GEORGETOWN: Australia's spin trio spun a web around the West Indies on the day Mitchell Starc made a speedy return to international ranks after injury in the triangular series match at Providence Stadium in Guyana.
In reply, the Australians were 54 for one at the end of 10 overs at the time of going to the press early this morning.
Much had been made of Starc's recall after foot surgery, but it was the tweaking of Nathan Lyon, Adam Zampa and Glenn Maxwell that mired the hosts on another sluggish pitch. From 50 for one, the West Indies were rounded up for 116.
Not included in Australia's World Twenty20 campaign in India earlier in the year, Lyon bowled beautifully and might easily have had more than three wickets. The umpires set a high bar for lbw decisions from deliveries straightening down the line of the stumps from around the wicket.
Lyon was aided by useful spells from Zampa and Maxwell, their variations making life difficult for the West Indies - the three spinners contributed combined figures of 17.3-3-58-7. Zampa's stint included artful use of line and pace to find a way through the West Indies captain Jason Holder.
After the start was delayed by 10 minutes due to damp patches in the outfield following earlier rain, the visiting captain Steven Smith bowled first in expectation of some early swing and then spin later on a slow and tacky surface.
He was to be vindicated in the very first over when Andre Fletcher narrowly avoided falling lbw because of an inside edge when Starc swerved the ball late, and then departed a few balls later by slicing a fast ball angled across him into the safe hands of Maxwell at backward point.
Darren Bravo and Johnson Charles prospered briefly with in a stand that took the West Indies to 50 for 1, but Lyon had already begun to cause some awkward moments by the time Mitchell Marsh coaxed Bravo to push a catch into the juggling hands of Zampa at cover.
Smith followed the wicket by bringing Starc back on, a decision rewarded by a screeching yorker that plucked Charles' leg stump. Starc's radar was occasionally astray, particularly in delivering numerous full tosses, but his speeds were seldom much slower than 150kph.
From there the middle order was flummoxed by Lyon, Maxwell and Zampa, as the bowling, the pitch and some hare-brained batting all contributed. Marlon Samuels was unable to cover an offbreak that would have struck leg stump. Kieron Pollard was beaten in flight next ball, pouched by an exultant David Warner at long on, and Denesh Ramdin was not far enough down the wicket to ward off another lbw verdict, this went in Maxwell's favour.
Zampa allowed Holder and Brathwaite to cut him on a few occasions, before he whirred down a faster, flatter delivery held down the seam. Skidding rather than gripping, it was under Holder's bat before he could adjust, and off stump was tilted: a fine piece of deception.
The bespectacled Sulieman Benn offered Lyon the tamest of return catches, leaving Brathwaite to try to salvage some sort of total for his side before he too was deceived by Zampa.
This all felt a long way from Brathwaite's moment of glory at Eden Gardens a few short months ago, and even with the wiles of Sunil Narine in harness the West Indies have only the faintest hope of staving off a successful Australian chase.
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