West Indies' Shai Hope and Roston Chase shine in first Test against Australia

Hope springs eternal. It's what keeps sports fans coming back — sometimes against their better judgement — believing that better days may be just around the corner. Hope that this West Indies team will be the one that converts their Gabba win to a first home Test win over the Aussies in 22 years. Perhaps it's what dragged Shai Hope, the West Indies' white ball skipper, back to the Test team after a four-and-a-half year absence.

\"Shai Hope is a class player,\" Roston Chase, who has also been out of the team, missing his side's last 13 matches including the tour of Australia, told cricinfo before this Test got underway. \"I'm just looking for him to lead by example as a senior player and someone that I can lean on in pressure situations and to help me lead the troops in being a competitive Test team.\"

How prophetic that statement would turn out to be. The two Bajan batters came to the crease with the West Indies really starting to feel the pressure. Brandon King had played well to reach 26, surviving a poor dropped catch from Alex Carey behind the stumps before inexplicably leaving one from Josh Hazlewood that cleaned up his off stump. Having been 4-57 overnight, King's wicket left the hosts 5-72, still more than 100 runs behind Australia's first innings score and under pressure.

And yet, by the time both had been removed by bafflingly poor DRS decisions from third umpire Adrian Holdstock, they had led the Windies towards parity, just 18 runs shy with two wickets remaining. Much could, and should, be made of the errors from Holdstock in giving the West Indies' two key batters out in the manner that he did. The clear deviation off Chase's bat before Cummins's delivery crashed into his pads was obvious to seemingly everyone but the South African umpire, and while Carey's catch to dismiss Hope off the bowling of Beau Webster may have been spectacular, it clearly ended with the ball making significant contact with the ground as he completed the catch.

Darren Sammy, West Indies coach, was visibly upset by the decision, throwing his hands in the air and turning away in disgust from the pavilion. That all being said, Chase could have been out for 1 had Holdstock recognised that Hazlewood's delivery in the very first over of the day had brushed the pad before hitting his bat. But coupled with the hugely questionable decision not to award Hope a catch on day one to dismiss Head, the West Indians will justifiably feel like they have had the worst of the calls.

The controversy upset what was a superb fightback from the West Indies. The twin innings of the West Indies' two skippers still carried huge importance to set up not only a compelling Test, but a competitive series. Their partnership may have only been 67, but in a low-scoring Test it gave the hosts a much-needed leg up.

Hope instantly brought intensity and willingness to the crease, two sumptuous fours off Cummins a delight to watch, while Chase maintained a measured, level head to hold his side together. Despite not playing a Test since November 2021, Hope averages 50.9 in first class cricket at the Kensington Oval, while Chase averages 43.2. Clearly, both enjoy playing in Barbados.

Between them, they have scored nine 50s and nine tons on this ground in red ball matches. A flattening pitch aided the two locals, of that there is no doubt, as was the fortune that befell Chase early in the day when a close LBW call was denied off Hazlewood — although the Windies were made to pay for that in double later on.

Can't get enough cricket from Grandstand? Tune in for the latest cricket news, interviews and analysis from the ABC team in the Grandstand Cricket Podcast. Then there was the desperately tough chance shelled by Sam Konstas at short leg, a second reprieve when he had but 4 runs to his name. But, the successful chase gave the West Indies hope, backing up the bowlers' efforts.

And Shamar Joseph continued that positivity with the ball, even as John Campbell and Justin Greaves shelled two more regulation chances in the slip cordon off his bowling — the fourth and fifth drops he has endured during this Test. Joseph grinned his way back to his mark, perhaps a gurning mask of his frustration, while coach Darren Sammy positively exploded in the box as the porous slip cordon again threatened to derail their batters efforts.

But he still came in, a marathon seven-over spell being rewarded with Konstas's wicket as the top four failed again, Australia reduced to 4-65 and the hope that Travis Head can ride his form to the rescue of his country yet again. Australia's close of play lead, just 82 runs with six wickets remaining, sets up a thrilling third day. There was plenty of hope that this series would be competitive. Looks like we've got our wish.