Australia vs West Indies First Test: Day 3 Report

Australia vs West Indies First Test Day 3 Report: Australia need another 156 runs for victory to take a clean sweep of the two-Test series with eight wickets in hand.

Australia vs West Indies First Test: Day 3 Report (Image Source: Google)

Chasing 216 for victory, Australia lost an early wicket when Usman Khawaja was caught down the leg side off Alzarri Joseph.

Marnus Labuschagne, who has had a lean summer, failed for the second time this match, edging Justin Greaves to third slip where Kevin Sinclair took a sharp catch to leave Australia 42-2.

Joseph said the West Indies were still thinking of pulling off an unlikely win.

"We still have eight wickets to get -- you never know what can happen on the fourth day," he said.

"If we bowl in the right areas, we can still win this game."

On an oppressively hot and humid afternoon in Brisbane, Australia's pace bowlers were forced into three-over spells throughout the day, followed by time off the field to recover.

Every time a dangerous partnership started to develop, Australia managed to take a wicket to keep the deficit in check.

After resuming Saturday at 13-1, West Indies captain Kraigg Brathwaite and No.3 Kirk McKenzie were intent on keeping the Australians in the field as long as possible.

McKenzie in particular looked in great touch as he punished anything loose from the Australian pace attack.

Brathwaite was not as fluent and after scraping his way to 16, he played a poor shot to an innocuous Green delivery and chipped a simple catch to Labuschagne at cover.

However, he and McKenzie had put on a 50-run partnership to lay a good foundation for the visitors.

McKenzie has had a good tour and the stylish left-hander moved comfortably to 41 before he tried to sweep off-spinner Nathan Lyon and was trapped leg before, leaving the West Indies 86-3.

Alick Athanaze and Kavem Hodge consolidated and reached the first break with few troubles.

Lyon struck again after dinner, drawing an edge from Athanaze (35) before a brilliant piece of fielding from Travis Head saw Hodge run out for 29.

Hodge moved forward and played the ball straight to Head at short leg, who flicked the ball onto the stumps and although Hodge's bat was over the line, it had bounced up and was in the air when the stumps were broken.

First innings top-scorer Joshua Da Silva didn't last long, caught by Green on the second attempt off Starc to leave the West Indies 157-6, 179 runs in front.

But any hope of setting a really big target faded with the post-tea collapse.