Twists, turns and flips on gripping second day

The ghosts of West Indies past were alive and well throughout day two of this absorbing second Test at the Gabba, as the visitors conjured up the possibility of one of the format's all-time boilovers.

Australia were indebted to the cool-headed trio of Usman Khawaja (75), Alex Carey (65) and Pat Cummins (64no) after they slipped to 5-54, declaring at 9-289 45 minutes before the close.

West Indies went to stumps at 1-13 on a day that followed a very similar pattern to the first.

The opening hour had been about as drab as the grey sky that blanketed a steamy Brisbane, as the Windies added only 30 runs and Cameron Green dropped a catch in the gully he normally would have swallowed to give debutant Kevin Sinclair a reprieve on 30 off Cummins' bowling.

A 31-run stand for the ninth wicket came to an end when Kemar Roach ran himself out and after Sinclair crashed his way to an even 50 with a four and a six from consecutive Nathan Lyon off-breaks, the Windies No.8 was stumped and so ended his side's fine innings at 311.

Steve Smith (6) remains a surprising sight wandering out as an opener alongside Usman Khawaja, and the first over from contained a few as well. The hyperactive right-hander looked particularly skittish under the gloomy Gabba sky, swivelling to pull his first ball for two, thumping one of the shots of the summer down the ground past the bowler, Roach, for four, and then moving across his stumps and being trapped lbw moments later.

It was a snapshot of the chaos to follow. Just as the Windies had fallen like ninepins before the dinner break yesterday, so too did the Australians, with Marnus Labuschagne (3), Cameron Green (8) and Travis Head (0) all departing inside the first five overs to leave the hosts in dire straits at 4-24.

The beleaguered Labuschagne couldn't quite believe his luck when he prodded at a short-of-a-length leg cutter from Alzarri Joseph, edged wide of fourth slip and watched as the acrobatic Sinclair flew to his right and held a stunning catch.

Green, who boasts an excellent first-class record at the Gabba, had leaned into a couple of cover drives and looked to be leaving well as he searched for his first innings of substance since his recent recall. But when Roach angled a full ball in from wide of the crease, his unconvincing drive picked out Kraigg Brathwaite at extra cover.

From the very next ball, which proved to be the last before lunch, Roach came around the wicket to Head but speared the ball down leg side to the left-hander. Yet fortune was smiling on the West Indies, as the batter tickled the ball through to the wicketkeeper to depart for a first baller. Incredibly, it was the third time in as many balls that Head has been dismissed in that manner at the Gabba.

Having safely negotiated Roach's hat-trick ball immediately after the dinner break, Mitchell Marsh began his counterattack, just as he had done under similar circumstances in Melbourne against Pakistan a month ago.

The right-hander upper-cut a six over the cordon from Alzarri Joseph then straight drove Roach for four more, racing to 21 from 19 balls. It was at that point thought that he was hurried into a pull shot from Alzarri Joseph, dollying the ball to Roach at mid on to leave the Australians 5-54 – still trailing the visitors by 257.

As with Marsh before him, Alex Carey determined his best approach to be an aggressive one. The keeper, on 8, profited from a slice of luck when he was bowled by Shamar Joseph only for the bail to remain in its groove. From there, he hardly put a foot wrong, cover-driving handsomely and then employing the traditional and reverse sweeps to good effect against the off-spin of Sinclair.

For 16.1 overs he and Khawaja put together a largely risk-free partnership of 96, with Carey out-scoring his partner by roughly two to one.

His adventure was finally the cause of his undoing when he whipped a Shamar Joseph delivery behind square and straight into the hands of Tagenarine Chanderpaul, who made no mistake.

The wicket left Australia 6-150 and in serious trouble, as an excellent crowd of 29,216 watched on.

Alzarri Joseph continued bending his back form the Vulture Street End and after he nicked off Mitchell Starc for two with a rising delivery, he and his pace-bowling partners began peppering Cummins with a bumper assault.

The Australia skipper looked uncomfortable at times and flat-out rattled at others as he weathered some well-directed short stuff from a fired-up attack. Doubtless Ian Bishop in the broadcast box, as well as his former teammates from the region's glory days who were here in various working capacities – Brian Lara, Jimmy Adams, Carl Hooper – would have been stirred by the efforts of this current XI.

Yet the situation also revealed much about the character of Cummins. Not for the first or second time in the past 12 months, the No.9 produced an innings of substance when his team needed him most.

With the outstanding Khawaja, who again showcased the patience and composure that has made him Australia's best batter for the past two years, Cummins forged a fighting rearguard, the pair adding 81 for the eighth wicket to bring the home side to within 70 of the Windies' total.

At that point Sinclair's gentle off break found Khawaja's edge, Alick Athanaze snaffled the chance at first slip, and the bowler produced a sensational flip and somersault routine that would have made a fit Sam Kerr proud.

With about an hour in the day remaining, Cummins' thoughts soon became clear – he wanted to have a bowl before the night was out. He passed his previous best Test score of 63 and after Nathan Lyon thrashed a run-a-ball 19, the skipper called the innings closed.

Australia had 35 minutes under lights with a fresh pink ball and West Indies openers Brathwaite and Chanderpaul had little on their mind but survival. Starc was left to rue what might have been when Smith, who endured a forgettable day, dropped a low chance off Brathwaite at second slip when the Windies skipper was on three.

There was a final twist in the tale from the last over of the day, as Josh Hazlewood – likely still seething at his captain's refusal to utilise the batting skills that, legend has it, once saw him club a double century in Bendemeer club cricket – stormed in from around the wicket to the left-handed Chanderpaul (4) and induced what Snicko revealed to be the slightest feather of an edge.

The wicket signalled stumps and, with a West Indian lead of 35 after two terrific days' cricket, the promise of more of the same come Saturday.

NRMA Insurance Test series v West Indies

First Test: Australia won by 10 wickets

Second Test: January 25-29, Gabba (3pm AEDT)

Australia Test squad: Pat Cummins (c), Scott Boland, Alex Carey, Cameron Green, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Mitchell Marsh, Matthew Renshaw, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc

West Indies Test squad: Kraigg Brathwaite (c), Alzarri Joseph (vc), Tagenarine Chanderpaul, Kirk McKenzie, Alick Athanaze, Kavem Hodge, Justin Greaves, Joshua Da Silva, Akeem Jordan, Gudakesh Motie, Kemar Roach, Kevin Sinclair, Tevin Imlach, Shamar Joseph, Zachary McCaskie