Promising sign over Aussies’ two big Ashes questions; brainfade legend ‘hated’ — Talking Pts

Australia has been bowled out for 286 after captain Pat Cummins won the toss and chose to bat first in the second Test against the West Indies in Grenada’s National Cricket Stadium.

Following an early collapse of 5-63, all-rounder Beau Webster and wicketkeeper Alex Carey resurrected the Australian innings with a century partnership for the sixth wicket, with day one interrupted by rain on multiple occasions.

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The duo each cracked fifties during their counterpunch, with West Indies seamer Alzarri Joseph taking four wickets in another superb bowling effort.

The returning Steve Smith, having recovered from the finger injury he sustained during last month’s World Test Championship final at Lord’s, couldn’t resolve Australia’s top-order woes, dismissed by Joseph for 3.

The second Test between the West Indies and Australia will resume on Friday at 11.49pm AEST.

"NO Awareness": Smith OUT for 3 | 00:43

CAREY RESCUES AUSSIES AGAIN WITH GILCHRIST-LIKE KNOCK

Australia was in deep trouble at 5-110 when Alex Carey walked out to bat at Grenada’s National Cricket Stadium on Thursday.

The West Indies were one wicket away from exposing Australia’s tail, while courtesy of the unpredictable pitch, the hosts had a genuine chance of rolling through the lower order before tea.

However, as he’s done so often across the last nine months, Carey counterpunched, cracking 25 runs from his first 25 balls to swing momentum back in Australia’s favour.

The 33-year-old wasn’t afraid to use his feet against the West Indies quicks, often skipping down the pitch and scoring down the ground with attacking strokeplay. He combined with all-rounder Beau Webster for a 112-run partnership for the sixth wicket to rescue the tourists after an early stumble.

It was a Gilchrist-like performance from the South Australian, who was dismissed early in the evening session for 63, his second half-century of the series.

“He’s turned himself into just about the most consistent player in the Australian line-up,” Blewett said in commentary.

“In terms of style and the way that Carey goes about it, he reminds me a lot of Adam Gilchrist.

“Like his great mate Travis Head, he’s always looking to score.”

Blewett went further to suggest Carey was in such good form Australia could move him up the batting order in the future.

Highest Test batting average among Australian wicketkeepers

* Minimum 50 innings

47.60 — Adam Gilchrist

35.61 — Alex Carey

32.98 — Brad Haddin

32.63 — Tim Paine

27.39 — Ian Healy

Australia's Alex Carey. AP Photo/Ricardo Mazalan Source: AP

Last year, Carey tinkered with his batting stance and introduced a higher backlift, a minor technical tweak that seemingly paid dividends — since the start of last summer, the left-hander has averaged 47.69 in Tests with a healthy strike rate of 75.42.

“I just changed the hands a little bit, just got them up,” Carey told reporters in Grenada on Tuesday.

“I had a bit of time last winter where I didn’t play much cricket, so I guess the traditional pre-season was back and I just tinkered with a couple of things.

“At the moment it’s feeling quite good in the stance.”

Carey, recently bestowed the honour of leading the team song from Nathan Lyon, was fighting to keep his spot in the Test side following a lean 2023/24 summer — but now he’s one of Australia’s most reliable batters.

Green DROPPED... & Caught in same over | 00:41

“I feel like at the moment I’m pretty clear when I go out to bat,” Carey continued.

“I try to get myself to quite a high energy level and intensity, which some guys in the team probably take the piss out of me a little bit.

“But I feel like that’s the best method for me if I’ve got the energy up and focusing on what’s coming down at me. That’s the best headspace for me.”

Most Test runs among wicketkeepers in 2025

425 - Alex Carey (AUS)

378 - Rishabh Pant (IND)

279 - Kusal Mendis (SL)

234 - Mohammad Rizwan (PAK)

163 - Kyle Verreynne (RSA)

Alex Carey with his higher backlift. (Photo by Paul Harding/Getty Images) Source: Getty Images

UZZIE’S ‘OBVIOUS WEAKNESS’ EXPOSED

The West Indies have exploited an “obvious weakness” in Usman Khawaja’s batting, according to T20 World Cup champion Carlos Brathwaite.

On day one in St George’s, West Indies quick Alzarri Joseph dismissed the Australian opener with a well-directed inswinger, trapped on the pads for 16.

Khawaja called for review, but in a moment of deja vu, Hawkeye suggested the ball would have clipped the top of the bails for another Umpire’s Call verdict — the wicket was almost identical to the Queenslander’s second-innings dismissal during last week’s match in Barbados.

When facing right-armed pace bowlers in Tests since the start of 2024, Khawaja has averaged 18.7 from over the wicket compared to 43.6 from around.

All three of Khawaja’s dismissals in the Caribbean — departing for less than 50 on each occasion — have come from around the wicket, along with both of his wickets during last month’s World Test Championship final against South Africa.

Speaking in commentary, Brathwaite declared the angle as an “obvious weakness” for the left-hander — and former West Indies spinner Samuel Badree agreed.

“The moment Khawaja comes out to bat, they’re immediately around the wicket to him because the data suggest she struggles from that angle,” Badree said.

“Good planning, good execution.”

Australia's Usman Khawaja. AP Photo/Ricardo Mazalan Source: AP

Earlier on Thursday, Khawaja became the 16th Australian Test cricketer to pass the 6000-run milestone, joining an illustrious list of national sporting greats.

“He’s a magnificent player,” former Australian batter Greg Blewett said of Khawaja.

