Da Silva, Hodge lead West Indies fightback with century partnership

Defiant half-centuries from Joshua Da Silva and Kavem Hodge enabled West Indies to fight back after a dreadful start against hosts and world champions Australia in the day-night second Test on Thursday.

Da Silva led the way with 79 and Hodge, playing in only his second Test, supported with 71 and shared a century sixth-wicket stand to help the Caribbean side reach a respectable 266 for eight in their first innings at the close on the first day of the match at the Gabba.

The pair shared 149 spanning almost two sessions to rescue West Indies from another ignominious batting collapse after they won the toss, surprisingly decided to bat.

The Windies were left ruing that choice when left-arm pacer Mitchell Starc triggered an implosion to leave them 64 for five before the dinner break.

“It’s always nice to come up against Australia because they are probably the best team in the world on paper, so to face an opposition like that and to score some runs was nice. The pitch was pretty decent to bat on,” Da Silva said after play.

“Coming in at 64 for five, I just wanted to try to consolidate things with ‘Hodgy’, and it was nice, a bit challenging at times, but there were periods where it was a little easier and less challenging.”

West Indies, looking to level the two-Test series after losing the first Test by 10 wickets inside three days, suffered a major setback inside the first half-hour of play.

Their captain and batting anchor Kraigg Brathwaite was caught behind off pacer Josh Hazlewood for four, playing defensively forward, after twice needing the TV umpire to come to his rescue in early opening exchanges.

Left-handers Tagenarine Chanderpaul and Kirk McKenzie defied the Aussie attack and carried the Caribbean side to 31 for one at the drinks break, but things unraveled before the interval when they were two of four wickets – three to Starc – that fell for 15 runs in the span of 63 balls.

McKenzie was caught at first slip for 21, top-edging a cut at a short, wide delivery from Australian captain Pat Cummins before Starc got Chanderpaul caught at second slip for the same score and Alick Athanaze caught behind for eight to become the fifth Australian bowler to take 350 Test wickets.

Justin Greaves, playing in only his second Test, was hoping to carry West Indies through to dinner, but he fell to another catch to first slip off Starc on the stroke of the interval to leave the visitors in tatters.

After dinner, Da Silva and Hodge displayed incredible resilience during the perilous twilight period to defy the Australian bowling attack and lead the resistance for West Indies.

Da Silva hit seven fours from 157 balls and endured a searching examination of his courage and technique when the Australia pacers embarked on bowling him a barrage of short-pitched deliveries early in his innings.

Hodge struck eight fours from 194 balls and overcame two close calls when he edged Starc through a vacant second slip on three, and Cameron Green failed to get close to a chance at gully off the same bowler when he was five.

The pair made sure Australia endured a wicket-less session for the first time in the series and were within sight of the half-century mark when they carried West Indies to 145 for five at tea.

Hodge got to the mark first from 118 balls when he edged Green through gully for a single in the sixth over after the break, and Da Silva followed up in the next over when he turned his 109th ball, from off-spinner Nathan Lyon, past short leg for a single that also brought the century stand to wide applause.

The West Indies pair continued to battle away with the pink ball losing its sheen and the pitch getting easier for batting, and they carried the Caribbean side to 189 for five at drinks and then past 200 for the first time in the series.

Their alliance was broken two overs before the second new ball when Da Silva was lbw to Lyon playing back and across, while the second new ball carried away Hodge in its fifth over when he was caught at second slip after Starc squared him up and found his outside edge to end the day with four for 68 from 20 overs.

Alzarri Joseph provided late entertainment, cracking seven fours in 32, and he shared 41 for the eighth wicket with newcomer Kevin Sinclair, not out on 16, before being caught at second slip off the third-last ball of the day off Hazlewood, who had two for 32 from 16.4 overs at stumps.

West Indies brought off-spin bowling all-rounder Sinclair in to replace left-arm spinner and fellow Guyanese Gudakesh Motie in their only change, while Australia played an unchanged 11.
(CMC)