Australia 2 for 176 (Warner 122*) drew with West Indies 330 (K Brathwaite 85, C Brathwaite 69, Ramdin 62, O’Keefe 3-63, Lyon 3-120)
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
David Warner struck the fastest Test hundred ever recorded at the SCG © Getty Images
After two days of constant rain in Sydney, David Warner produced a torrent of runs on the fifth day to entertain the faithful with the quickest Test century ever recorded at the SCG. A draw was the inevitable result of a Test in which only 150.1 overs were bowled due to wet weather, but Warner’s 82-ball hundred at least ensured there was good reason to watch the final day’s play.
Cricket Australia had thrown open the gates and declared free entry, and the local fans hoped they would see the Australians bat early in the day. Only 68 balls had been possible on day two, and days three and four had been completely washed out, meaning that the only chance of a result would have been if the captains agreed to double-declarations on the final day, but that was not to be.
West Indies began the morning at 7 for 248 and batted on, Denesh Ramdin completing a second consecutive Test half-century before they were dismissed for 330 on the stroke of lunch. And so, Australia’s first innings of the Test began after lunch on day five, with Warner and Joe Burns hoping to get whatever they could out of the day’s batting; another century opening stand was a good result.
Burns played the support role while Warner plundered boundaries; he took 16 off one Jomel Warrican over that featured the only two sixes of the innings. The first of those sixes, slapped over midwicket, brought Warner his half-century from 42 deliveries, and he kept his brisk run-rate up as the session wore on. The partnership ended at 100 when Burns lofted a catch to mid-on off Warrican on 26.
Mitchell Marsh was bumped up to No.3 to give him some valuable time at the crease; he has spent hour upon hour in this series waiting in the dressing rooms with his pads on as the top-order batsmen have repeatedly built huge partnerships. But while he defended and tried to get his eye in, the runs kept flowing from Warner, who seemed to be on target to score a century in a session.
However, more rain arrived ten minutes before the scheduled tea break and Warner left the ground unbeaten on 90, hoping the weather would clear and he would have the chance after tea to score his 16th Test hundred. It did, and he did; the milestone came up with an under-edged sweep for three off Warrican, and it was Warner’s first Test century against West Indies.
It was also the fastest of all time at the SCG, his 82-ball effort beating the 84-ball century scored by Matthew Hayden against Zimbabwe back in 2003-04. Warrican picked up a second wicket when Marsh edged to slip on 21 and Peter Nevill, who had not batted in the series, was promoted to No.4, finishing unbeaten on 7 alongside Warner on 122 from 103 deliveries when the captains agreed to call off play.
Earlier, Ramdin had started the day on 30 and brought up his fifty from his 139th delivery, but the chance to go on and score a Test hundred ended when he edged Steve O’Keefe and was sharply taken by Steven Smith at slip. In the next over, Nathan Lyon had Kemar Roach caught by Burns at short leg for 15 and West Indies were 9 for 300.
However, a 30-run last-wicket stand frustrated the Australians, with Warrican finishing on 21 not out when Jerome Taylor slapped a catch to point off O’Keefe, who finished with 3 for 63 in his first Test on home soil. Such was the lack of play that O’Keefe and Lyon between them bowled nearly half the overs completed in the Test.
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Source: ESPN Crickinfo