Khawaja and Burns smash tons as Australia gain upper hand against West Indies
It was the same old story on day one of the Boxing Day Test match, as hosts Australia yet again completely outplayed a hapless West Indies side in Melbourne. The WI captain who won the toss, surprisingly elected to bowl first on a good batting wicket.
Jerome Taylor provided an early breakthrough for the visitors, as he dismissed opener David Warner for just 23. However, that also turned out to be the last bit of joy, as Australia started piling on the misery upon the visitors.
Joe Burns combined with Usman Khawaja, who was returning from an injury, and the two were involved in a 258-run stand, to dismiss all hopes of a Windies comeback. Burns brought up his second Test ton, and soon his partner notched up his third century.
West Indies had a little consolation towards the end, as they dismissed both centurions in quick succession, but not before Australia had a firm grip on the game. Captain Steven Smith combined with Adam Voges, to safely steer the home side at 345/3 at stumps.
Usman Khawaja’s third century also turned out to be Australia’s 1000th international century, in all forms of cricket, which was the most by any team in cricket. England are a close second on the list with 964 centuries.
As predicted, there was rain earlier in the day, which delayed the start of play by an hour. Jerome Taylor tried to make good use of the conditions early on, as bowled good length deliveries. His effort seemed to have paid off when he dismissed the dangerous Warner.
The West Indies were made to wait until the final session to pick up a few more wickets, to gain some kind of consolation on an otherwise forgettable day for the fielding side. As Nathan Lyon had rightly said, Australia did not look like they were showing any mercy on the visitors.
Going into the subsequent four days, Australia will look to press on the advantage further, and wrap up the match very quickly, as they did in Hobart.
Scorecard:
West Indies won the toss and chose to bowl
Australia 1st innings:
| Batsmen | Runs |
| Joe Burns | 128 (230) |
| David Warner | 23 (12) |
| Usman Khawaja | 144 (227) |
| Steven Smith | 32* (49) |
| Adam Voges | 10* (24) |
| Total | 345/3 |
Bowling:
| Bowler | Overs | Maidens | Runs | Wickets |
| Jerome Taylor | 18 | 2 | 83 | 2 |
| Kemar Roach | 10 | 1 | 53 | 0 |
| Jason Holder | 17 | 6 | 33 | 0 |
| Carlos Brathwaite | 20 | 1 | 71 | 0 |
| Jomel Warrican | 16 | 1 | 71 | 0 |
| Kraigg Brathwaite | 9 | 1 | 31 | 1 |