The second Test in Grenada finished like the first in Barbados, with a batting performance as shambolic and uninspired from the home side as their bowling had been impressive. Everybody is bored of the eulogies for West Indies cricket: we’ve all been reading them for 25 years, and some of us have been writing them for what feels as long. But it doesn’t matter how many times you’ve seen The Shawshank Redemption, you still feel a pang of sadness when Tommy Williams steps out to meet Warden Norton for a midnight chat.
Australia shot down West Indies with as little remorse, all out for 143 in less than 35 overs on day four, the visitors winning by 133 runs at the Grenada National Stadium and going 2-0 up to win the series. It’s not that the scoreline is a surprise, given the resource disparity between the teams and administrations, but it still feels wrong to feel that a Test side has no chance of chasing once a target approaches 250.
