Australia completed a comprehensive 419-run win over the West Indies in the second Test at the Adelaide Oval on Sunday to seal the series 2-0. As such, the Aussies have consolidated their top positioning in the ICC World Test championship points table for the ongoing cycle.
With eight wins and a defeat from 12 Tests, the men from down under now have a points percentage of 75, 15 better than the second-placed South Africa, whom they’ll host for a crucial three-match series beginning December 17.
It took Australia just 18.5 overs, within 90 minutes, on Day 4 to bag the remaining six wickets in West Indies’ second innings, after the visitors were precariously placed at 38/4 in their chase of 497 by stumps on Day 3.
Mitchell Starc, having burned a review against Devon Thomas on the first ball of the day, had the right-hander caught behind not long after to give the hosts a start. Starc then sent Jason Holder’s off-stump cartwheeling to bag his third of the innings, leaving West Indies at 49/6.
Roston Chase and Joshua de Silva fell to Michael Neser, while Alzari Joseph was castled by Nathan Lyon as the off-spinner bagged a landmark 450th Test wicket. He became just the third Australian to do so, after Shane Warne and Glenn McGrath. Neser then had Marquino Mindley caught behind by Alex Carey, who completed his fourth catch of the morning, and a sixth of the innings to seal the deal.
Australia further extended their 100% win record in Day-Night Tests, having one each of the 11 games, with seven of them coming at the Adelaide Oval. The victory margin of 419 is also their best ever, in terms of runs, against the West Indies.
Travis Head was named the Player of the Match for his game-setting 175 in the first innings, followed by a brisk 38* in the second. Marnus Labuschagne, who racked up 502 runs in the series with three hundreds from four outings, was named the Player of the Series.
Brief scores
Australia 511-7 decl (Head 175, Labuschagne 163; Thomas 2-53) and 199/6 decl (Khawaja 45, Head 38*; Joseph 3-33, Chase 2-25) beat West Indies 214 (T Chanderpaul 47, Phillip 43; Lyon 3-57) and 77 (Boland 3-16, Neser 3-22, Starc 3-29) by 419 runs.
