Day two in Adelaide has arrived and it feels like we’ve been here before with Marnus Labuschagne resuming on 120 and home-town hero Travis Head will try and build on his 114 after a swashbuckling century last night.
After a promising period in day one’s second session where the West Indies dismissed Usman Khawaja (62) and Steve Smith (0) in quick succession, the touring team have their backs against the wall yet again as Australia’s 3-330 put them in a commanding position.
Follow all the action from day two at the Adelaide Oval live.
WINDIES MAKE THE BREAKTHROUGH
A mixup in the middle has cost Travis Head his wicket, run out for 175.
Head was sent back by batting partner Cameron Green going for what looked like an easy second run.
Green has not looked comfortable in the middle since he came in to replace Marnus Labuschagne.
Australia: 5/446
GONE! MARNUS IS MORTAL AFTERALL.
A great catch behind by Josh Da Silva keeping up to medium pacer Devon Thomas and Marnus Labuschagne is out for 163.
It was almost two in two balls with Cameron Green sending a genuine edge to first slip who was too far back and saw the ball fall short.
Australia: 4/431
DUELLING 150S
Travis Head was first to 150 and a couple of overs later was joined on the milestone by his batting partner Marnus Labuschagne as the Australian batters turned the screws on the struggling West Indies.
The first run of the second day brings up the 200 run partnership between Marnus Labuschagne and Travis Head.
RARE AIR FOR MARNUS THE MACHINE
Marnus Labuschagne makes centuries for fun at the moment particularly on home decks.
And the stats back it up, with only Don Bradman having a better average on home soil than Marnus the Machine out of batters with more than 2000 Test runs in Australia.
Labuschagne averages 61.81 in his 30 tests but in Australia, it balloons to 76.34 in 19 tests with nine centuries and eight fifties.
Bradman averaged 98.22 on Australian soil in 22 tests.
Labuschagne also becomes just the third player in Test history to score three consecutive centuries against the West Indies.
PACE TURMOIL WITH LATEST SETBACK AND IT’S NOT CUMMINS
Josh Hazlewood is in extreme doubt for the first Test against South Africa in Brisbane next week and possibly beyond, after being ruled out of Adelaide for a second straight year with a side strain.
Michael Neser was ushered in at the 11th hour as Hazlewood’s replacement in an attack already missing Pat Cummins, after the big-right armer pulled up sore from bowling for 25 minutes in the nets on match-eve before being sent for scans.
Cummins is expected to be fully recovered from a minor quad strain for the opening Test against South Africa starting on Saturday week, but there is far less certainty over when Hazlewood might return this summer after Cricket Australia confirmed he has suffered a low range left side strain.
It’s a major blow to Australia and Hazlewood — who after injuring his side against England in the first Test of last summer, missed the rest of the campaign.
“He pulled up pretty sore in his left side after the final day there in Perth,” Cummins said of Hazlewood in commentary for Fox Cricket.
“(He had) a roll yesterday to make sure he was all good and pulled up a little bit sore again.
“He went off for a scan this morning, he’s got a small, very minor left side strain.
“It’s quite different to the one last year, so we’ll manage him over the next little bit, but unfortunate for Joshy, he misses this one.”
Cummins said in the end common sense prevailed with his own quad strain.
“I was a bit too optimistic. It’s about a 7-10 day injury the physio is telling me and today is day six today so it was a bit high risk. I got close, I felt good but a bit too high risk,” Cummins said on Fox.
“Not only for myself, but if I go down early, Starcy (and the other overs, I) put more overs into them than you’d like. So that’s the flow on effect.”
Hazlewood has yet to be scratched for Brisbane and will be assessed in the coming days, but it’s more than likely he won’t be rushed back, with only five days’ between the two series.
There is a massive year ahead for Australian cricket and Hazlewood is crucial.
Based on last year’s experience, it’s possible Hazlewood may have played his last Test for the summer.
CRASH: BIGGEST WARNER BOMB OF ALL COULD BE ABOUT TO EXPLODE
It means that despite Scott Boland and Neser getting the nod in Adelaide, there is a chance Lance “The Wild Thing” Morris is a possibility to make his Test debut at the Gabba if selectors believe his express 150km/h pace could cause havoc on the fast Brisbane wicket.
Mark Waugh said on Fox Cricket he was surprised Morris wasn’t backed in for Adelaide.
“I thought they might’ve went with him ahead of Neser given that he’s got that extra pace. (Scott) Boland and Neser are a similar sort of pace,” Waugh said on Fox Cricket. “It would’ve been tempting (to pick Morris). They’ve brought him into the squad so he’s obviously on the radar which is a good sign for Morris.
“150km/h under lights — he would’ve been a handful.”
However, the Gabba is Queenslander Neser’s home ground and he may be backed in for back-to-back Tests if Hazlewood is unable to recover.
The circumstances of Cummins and Hazlewood being withdrawn from the same Test in Adelaide is eerily similar to what happened last summer, when Australia was forced to bring in Jhye Richardson and Neser at the 11th hour.
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Originally published as Australia v West Indies: Follow all the action from day 2 of the day-night Test in Adelaide
