KINGSTON, Jamaica, CMC – Steve Smith’s ninth Test hundred and fifth in six Tests upstaged Jerome Taylor’s fireworks and led an admirable Australian recovery, as the visitors took the honours on the opening day of the second Test against West Indies here yesterday.
Asked to bat, Australia were reduced to 16 for two by the irrepressible Taylor by the fifth over of the morning but Smith arrived to lash a splendid unbeaten 135 to lift his side to 258 for four by the close at Sabina Park.
The right-handed strokemaker was joined by captain Michael Clarke who scored 47, first Test hero Adam Voges who scored 37, and Shane Watson who was unbeaten at the end on 20.
Fast bowler Taylor shone brightly, however, bowling with pace and getting the ball to swing, to finish with three for 18 from his 15 overs.
It was his opening burst which rocked Australia, as he removed openers David Warner (0) and Shaun Marsh in an inspired spell which yielded two wickets for no runs from six overs.
He got the third ball of the day to jump awkwardly from a length outside off at Warner who fended a catch to Shai Hope at third slip, without a run on the board.
Marsh survived 25 minutes before following Warner, missing a full length delivery in the fifth over and adjudged lbw.
West Indies then had a great opportunity to stamp home their advantage but had that chance scuppered by seamer Kemar Roach’s indiscretion.
Clarke had made just three when he found himself tucked up by the 18th delivery he had faced, and got a leading edge back to Roach who snared the catch.
The batsman was already walking off when replays showed that Roach had overstepped.
West Indies were made to pay dearly for the missed opportunity as Clarke and Smith proceeded to add 118 for the third wicket and dig Australia out of trouble.
Smith has so far faced 278 balls in just under six hours at the crease, and has struck 16 fours and two sixes while Clarke batted 143 minutes, faced 107 deliveries and counted four fours and two sixes.
The pair took the Aussies to lunch on 91 for two with positive batting but were helped by the ineffectiveness of Roach, seamer Jason Holder and left-arm spinner Veerasammy Permaul in particular.
Unfazed by his let off, Clarke helped himself to two boundaries from Holder’s second over, the first belted through cover and the second pulled hard through mid-wicket.
In the following over from Roach, Clarke disdainfully lifted the bowler over the ropes at long-off
Introduced at the start of the second hour, Permaul was never a threat and both Smith and Clark treated him with scant respect.
Smith came down to his third ball and cleared mid-off for four and in his next over, Clarke lifted the Guyanese over long-on for six.
Both batsmen continued in the same vein after lunch with Smith reaching his fifty in style in the fifth over after the interval, coming down to Permaul and clearing the ropes at long on before using his feet to punch the bowler through cover, a couple balls later.
Just when the partnership was growing in stature, it was broken 50 minutes after the interval, when Clarke drove at a wide ball from Holder and nicked a catch behind to Ramdin.
He was the only victim of the session, however, as Smith found an ally in Voges to post a further 76 for the fourth wicket, and take the Aussies to tea t 170 for three.
Unbeaten on 86 at tea, Smith reached three figures in the seventh over after the resumption when he stroked Permaul through cover for his tenth boundary.
Voges too was finding his stride when he fell to Taylor in the second over of a third spell, caught at the wicket driving. He faced 81 balls in 105 minutes and struck five fours and a six.
West Indies muffed a great chance to remove Smith on 109 when Darren Bravo at slip failed to hold on to an edge off part-time spinner Kraigg Brathwaite.
A rejuvenated Smith put his head down again to put on a further 48 with Watson and pile frustration on the Windies.
Leg-spinner Devendra Bishoo, who took six wickets in the first innings of the first test, could not play due to sore finger.
Scoreboard
AUSTRALIA 1st innings
D Warner c Hope b Taylor 0
S Marsh lbw b Taylor 11
S Smith not out 135
*M Clarke c wkp Ramdin b Holder 47
A Voges c wkp Ramdin b Taylor 37
S Watson not out 20
Extras (b4, lb1, nb3) 8
TOTAL (4 wkts, 90 overs) 258
To bat: +B Haddin, M Johnson, M Starc, N Lyon, J Hazlewood.
Fall of wickets: 1-0 (Warner), 2-16 (Marsh), 3-134 (Clarke), 4-210 (Voges)
Bowling: Taylor 15-8-18-3 (nb1), Roach 15-2-65-0 (nb2), Holder 16-2-47-1, Permaul 24-7-84-0, Brathwaite 19-2-39-0, Blackwood 1-1-0-0.
WEST INDIES – K Brathwaite, R Chandrika, D Bravo, S Dowrich, S Hope, J Blackwood, *+D Ramdin, J Holder, K Roach, V Permaul, J Taylor.
Toss: West Indies.
Umpires: I Gould, R Kettleborough; TV – Aleem Dar.
