- July 6, 2025
You’ve arrived home at your day job, comfortably seated in your favorite chair, and switched on the game to see Australia 2 for 4. Hang on! That certainly wasn’t the plan. One constant message Test cricket delivers is this: Don’t get complacent. On a spicy Day 2, West Indies found their rhythm with a fiery new-ball burst to leave Australia gasping, after they had appeared to have stolen a slight advantage. You blink, and a Test that had seemed relatively innocuous becomes a downright arm wrestle.
Seales Strikes as Shadows Fall
The final thirty-five minutes of play before stumps can be merciless, batters hate it, bowlers love it, but fans? We live for it. Jayden’s first scalp was a debutant, Sam Konstas, dismissed for a duck chasing a wide delivery outside off stump like a rookie on an offshore fishing trip from a pier and chopped on. Next came the biggie – Usman Khawaja – nailed lbw for the third time in three innings, this time, strictly rooted to the crease and caught in two minds. In two overs, Jayden finished with 2-5 and the Aussies were rattled.
It was not just field placements and seam movement; it was tactics. West Indies had researched Khawaja to give him length to hit from the angle and were trying to entice movement towards his off-stump by bringing the bowler in from around the wicket. Roston Chase also alluded to that after the play when he said, “That’s the area we are trying to exploit, and it’s been successful for us.” You are correct, it has.
Captain Claws & The Lyon Roars Late
Earlier in the day, though, it was the Aussies’ turn with the shiny red cherry. Pat Cummins conjured up a moment of magic with a caught and bowled straight out of the highlights package—reacting like a slip fielder to a deflection and then running and diving full-length to get Keacy Carty. Earlier still, Josh Hazlewood got in on the act with two of his own, which included dismissing West Indies captain Brathwaite for a duck in his 100th Test match, after a good catch in his follow-through. Ouch!
Then it was Lyon’s turn. He got smashed early on by Brandon King, who was able to score an impressive 75 (the West Indies’ first half-century of the series), but Lyon found his radar quickly. The delivery that caught King down the leg side had a collective “yes!” from Australia—he had finally broken the spell. From there, it was spin and seam working together. The West Indies went from 4-169 to 7-174 and just managed to scrape over 250, resulting in a 33-run first-innings lead for Australia.
The Test Within the Test: Surviving the First Hour
By stumps, Cameron Green (6) and nightwatchman Nathan Lyon (2) were digging in, clinging on like surfers bracing for one last wave at the end of a stormy day. Hazlewood (the younger) admitted post-play that the period before stumps was a “no-win situation” for batters. He makes a good point – a graveyard shift for openers, particularly with the Dukes hooping under lights and the West Indies smelling blood.
If Green and Lyon can survive the early bite, then Australia’s middle order – Smith, Labuschagne, and Head – will be able to cash in. If Seales and friends keep the pressure cooker on high, however, the home side might find themselves chasing a much smaller total than they anticipated.
So, cricket fans, can the Aussies get the momentum back? Or is this the awakening of a Windies resurgence we didn’t see coming? Give us your thoughts in the comments below.
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