BRISBANE: Kavem Hodge and Joshua Da Silva led a West Indies fightback in the middle session of the second Test to reach 145-5 against Australia at the Gabba on Thursday.
Hodge and wicketkeeper Da Silva came together at the start of the second session with the West Indies in huge trouble at 64-5.
But the pair dug in and put on an 81-run partnership to take the visitors to tea on the first day without further loss.
Hodge was not out 44 and Da Silva was unbeaten on 37 at the break, the two West Indians mixing resolute defence with some exciting shot-making to give their side some hope.
Mitchell Starc took three wickets in the first session to put Australia in control at the first break.
Starc bowled with pace and aggression as he claimed his 350th Test wicket but he was helped by some poor shots from the West Indies batsmen, most of whom were playing in a day-night Test for the first time.
After winning the toss and deciding to bat first on a hot day under clear skies, West Indies skipper Kraigg Brathwaite would have been hoping to get the visitors off to a good start at the top of the order.
However, he looked unsettled and fell for four in the eighth over when he played at a Josh Hazlewood delivery outside off stump and got an edge to keeper Alex Carey.
Fellow opener Tagenarine Chanderpaul had looked more comfortable at the other end and he and an aggressive Kirk McKenzie started to move the score along.
But McKenzie, who scored 21 from 25 balls, tried one big shot too many and got a thick edge off Pat Cummins to first slip, where Usman Khawaja took a sharp chance high to his right.
Chanderpaul (21) was next to go when he edged Starc to Steve Smith at second slip to leave the West Indies struggling at 54-3.
That was soon 57-3 when Alick Athanaze became Starc’s 350th Test wicket, caught behind by Carey for eight.
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Khawaja got his second catch when Greaves edged Starc to first slip with the dinner break just four balls away.
But the second session belonged to the West Indies, with Hodge and Da Silva resolute in the face of the Australian attack.
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