5 days ago
West Indies v Australia, live coverage: Sam Konstas falls for duck
Sam Konstas' nightmare campaign with the bat has come to a shuddering halt in the third Test against the West Indies, and things quickly got worse for Australia from there.
Australia was in trouble at 3-28 when Steve Smith (5) was bowled by Alzarri Joseph, following Konstas (0) and Usman Khawaja (14) back to the sheds.
Australia remains in the ascendancy however, having bowled the West Indies out for 143 to secure a first innings lead of 82.
Follow the action in our live blog below, with the first ball from 4.30am.
Originally published as West Indies v Australia, third Test, day two – live coverage: Sam Konstas falls for duck
Head and Green begin the rebuild
Jacob Kuriype
Run out missed!
Cameron Green drives straight to mid-off, sets off for a single, gets stuck midpitch, and then commits and is home and dry. A direct hit would have made things much more interesting.
Green and Travis Head haven't looked comfortable while they have been out there, but it's certainly gotten less dangerous.
They've seen off the first 15 overs of this pink ball, and more importantly survived the opening spells of Josephs A and S.
Konstas' tour in context
Jacob Kuriype
Sam Konstas' series average of 8.33 is the worst of an Australian opener (minimum two Tests) since Robbie Kerr in 1985.
Kerr's two Test campaign against the Kiwis back in 1985 – the lone two Tests of his career – saw him average 7.75.
On the other end of the spectrum, Konstas' 50 runs for the tour are the third most runs by a teenage Australian opener in a series of all time, behind his 113 against India, and Archie Jackson's 230 in the 1928-29 Ashes.
Smith gone! Josephs running riot
Jacob Kuriype
Australia 3-28. Steve Smith b Alzarri Joseph 5
Steve Smith's tortured stay comes to an end.
All at seas across his 13-ball stay, his innings comes to an end against a full ball from Alzarri Joseph that keeps a fraction low to split bat and pad and cannon into the stumps.
The Australian great had been softened up superbly by a bumper barrage.
A life for Steve Smith
Jacob Kuriype
Australia 2-24.
That would have been disastrous for Australia.
Alazarri Joseph draws an edge with a ball that gets big on Smith but second slip can't hold onto the low catch right in front of him.
Josesph takes his frustrations out on Smith with a brute of a ball that flies up off a length past Smith's grille, just whizzing past the Australian's gloves.
Khawaja bites the dust
Jacob Kuriype
Australia 2-19. Usman Khawaja b Shamar Joseph 14
Usman Khawaja had come out willing to play his shots, and he pays the price on 14. Two balls after pulling Joseph for four, he looks to drive away from his body and chops onto his stumps.
He finishes the series with an average of 19.50, thanks largely to the 47 he scraped in his first innings of the series.
Konstas' horror tour is over
Jacob Kuriype
Australia 1-0. Sam Konstas c Chase b S Joseph 0
X
SUBSCRIBER ONLY
Sam Konstas is gone.
He's nicked off for a five-ball duck, edging Shamar Joseph to gully.
He finishes his tour with the bat with 50 runs at an average of 8.33.
More
⌄
Konstas and Khawaja's last chance to turn things around
Jacob Kuriype
Here we go.
Time for Australia's second innings, and Sam Konstas and Usman Khawaja couldn't have asked for tougher conditions to rebuild their stocks from.
Two men under pressure, they're tasked with taking on a brand new pink ball under lights.
West Indies all out for 143
Jacob Kuriype
Shamar Joseph perishes for eight, charging Scott Boland who makes a mess of his stumps.
Australia secures a first innings lead of 82.
And that is DINNER.
One to go
Jacob Kuriype
West Indies 9-137 Jomel Warrican c Carey b Cummins 0
The shortest of stays for Jomel Warrican who backs away to a back of a length ball from Pat Cummins and nicks off for a duck. He never looked comfortable.
Greaves run out
Jacob Kuriype
West Indies 8-135. Justin Greaves run out Konstas/Boland 18
Justin Greaves pays the price for taking on Sam Konstas' arm and admonishes himself on the way off the park.
He laces a backfoot drive through the covers off Scott Boland and chases a third, only for Sam Konstas to deliver the perfect throw from the boundary, getting it on the bounce right over the stumps for Boland to whip of the bails.
And this time the Australians definitely appeal.
Load more posts
