Adelaide, Australia, Dec 10 (AFP/APP):Skipper Steve Smith helped steer Australia to an ominous 433-run lead over an outclassed West Indies on Saturday as the world’s top-ranked team zeroed in on another commanding Test victory.
After the visitors were dismissed for 214 on day three of the pink-ball second Test in Adelaide, in reply to the hosts’ first innings 511-7 declared, Australia raced to 136-3 at tea.
Marnus Labuschagne, who scored 204, 104 and 163 in his last three innings, was out for 31 in the final over before the break.
Smith was unbeaten on 27 as he eyed sealing the series 2-0 after Australia comfortably won the first Test in Perth by 164 runs.
The captain had opted not to enforce the follow on, conscious of his bowlers’ workload with three Tests against South Africa ahead, having already seen Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood succumb to injury in Perth.
Openers David Warner and Usman Khawaja showed their intent with fast starts, crunching a host of boundaries in the opening overs.
But the inspired introduction of spinner Roston Chase halted their progress.
Warner dragged Chase’s first ball onto his wicket and departed for 28, then Khawaja was caught behind by Joshua Da Silva for 45 in the same over after getting an inside edge.
That brought Labuschagne and Smith together and they unleashed, slamming 21 runs off one Kraigg Brathwaite over as the match rapidly slipped away from the West Indies.
Labuschagne was finally undone by Anderson Phillip, caught at gully by Chase.
Two shambolic run outs and three wickets for Nathan Lyon had left the visitors trailing by 297 runs after the first innings.
– Starc on fire –
The West Indies had resumed at 102-4, with opener Tagenarine Chanderpaul unbeaten on 47 on a hot day.
But in a horror start, he was run out in the opening over without adding to his score after a mix-up with Anderson Phillip.
Chanderpaul prodded Mitchell Starc and set off for a single but was sent back, with the bowler unleashing a direct hit after collecting the ball on his follow through.
Starc was on fire and in his next over, he sent Jason Holder packing for a duck. The lanky batsman edged to wicketkeeper Alex Carey, who held a fine diving catch.
But Phillip and Da Silva then put up resistance, picking off loose balls to find boundaries that included a six from Lyon.
Their 60-run stand was finally snapped by the veteran spinner, the most successful bowler ever at the Adelaide Oval after surpassing Shane Warne’s 56 wickets on Friday.
He trapped Da Silva lbw for 23 after Australia successfully reviewed the umpire’s initial not out decision, with Phillip then run out for 43, again after an amateurish mix-up, this time with Chase.
Lyon dismissed Alzarri Joseph lbw before Starc finally removed the stubborn Chase for 34.
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