Boxing Day Test at MCG: 26-30 December 2015

Australia 551/3 Declared (Burns128, Khawja 144, Smith 134* and Voges 106*) West Indies 91/6 (Lyon 2/18, Siddle 2/19, Pattinson 2/ 36)

Very strong Australians starting from impregnable position on the second morning at 345/3 had run feast racing to 551/3 while declaring 50 minutes before tea.

Very potent bowling combination broke the backbone of helpless West Indian batting finishing the day taking six wickets for only 91 runs. West Indies with only 4 wickets left has their works cut out. The match may all over on the third day.

Pattinson bowled fast and expressed with the assistance of Hazelwood and Siddle keeping it tight on the other end. Nathan Lyon (the goat) spun webs around the bemused West Indians.

The visitors could not create any contest. On a wicket looking like a batsman paradise when Australians batted run making became night mare for the visitors.

Fluent Smith and confident Voges batted wonderfully well playing strokes all around the wicket. 40,000 adoring fans witnessed two brilliant centuries, four in all in the innings.

Voges had yet another huge partnership 223 with Smith before Captain considered it more than enough at 551/3 to declare. Smith was looking great at 144 not out and Voges was unbeaten at 106 when the declaration came.

Four Australia batsmen Burns (128), Khawaja (144), Smith (134*) and Voges ( 106*) scored century in the same innings proving how innocuous was the West Indian attack on the drop in pitch.

When a team get hammered by its opposition so ruthlessly it requires quality, experience and temperament to bounce back .Unfortunately present West Indies team has nothing of those.They  started with their back to the wall.

Chandrika and Braithwaite somehow managed to keep them safe above the surge of Aussie waves over the difficult little period till tea. But a great team bowling efforts in the last session created miseries for the visitors. The abrasive wicket ruffed up the ball.

Pattinson started reversing at pace. It all started with Lyon inducing Braithwaite to typical off spinners dismissal at forward short leg. Pattinson removed Chandrika and Samuels of consecutive deliveries both trapped in front.

Chandrika challenged and DRS proved it wrong .Samuels did not but TV replay evidenced that the ball was bouncing high above the wicket. However, Pattinson was on a hat trick. Blackwood somehow managed to dig out a fast swinging Yorker at his block hole.

When all these were happening Bravo was watching from the other end. He was only defending .His classic strokes dried out. Blackwood played some good-looking strokes. Smith brought back Lyon.

Blackwood danced down the wicket and played a wonderful aggressive stroke. But trying to repeat the same fell to a looping flighted delivery giving a return catch. Panic set in the Caribbean camp. Ball started reversing.

With days, preceding drawing close local hero Siddle was brought back. He should have been awarded with the wicket of Blackwood early on when Burns took a brilliant diving catch. Third umpire possibly gave benefit of doubt. But very soon Burns caught another clean and this time to prolong the misery of Ramdin with the bat in the series.

The very next ball saw captain Holders furniture disturbed .Siddle was on a hat trick . The stumps were drawn with West Indies reeling at 91/6 still 461 runs in arrears. It will be interesting to see whether West Indies can take the match to the fourth day.

The cricket admirers can only have sympathy for the young West Indian Captain Jason Holder. The think tank has not done it smart to entrust the youngster the very difficult task of leading a very weak team against the strongest test team in a difficult series.

They are just not good enough to compete against Australia in Australia. It will be a huge achievement if West Indies can avoid another less than 3 days humiliation tomorrow.

BDST: 1547 HRS, DEC 27, 2015
RS/SMS