Australia vs West Indies, 2nd Test at Melbourne, , Dec 26 2015 - Ball by Ball Commentary

RESULT
2nd Test, Melbourne, December 26 - 29, 2015, West Indies tour of Australia
551/3d & 179/3d
(T:460) 271 & 282

Australia won by 177 runs

Player Of The Match
4/66 & 3/85
nathan-lyon
New
WI 2nd Innings
Full commentary

6.10pm That's all from us from this Boxing Day Test. Hope you've enjoyed it. Keep tuning in to our coverage, keep sending in your comments, and have an awesome New Year. I'll leave you with a few of your comments. Until next time, goodbye!

Mal: "I'm very pleased with what I saw from both teams today. WI showed encouraging fight and determination, and almost held their own today. Australia, despite missing so many fast bowlers due to retirement or injury, chiselled them out."

AJ: "Among all this, I just cant believe how selfless Smith is. HE could have easily made another ton to his credit but it takes much much than what we think to declare like this and look at teams cause. Great captain in the making.."

Old Buzzard: "So now we have a Mitchell Pheiffer!" -- Well, not quite, but I'll include your comment for wit anyway.

Nathan Lyon is the Man of the Match. "I'm trying to improve each day," he says. "That was a great Test match, credit to our bowlers. We stuck there and got the late reward. Definitely [work at catching off my own bowling]. Obviously helps if you can hold on to your catches. Can't wait to get down to the dressing room and celebrate with the boys. Credit to the West Indies to push us all the way to the end of day four, made us work really hard."

Steven Smith: We made it difficult for ourselves, overstepping, we had to take 23 wickets, not 20. I thought Mitchell Marsh was impressive today, he really charged in, hit the pitch hard, got it reversing. Usman is playing beautifully. I've put myself down at No. 4 and I think it's a good decision. He's made three hundreds in a row, and another in the Big Bash as well. Lyon is bowling extremely well at the moment and is taking crucial wickets. Hopefully he can continue doing that for a long time. You want to try and wrap up the series 3-0. The West Indies fought really well and I'm sure they'll come back hard at Sydney as well.

Jason Holder: I thought most of the guys applied themselves, which was really commendable. Credit to the way Australia played, they outplayed us. We had to keep wickets in hand, occupy the crease. Our plan was for me and Ramdin to stick on till the end of the day. Carlos came in and showed spirit [in the first innings], and bowled well. We have been criticised from all different angles, but I've just stressed to the team to keep faith. This shows what we can do if we apply ourselves. We just need to keep that belief and keep pushing Australia.

6.02pm Two-nil to Australia, and it was never in doubt. West Indies fought pretty well today, but they will know they could have done so much better. All of their top seven got starts, but only Ramdin and Holder made half-centuries. In any case, the match was lost much, much earlier, when their bowlers let four of the Australian top five make hundreds.

88.3
W
Marsh to Taylor, OUT

short on off stump, and Australia have won the Frank Worrell Trophy! Goes for the pull, doesn't get hold of it, it goes high in the air off the top edge and Pattinson moves to his left at long leg and dives to take a well-judged catch at long leg

Jerome Taylor c Pattinson b Marsh 0 (3b 0x4 0x6 8m) SR: 0
88.2
Marsh to Taylor, no run

yorker on off stump, jams down and just about keeps it out

Tim: "Who can take this test into a fifth day? Warri'can'!"

88.1
Marsh to Taylor, no run

back of a length on off stump, defended into the covers

end of over 888 runs • 1 wicket
WI: 282/9CRR: 3.20 
Jomel Warrican4 (3b 1x4)
Jerome Taylor0 (0b)
James Pattinson 17-4-49-2
Mitchell Marsh 17-2-61-3
87.6
4
Pattinson to Warrican, FOUR runs

boom. Shortish on off stump and he clears his front leg and heaves it over wide mid-on

87.5
Pattinson to Warrican, no run

fullish outside off and he chases away from his body, finishing with left elbow high, picture postcard, really, but for the small detail that he hasn't made any contact with the ball

87.4
Pattinson to Warrican, no run

length ball outside off, left alone

Jomel Warrican. Can he take this Test match into a fifth day?

87.3
W
Pattinson to Roach, OUT

got him, Australia only need one wicket now. Perfectly directed, hits the pitch hard, short of a good length, gets it to rise and straighten on off stump, and Roach is squared up, nicks it off the shoulder of the bat to third slip

Kemar Roach c Warner b Pattinson 11 (25b 2x4 0x6 38m) SR: 44
87.2
4
Pattinson to Roach, FOUR runs

fullish outside off, flat-batted to the left of short cover. That came back into him but he still managed to middle it

87.1
Pattinson to Roach, no run

back of a length, fourth-stump line, punched to short extra cover

Taylor joins Roach.

end of over 876 runs • 1 wicket
WI: 274/8CRR: 3.14 
Kemar Roach7 (22b 1x4)
Mitchell Marsh 17-2-61-3
James Pattinson 16-4-41-1
86.6
W
Marsh to Holder, OUT

got him! That was full on off stump and Holder checked his drive, maybe it held up a bit on the pitch. No feet, and he pushed at it in front of his body, and ended up scooping it straight to mid-off

Jason Holder c Hazlewood b Marsh 68 (86b 7x4 2x6 136m) SR: 79.06
86.5
1
Marsh to Roach, 1 run

full on middle and leg, clipped to long leg

86.4
Marsh to Roach, no run

fullish on off stump, stays on the back foot and blocks into the covers

86.3
1
Marsh to Holder, 1 run

and again, that legcutter finds the leading edge as he plays across a middle-stump ball. This one goes in the air into the vacant cover point region

86.2
Marsh to Holder, no run

in the blockhole on middle stump, jabbed back to the bowler

86.1
4
Marsh to Holder, FOUR runs

length ball on off and middle, straightens to produce the leading edge as Holder looks to whip across the line, and it flies over the leaping, outstretched Warner at gully

Four overs to go, two wickets to get to activate the half-hour extension. Holder and Roach are holding on without too much discomfort. Mitchell Marsh comes back on.

end of over 862 runs
WI: 268/7CRR: 3.11 
Kemar Roach6 (20b 1x4)
Jason Holder63 (82b 6x4 2x6)
James Pattinson 16-4-41-1
Josh Hazlewood 20-6-40-0
85.6
Pattinson to Roach, no run

length ball on middle stump, defended to mid-on

85.5
1
Pattinson to Holder, 1 run

length ball close to off stump, gets on the front foot and pushes gently into the covers

85.4
Pattinson to Holder, no run

bouncer, angling down leg, easily ignored

85.3
Pattinson to Holder, no run

shortish, close to off stump, left alone

85.2
1
Pattinson to Roach, 1 run

shortish, angling into the body, skips across and tucks it down into the leg side

AskESPNcricinfo Logo
Instant answers to T20 questions
West Indies Innings
<1 / 3>