On Day 2 of the first Test at the Adelaide Oval, Australia held a dominating lead thanks to a poor batting performance by the West Indies. Day 2 ended with the West Indies posting a total of 73/6, down by 22 runs, with Joshua Da Silva scoring 17(31) to remain undefeated at the wicket. The hosts were successful because of Josh Hazlewood’s deadly touch with the ball, as he tore through the Caribbean team’s batting order. Hazlewood only needed to move the ball a little bit to give the opposing batters trouble. With their careless shot selection, the West Indies hitters tactfully embraced the opening he created.
With a half-century in the opening inning, Kirk McKenzie demonstrated his will to fend off the lethal pace attack. However, even he was caught off guard by a clumsy shot that went right to Marnus Labuschagne, who was waiting in close cover. A good 33-run partnership between Joshua Da Silva and Justin Greaves gave the visitors a brief boost in confidence. To close the day on a high note for Australia, Nathan Lyon used his experience to dismiss Greaves for 24 at the stroke of stumps. Travis Head’s aggressive purpose earlier in the day stopped the West Indies from figuring out a way out and mounting an unanticipated comeback.
Australia was put in a difficult situation by the visitors, who took five wickets while the hosts scored 129 runs. Head came out swinging on a challenging track, scoring 119 from 134 deliveries with 12 boundaries and three maximums. Although Alzarri Joseph was able to remove Head in the end, the visitors had already suffered harm. Australia secured a ninety-five-run lead against the Caribbean team because to Head’s blitzkrieg. Even so, Shamar Joseph, making his debut, helped the West Indies escape with a few wickets. Justin Greaves and Kemar Roach each scored two in addition to him. Australia 283 (Travis Head 119; Shamar Joseph 5-94) vs. West Indies 188 & 73/6 (Kirk McKenzie 26, Justin Greaves 24, Josh Hazlewood 4-18).
