Australia lead by 82 runs as West Indies’ Test on a knife edge
BRIDGETOWN, Barbados: West Indies’ pace attack again exposed the vulnerability of the Australian top-order batting as the tourists stuttered to 92 for four in their second innings at stumps on the second day of the first Test at Kensington Oval on Thursday. Trailing on first innings by just ten runs after the Caribbean side were dismissed at tea for 190 in reply to the Aussies’ first innings total of 180, the match is balanced on a knife’s edge as Australia lead by 82 runs with six wickets in hand. Another eventful day when ten wickets fell after 14 tumbled on day one also featured contentious television umpiring decisions which left the West Indies feeling aggrieved. Travis Head, so often the counter-attacking star for the men from Down Under in all formats of the game, will carry the battle into the third morning with all-rounder Beau Webster after all four West Indies bowlers used in the second innings so far claimed a wicket each. Wicketless in the first innings, Alzarri Joseph was first to strike in the long final session when he trapped Usman Khawaja lbw. Shamar Joseph, who set the tone for the bowling effort at the start of the Test the day before, had to endure Sam Konstas being dropped twice in the same over in the slips before the opener’s tortuous innings ended 20 minutes later when he played on to the same bowler. Jayden Seales added to his five-wicket haul the day before by removing Josh Inglis for the second time in the match when the right-hander was bowled offering no shot. Australia’s continuing experiment with Cameron Green at number three then suffered another setback when he wafted at medium-pacer Justin Greaves to be taken at first slip. Earlier, West Indies captain Roston Chase and wicketkeeper