Chase rues spilt chances

West Indies test captain Roston Chase was left reflecting ruefully on a handful of missed chances and debatable umpiring calls after his side fell to a 159-run defeat against Australia on Day Three of the first Test at Kensington Oval.

Speaking at the post match press conference, he was especially candid about the cost of dropped catches (seven in total for the hosts), which gave the visitors’ batters extra lives at decisive moments.

“It’s not nice when bowlers are coming in, putting in all the effort, and we’re not holding the chances,” he admitted. “We’ve been working hard on the slip catches. Every day we try to take at least 30 to 40 catches. However, practice and the match are two different things. The ball comes off the bat differently with a genuine edge than when we’re practising, but that’s the best we can do right now – keep practising and build that belief.”

Despite the defeat, there were bright sparks, none brighter than Shamar Joseph in his ninth Test match. The fast bowler from Berbice, Guyana, ended the contest with match figures of 9-133, having taken 4-46 in the first innings and 5-87 in the second.

In doing so, he became the fifth bowler in Test match history to take a five-wicket haul in each of his first three against Australia. Joseph also showed some prowess with the bat, striking 44 runs from 22 balls, which included four fours and four sixes.

Looking ahead to the second Test in Grenada, Chase said there would be no reactive selections and the line-up would remain unchanged to “allow these guys to play together and find that synergy”.

His opposite Australian Patrick Cummins was delighted to go 1-0 in the three match series, remarking that he believed the contest to be one spectators enjoyed.

“It was a great Test. Thought it’d be a tight day today. We played as well as we could and the Test was in the balance for the most part. We wanted to get 200 runs but felt a lot more comfortable thanks to the way we batted.”

He saved special praise for his teammate Josh Hazlewood who was instrumental in the West Indian collapse in the second innings, removing four of the top five batters and then removing Jomel Warrican to claim figures of 5-43.

Summarised Scores:

Australia 180 & 310 (Carey 65, Webster 63, Head 61, S Joseph 5-87).  West Indies 190 & 141 (S Joseph 44, Justin Greaves 38; Hazlewood 5-43). Match Result: Australia win by 159 runs

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