent, but I wanted to bat long like him," he added.
India Gazette
2 hours ago
- India Gazette
After Edgbaston masterclass, Shubman Gill on cusp of several records at Lord's
London [UK], July 8 (ANI): After smashing records with his swashbuckling double hundred and a scintillating ton that ensured India's victory in the second Test against England, Indian skipper Shubman Gill will go into the third Test with a renewed sense of confidence and heightened expectations of his fans. He is on the cusp of several more records. Having won Edgbaston frontier by a huge 336 runs, India will seek to continue the winning momentum in Lord's where they have lost just one Test in last three tours. The series in levelled one-one. Gill, who has made a smooth transition to number four, a crucial position in the batting order that has been held by legends like Sachin Tendulkar and Virat Kohli and could create history at Lord's. Gill sits at the top of the run charts in the series with 585 runs in two Tests, four innings at an average of 146.25 and an attacking strike rate of over 73, with three centuries and a marathon 269 (387 balls) at Edgbaston as his best score. Just 18 more runs will help Gill become the batter with the best-ever England tour statistically, going ahead of Rahul Dravid's tally of 602 runs in four matches and six innings at an average of 106.33, with three centuries and a fifty back in 2002. Gill could also outshine his idol Virat Kohli, who has the best South Africa, England, New Zealand and Australia (SENA) series by an Indian batter, with 692 runs in four matches and eight innings at an average of 86.50, with four centuries and a fifty. He is just 108 runs away from surpassing the widely respected batter who shocked the world with a Test retirement just before the series. If gets another 169 runs, he will complete 6,000 international run-mark. In his international career across all formats, he has scored 5,831 runs in 110 matches and 139 innings at an average of 47.02, with 17 centuries and 25 fifties. His best score is 269. If he scores another century at Lord's, he will become the 11th Indian to do so, joining the likes of Dilip Vengsarkar, Mohammed Azharuddin, Dravid, Ravi Shastri and Sourav Ganguly. Ajinkya Rahane and KL Rahul have also scored centuries at the famous venue. (ANI)
