WI Vs AUS: Jayden Seals Double-Strike Leaves 2nd Test Finely Poised
Jayden Seales' early strikes in the second innings left the second Test evenly balanced, with Australia stumbling to 12 for two at the end of the second day against the West Indies in Grenada on Friday. The visitors will start the third morning ahead by 45 runs with eight wickets remaining, having taken a first innings lead of 33 despite being delayed by the home side's lower order.
Seales, impressing on his return to full fitness after a series of injuries following his Test debut in 2021, dismissed openers Sam Konstas and Usman Khawaja in successive overs, heightening Australia's worries about their top-order batting fragility. In dismissals that have become familiar for both players, Konstas dragged a delivery onto his stumps while Khawaja was leg-before for the third consecutive innings.
Cameron Green, who has yet to impress in the number three position in this series, survived until the close alongside nightwatchman Nathan Lyon. Lyon was the most successful Australian bowler in the West Indies' first innings total of 253, taking three wickets for 75 runs, including top-scorer Brandon King. King made up for a poor debut Test in Barbados last week with a fluent 75 off 108 balls, hitting three sixes and eight fours.
West Indies batting consultant Floyd Reifer praised King's maiden Test half-century, saying, 'I enjoyed his intent to score while also showing a good solid defence when necessary. It was good to see him trying to put pressure back on the bowlers whenever he could."
Although Reifer had hoped for a first innings lead by the end of day two, he remains optimistic about the West Indies bowlers continuing their strong performance in the second innings to keep the target manageable as the hosts aim to level the series before the final Test in Jamaica.
'The wicket is deteriorating a bit so if we can bowl them out cheaply and chase something within the region of 220 then we have a chance," he said.
King's partnerships with captain Roston Chase and wicketkeeper Shai Hope added a crucial 105 runs after the West Indies had slumped to 64 for three in the morning session. Early dismissals included Kraigg Brathwaite, who suffered the embarrassment of a duck in his 100th Test. Seeking to provide a solid start on a two-paced pitch, Brathwaite mistimed a drive in the second over, offering Josh Hazlewood a low return catch that the bowler gratefully accepted, extending the batsman's poor form in the series.
Two more wickets fell before lunch, but King, Chase, and Hope led a fightback, which was further supported by lower-order contributions. Fast bowlers Alzarri and Shamar Joseph added 51 runs for the eighth wicket, and the last-wicket pair of Anderson Phillip and Seales held up Australia for over 40 minutes until Travis Head's part-time off-spin ended the innings.
With AFP Inputs
First Published:
July 05, 2025, 07:46 IST
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