Beau Webster and Alex Carey rescue Australia on opening day of second Test against West Indies
The tourists were clearly struggling at 4-93 at lunch and then 5-110, but Beau Webster (60) and Alex Carey (63) combined for a crucial partnership, helping Australia scramble to 286 (all out) on Day 1.
Captain Pat Cummins chose to insert his side — including returning star batsman Steve Smith — at the island nation's National Stadium on Thursday (Friday AEST), with Australia hunting a series-clinching victory.
But after making a positive start in St George's, at a ground where they've never before played a Test match, the tourists were soon in trouble, losing openers Usman Khawaja and Sam Konstas in the space of five balls.
Khawaja, who with his second run of the match, had earlier become the 16th Australian to pass 6000 Test runs, was trapped lbw by Alzarri Joseph and was given out on review for 16.
Konstas soon followed for 25, when he edged to West Indies wicketkeeper Shai Hope attempting to drive Anderson Phillip, who is playing his first Test since 2022.
And things took a turn for the worse when the returning Smith was caught by Phillip on the fine leg boundary off the top edge for just three after attempting to take the attack to Joseph.
The 36-year-old Smith only rejoined the Aussie Test squad last Sunday after dislocating his right little finger during the recent World Test Championship final at Lord's.
But brought in at No.4 to replace Josh Inglis, the loss of the Australian batting talisman so cheaply was another huge boost to the home team.
Travis Head (14 no) did well to stop the rot as he tried to maintain the visitors' relatively quick scoring rate.
But Australia were hit with another sucker punch in the last ball before lunch when Cameron Green was out for 26. The West Australian was caught chasing a Jayden Seales delivery by Windies skipper Roston Chase at gully, just as he was finding his groove.
Following a 20-minute rain delay after lunch, Head was the next Australian player to go when he gloved a Shamar Joseph ball which was taken well by Hope to his left.
But Carey - backing up his swashbuckling 65 in the second innings of the first Test in Barbados, and Webster produced their defiant stand at just the right moment on improving pitch conditions.
There was more rain later as Australia limped towards stumps on a tricky wicket wicket.
Webster's heroics ended when he attempted a suicide double run not long before stumps.
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