The West Indies captain Jason Holder declined an offer to make a game of the rain-ruined third Test against Australia in Sydney because he did not think his side was ready to try to go for the win. In a scenario that the Caribbean side would have struggled to create over a full five-day match
West Indies’ hopes of avoiding a 3-0 series result were boosted significantly on the second day in Sydney, where only 68 deliveries were bowled due to persistent rain. Further rain is expected on the third day and a draw now looms as the most likely outcome, with West Indies still batting in their first innings
If West Indies’ aim really was “not to peak too early” as the team manager, Richie Richardson suggested, they can look back on their crushing defeat at the SCG with a sense of a mission accomplished. Beaten by nine wickets in a game that barely lasted 50 overs in its entirety, it is true that
Two high quality hundreds were notched in this match, by Eoin Morgan and David Warner, while no other batsmen passed 40. The difference between Australia and England was that Warner’s 127 at the top of the order set the tone for the hosts, whereas Morgan’s 121 served merely to add a veneer of respectability to
Three wickets needed, a wearing SCG pitch, the light fading, India trying to cling on for a draw – it could have been the 2008 finish all over again. But Michael Clarke was in the commentary box this time, not out in the middle with ball in hand, and Ajinkya Rahane and Bhuvneshwar Kumar held