Grenada [West Indies], July 4 : West Indies head coach Daren Sammy applauded the performance of his bowlers as they bundled out the Australia side at 286 on the first day of the second Test at National Cricket Stadium here on Thursday.
The West Indies pace attack combined to take all 10 Australian wickets on a rain-interrupted day at the National Cricket Stadium on Thursday, with the visitors eventually out for 286 in their first innings before another shower saw stumps called early with the ICC World Test Championship contest evenly poised.
It was the third time in this series that the West Indies had dismissed Australia for a below-par score, and Sammy believes confidence is rising within his bowling group.
"I more look at it like the homework we've done, and our bowlers keep challenging the top-order. I mean (bowling coach) Ravi Rampaul, ever since he has come in the culture we tried to change, and it's more importantly the way the bowlers are buying to it and we could see the results out there," Sammy said after the opening day's play in Grenada as quoted by ICC.
"Like I said, 30 wickets in three innings, I mean, so many times you would have a declaration or in the first innings against our attack. The bowlers have done their homework and one when they put the ball in the right areas. It's not just Australia, they would have worried any batting top-order (in the world)," he added.
It was towering pacer Alzarri Joseph that led the way for the West Indies on the opening day in Grenada, with the right-armer collecting four crucial wickets that included the key scalps of Australian duo Steve Smith and Usman Khawaja.
Joseph was well supported by Jayden Seales (2/45) and Sammy believes the West Indies are well-placed for victory at stumps with four days remaining in the clash.
"If you start the day with the opposition winning the toss and batting, and you restrict them to 280, you would take that. We have played three innings against the No.1 team in the world, and we've got them 30 wickets, probably 37 if you count all the dropped catches. They had patches after lunch (today) where we let them get away with it, but I think the session after that, when we got five wickets...kind of made up for it," Sammy noted.
Beau Webster (60) was one of two Australian batters to score a half-century on the opening day, and the all-rounder thinks there is plenty of assistance in the pitch for the bowlers to take advantage of as the match progresses.
"The wicket is still offering enough, definitely with the new ball it looked like it swung around quite a bit that morning session, so hopefully we take advantage of that (on the second day). I would have liked to put a three in front (of Australia's score), no doubt, but 286 I think is a relatively good day," Webster said.