“He’s one of those laconic sort of players, he never looks too flustered. He gives the rest of the Australian batting order a sense of calmness.

“Just a classy player, and the last half of his career has been excellent. He was in and out of the side for a while, but since he’s come back into the Australian side, he’s been absolutely superb.”

‘REAL TALENT’: WEBSTER’S GOLDEN START CONTINUES

Beau Webster has been a revelation in the Test side.

Since receiving his baggy green ahead of the New Year’s Test at the SCG, picked ahead of the underperforming Mitchell Marsh, the Tasmanian all-rounder has accumulated 365 runs at 45.62 with four fifties. Albeit a small sample size, he currently boasts a higher Test batting average than Usman Khawaja and Travis Head.

The all-rounder contributed crucial runs against India in January and during last week’s series opener against the West Indies in Barbados, while he pulled off another rescue mission in Grenada on Thursday.

Walking out to bat with Australia in early trouble at 4-93, Webster dropped anchor and tamed the West Indies seamer in a chanceless, dismissed late in the evening session for 60 while attempting to farm the strike.

Regardless of the conditions or the opposition, he finds a way to score runs.

And that’s without mentioning his bowling, capable of producing crafty seamers or nagging tweakers pending the match situation.

Beau Webster of Australia. Photo by Randy Brooks / AFP Source: AFP

“I just stuck to my game plan, and it got me through,” Webster said at stumps.

“I’d like to convert one of these half-centuries eventually.”

Ahead of the home Ashes campaign, Webster is quickly cementing himself in Australia’s first-choice Test starting XI.

With fellow all-rounder Cameron Green struggling in his new position at first drop, national selectors may be tempted to slot him back down in the middle order — but Webster is ensuring there won’t be a vacancy for him at No. 6.

“You can see that there’s real talent there,” former West Indies spinner Samuel Badree said in commentary.

“He’s very handy with the bat and continues to get important runs down the order for Australia.”

KONSTAS WINS SHAMAR BATTLE BEFORE NEEDLESS ERROR

Shamar Joseph was all over Sam Konstas during last week’s series opener in Barbados.

The West Indies quick knocked over the teenager for single figures in both innings at Kensington Oval, along with two dropped catches off his bowling.

Playing his first away Test, Konstas looked completely out of his depth, dismissed for 3 and 5.

“Konstas really struggled in Barbados,” Blewett said in commentary.

“He looked all at sea. I actually felt for him.

“If you’re an Australian supporter, you’d love to see the young man get away in this Test match.”

The battle resumed in Grenada on Thursday, but Konstas only needed one delivery to shake off any lingering nerves, rocking back and thumping Joseph’s first ball over square leg for an elegant boundary.

He was away.

Sam Konstas of Australia. Photo by Randy Brooks / AFP Source: AFP

Konstas batted proactively and looked considerably more comfortable in the middle, defending with authority and attacking with freedom. His eighth delivery was punched down the ground for a double, while he slapped thumped consecutive boundaries against Joseph during his fourth over.

However, the right-hander was often guilty of flashing outside off stump with a diagonal bat and minimal footwork, neglecting to transfer his weight across when targeting the covers — which drew the ire of Blewett.

“I hate that shot, I really do,” Blewett grumbled when Jayden Seales beat Konstas’ outside edge in the fifth over.

“I don’t like that. That’s very close to getting the outside edge.”

Multiple deliveries narrowly evaded Konstas’ edge before he wafted needlessly at a wide outswinger from seamer Anderson Phillip and tickled behind for 25, his highest Test score since Boxing Day.

Despite failing to convert his promising start into a substantial score, the Australians would have felt reassured by Konstas’ performance, a vast improvement from last week.

However, the 19-year-old is running out of chances to cement his spot in the starting XI ahead of the Ashes, leaving him at risk of plunging into a Sheffield Shield bat-off in October.

EX-AUSSIE STAR ‘REALLY ENCOURAGED’ BY GREEN IMPROVEMENT

Greg Blewett has been an outspoken sceptic of Cameron Green promotion to No. 3 in the Test side, but the former Australian batter was “encouraged” by what he witnessed in St. George’s on Thursday.

Since being elevated to No. 3 at the expense of Marnus Labuschagne, Green has struggled to reward the selectors’ faith, posting scores of 4 and 0 during last month’s World Test Championship final at Lord’s along with twin failures of 3 and 15 during the series opener against the West Indies in Barbados.

However, the West Australian showed signs of improvement on day one of the Grenada Test, combining with Travis Head for a 43-run partnership for the fourth wicket before falling victim to West Indies quick Jayden Seales on the final delivery before lunch.

The 26-year-old struck a quartet of boundaries, including consecutive fours against Alzarri Joseph in the 19th over, while he didn’t shy away from driving down the ground, also crunching a powerful pull shot through square leg.

Australia's Cameron Green. AP Photo/Ricardo Mazalan Source: AP

“I was really encouraged with his form today,” Blewett said during the lunch break.

“I thought he moved a lot better than what he did at Lord’s and in Barbados. I thought he looked a lot tighter. He was looking to score a little bit more.

“I was more encouraged after that innings today that possibly there could be a future for him at No. 3.”

However, for the fifth-straight knock, Green was caught in the slips cordon off the outside edge, with rival captain Roston Chase snaffling a chance at gully.

National selectors will have seen enough from Green to give him another opportunity at No. 3 for next week’s series finale in Kingston, but the right-hander can’t seem to convert his stellar domestic first-class form, where he averages 59.24, into the Test arena.

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