Cricket News: Australia vs West Indies: Steve Smith takes over as captain

    To keep the first Test alive, the West Indies openers formed an excellent rearguard as captain Kraigg Brathwaite and rookie Tagenarine Chanderpaul batted through the middle session of day four to stave off an Australia attack without Pat Cummins

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    Steve Smith took over as Captian in absence of Pat Cummins. Image credit: SALive Image Steve Smith took over as Captian in absence of Pat Cummins.

    West Indies' slim chances of avoiding a series-opening loss were strengthened when Cummins could not take the field due to quadricep pain. West Indies need a record 498 runs to win or, more likely, to bat through 154 overs to draw.

    Steven Smith, a former skipper, replaced Cummins as captain after he claimed his 200th Test wicket while playing a prominent part in the West Indies first innings. Brathwaite and Chanderpaul scored their second half-century partnership of the game on an Optus Stadium track that had few surprises.

    <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Marnus Labuschagne hits his second double century in Test. A truly memorable knock from <a href="https://twitter.com/marnus3cricket?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@marnus3cricket</a>. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/MarnusLabuschagne?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#MarnusLabuschagne</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/AUSvsWI?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#AUSvsWI</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/AUSvWI?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#AUSvWI</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/stevesmith?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#stevesmith</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/TestCricket?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#TestCricket</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/AustraliavsWindies?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#AustraliavsWindies</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WestIndies?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WestIndies</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/News?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#News</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/crickettwitter?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#crickettwitter</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Cricket?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Cricket</a> <a href="https://t.co/7Ok5anL2rc">pic.twitter.com/7Ok5anL2rc</a></p>&mdash; CricInformer(Cricket News &amp; Fantasy Tips) (@CricInformer) <a href="https://twitter.com/CricInformer/status/1598195606056419330?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 1, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

    After going for 48, however, opener David Warner lost a tremendous chance to end an almost three-year Test century drought.

    Labuschagne, who began day four at 29 for 1, was lucky when he top-edged to gully via his helmet but was spared by an Alzarri Joseph no-ball.

    Following his treatment, Labuschagne carried on with his life and scored his 2000th Test run in Australia in his 31st innings. The milestone has only been reached faster by Sir Don Bradman (19 in England and 26 in Australia), Sir Garfield Sobers (29 in the West Indies), and others.

    Before lunch, Labuschagne slammed the brakes on his ninth Test century after surviving an assault from Joseph in a gripping duel.

     

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