Australia show no mercy to wanton West Indies
Towards the end of Australia's latest gargantuan first innings in a summer of batting gluttony, the West Indies opener Rajendra Chandrika was struck a painful blow on the wrist by an Adam Voges stroke. Quickly to his aid was the hosts' team doctor Peter Brukner. Chandrika recovered and later batted; it was the only moment's mercy offered by the Australians to their hapless quarry all day.
More representative was the bowling of Peter Siddle, James Pattinson and Nathan Lyon, all of whom harried their opponents relentlessly and were rewarded with regular victims. Lyon's loop, Pattinson's reverse swing and Siddle's accuracy made for a highly complementary attack, augmented by the stingy Josh Hazlewood.
By the close they had reduced the West Indies to a forlorn 6 for 89 in response to 551, leaving open the possibility of another follow on, another Australian innings victory and another three-day Test match. Even if the shorter turnaround to the New Year's Test in Sydney stops Steven Smith from making such a call, not even the most staunchly patriotic Australian supporter can take too much joy from ritual executions of such lopsided brutality.