Starc puts Australia in control against West Indies

Mitchell Starc took three wickets to put Australia in control of the second Test against the West Indies as the visitors slumped to 64-5 at the dinner break on the first day in Brisbane on Thursday.

Starc bowled with pace and aggression in the first session as he claimed his 350th Test wicket, but he was helped by some poor shots from the West Indies batsmen, most of whom were playing in a day-night Test for the first time.

Kavem Hodge was not out on three, with Justin Greaves falling on the second ball of the last over before the break.

After winning the toss and deciding to bat first on a hot day under clear skies, West Indies skipper Kraigg Brathwaite would have been hoping to get the visitors off to a good start at the top of the order.

He survived a scare in the second over when given out leg before wicket, only for a review to show a big inside edge onto his pad.

However, he looked unsettled during his stay at the crease and eventually fell for four in the eighth over when he played at a Josh Hazlewood delivery outside off stump and got an edge to keeper Alex Carey.

Fellow opener Tagenarine Chanderpaul had looked more comfortable at the other end and he and an aggressive Kirk McKenzie started to move the score along.

But McKenzie, who scored 21 from 25 balls, tried one big shot too many and got a thick edge off Pat Cummins to first slip, where Usman Khawaja took a sharp chance high to his right.

Chanderpaul (21) was next to go when he edged Starc to Steve Smith at second slip to leave the West Indies struggling at 54-3.

That was soon 57-3 when Alick Athanaze became Starc’s 350th Test wicket, caught behind by Carey for eight.

Khawaja got his second catch when Greaves edged Starc to first slip with the dinner break just four balls away.

acd/kma

AFP

(NAMPA / AFP)