Kraigg Braithwaite scores and celebrates his first century of the series. (Image: cricket.com.au)
Australia is in the driving seat to win the first Test, after improving its lead and taking early wickets.
The Windies tried to stop the Aussies, who batted until lunch as they stretched their lead to 498 runs before they declared.
Here are the moments that mattered on Day Four in Perth:
Early explosion
As expected, Australia was on a mission to get quick runs to extend its lead and send West Indies in to bat.
The Aussies entered Day Four with a 344-run lead, and with Marnus Labuschagne and David Warner unbeaten at the crease.
Warner was the second and only wicket to fall in the Aussies’ second innings, just shy of a half-century. He was caught at bat-pad for 48 runs off 71 balls, off the bowling of Roston Chase.
Fortunately for Australia, that was the only wicket to fall. Unfortunately for the West Indies, more runs were coming as Labuschagne was set to explode.
Labuschagne reached his 14th Test fifty, brought up by with brilliant straight drive. He then had the confidence to continue to score at a run-a-ball.
Doing most of the heavy lifting, Labuschagne was set to score another Test century and he brought it up nicking to fine leg for four.
Labuschagne became the eighth player to score a double century and a century in a test match.
Bringing up his century thankfully before lunch, the Aussies declared at 2/182, leading by a staggering 498 runs.
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Steady start
The West Indian opening pair of Kraigg Braithwaite and Tagenarine Chanderpaul got off to the best of starts, creating a long-standing unbeaten wicket.
Chanderpaul continued to impress, following a decent first innings, but he fell short of another half-century, thanks to Mitchell Starc.
Despite the wicket, the Windies still looked steady. With a comfortable amount of wickets in hand, the runs needed were shortened, and anything was possible.
Finally, the Aussies got the breakthrough after a 116-run opening stand. But, there was no stopping Braithwaite, who had a Test century on his mind.
Braithwaite continued strongly as he looked, finally bringing up his century before the end of the day’s play.
Undeniably, the Windies are still in a good position, despite losing three wickets. Braithwaite still remains at the crease and Kyle Mayers has just joined him.
Luckless Aussies
Australia battled hard in the field and perhaps didn’t get the reward for the effort it might’ve deserved in the final innings of the match.
In the field, things weren’t going its way, with balls straying away from fielders ever so slightly. Mitchell Starc dropped a catch in the deep when Chanderpaul streaked one through the slips while on nine.
After the opening wicket, Josh Hazlewood almost bowled Braithwaite for 67, but somehow, the bails weren’t dislodged.
Although Nathan Lyon picked up the wicket of Shamarh Brooks, the bad luck didn’t end there.
Australia lost a review trying to get another wicket, thinking it had found the outside edge, but RTS showed no edge, with the wicket staying alive.
Hazlewood thought he had his first wicket of the second innings when the umpire gave Jermaine Blackwood out LBW. However, the West Indian reviewed it, and the decision was overturned.
Lyon finally got Blackwood right at the end of Day Four, but the West Indies remain in a good position.
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