Mitchell Starc’s counter-attack has come to an end with Australia less than 50 runs from victory.
Starc had hit a blistering 21 from 14 balls before skying a ball into the covers off none other than Shamar Joseph.
Steve Smith is still out in the middle.
Joseph was down on his haunches in pain, too, after one of the bravest spells of fast bowling we’ve seen on Australian shores in some time.
Australia has won every single one of its 11 pink-ball Test matches, and hasn’t lost to the West Indies in Australia since 1997.
5:01PM: CUMMINS GOES
Shamar Joseph has another one!!
The West Indian quick, bowling with potentially a broken toe, has his sixth wicket with Pat Cummins caught behind.
That would have been tea, but with Australia eight down the West Indies have asked for more time and it’s been granted.
We’ll have another four overs before the break.
The West Indies need two wickets, Australia need 40 runs. Don’t go anywhere.
4:56PM: CUMMINS NEARLY GONE FIRST BALL
Alzarri Joseph nearly ended Pat Cummins’ heroics before they’d begun, with a jaffa to greet the Australian captain first ball.
The delivery beat the outside edge and nearly kissed the side of off stump.
Gee whizz.
Also, over in India Ollie Pope has been dismissed for 196 in the Poms’ second innings, with a lead of 231, for those following along with that Test.
He’s dragged them back into the match after being blown out of the water in the first innings.
4:40PM: NO BALLS PROVING A PROBLEM
Alzarri Joseph has bowled two no balls in a row in the last over, making eight of them so far this innings for the West Indies.
The Sundries total is 11 for the innings, which hurts just that little bit extra when you’re defending a relatively small total.
Could it be the difference in Australia maintaining their flawless 11-0 pink ball test record?
West Indies great Brian Lara said as much on Fox Cricket’s commentary.
“Alzarri needs to get his foot behind the crease,” Lara said.
“Can you imagine if they took a wicket off a no ball?
“Plus it gives away the extra run.
“He needs to get his rhythm right”
4:32PM: STARC TAKING IT ON
Mitchell Starc is 10 off six deliveries and was nearly caught out.
If the West Indies had a conventional midwicket instead of a man in under the helmet they would have had him dismissed with a simple catch.
4:26PM: CAREY BOWLED!
Goodness gracious me. Wow. The West Indies are right in this.
Shamar Joseph has slammed right into the middle stump of Alex Carey, playing all around a drive and he’s gone for two runs.
This is the West Indies of old.
Australia needs 80 runs to win. Mitch Starc is in.
Channel 7’s Damien Fleming has declared the West Indies are in with a red-hot chance to win this game at the Gabba despite having just 80 runs to play with.
“This is brilliant bowling,” Fleming said on the Channel 7 coverage.
“That is that area that has troubled all the Australian batsmen, remarkable story, hobbled off last night, unsure whether he’d bowl and he is ripping open this Test match, look at that stable seam, hitting that green patch.”
“This Test match is alive. The West Indies are in this. They have been brilliant throughout the series.”
4:17PM: MARSH GONE
Shamar Joseph you STAR!
Mitch Marsh has been squared up the injured quick, with a juggling catch taken at slip.
Now, Alex Carey and Steve Smith are the only men standing between Australia and a historic loss.
Australia still needs 84 runs for victory.
4:10PM: HEAD’S HORROR GABBA RUN CONTINUES
That was a wild couple of minutes there, hooly dooly.
To misquote Bill Lawry, “it’s all happening here at the Gabba”.
To come back to Travis Head for a minute, that king pair made him look in absolute all sorts out there, but the Gabba is rapidly becoming a graveyard for his average.
ABC stats man Ric Finlay has pointed out Travis Head’s last four dismissals at the ground have all been dreaded golden ducks.
We’re not sure if Travis will be rushing back to Queensland for a holiday.
4:04PM: SMITH BRINGS UP HIS 50
Steve Smith is nearly halfway to silencing doubters at the top of the order, bringing up his half century at the Gabba on Day 4.
Aside from one ball which Kemar Roach cut back into him for a desperate shout for LBW, Smith has looked in control in the middle.
His role will be even more crucial now with the two quick wickets to Shamar Joseph.
3:42PM: SHAMAR JOSEPH INTO THE ATTACK
In a move which is excellent news for cricket, Shamar Joseph is bowling. He looks fine in his delivery stride and nearly had Cam Green caught at second slip, with a cut shot too close to his body sailing over third slip’s grasp.
3:38PM: GET ON WITH IT, LADS
Every two or three overs Steve Smith and Cameron Green are getting water and gloves run out to the middle, and are taking a minute or two to get back to the crease.
Umpire Nitin Menon had to come down the pitch and tell them to get on with it.
It’s nearly 90 per cent humidity out there and very warm, but also it’s called Test cricket – it’s supposed to test you.
If you can’t bat with sweaty gloves then I’m not sure what to tell you.
As we get back to it, Cameron Green punches one down the ground for three and then Smith squirts one along the ground through the gully after being squared up.
50 partnership up, Smith on 49.
3:32PM: GREEN HITS IT TO THE FENCE
Cameron Green has struggled this morning but has finally clipped one away off his toes to find his first boundary for the day.
He’s not 17 off 55 as he re-acclimatises to the Australian XI.
3:25PM: HUGE SHOUT FOR SMITH LBW AS JOSEPH HITS THE FIELD
Kemar Roach has let loose a big shout for Steve Smith to be dismissed LBW, which was turned down.
The ball was heading a long way down leg, and the Windies don’t review it, but concerning to see Smith falling over himself at a quick ball cutting back into him.
He’s still there on 39 not out.
Shamar Joseph is also making his way out to the middle for the first time today – fingers crossed we’ll see him with ball in hand shortly.
His shirt is taped up, too! He’s got someone else’s shirt on and they’ve had to cover up the numbers.
3:16PM: DISTRACTIONS BEHIND THE BOWLER
Been relatively pedestrian to get us off the mark for day four, but we’ve had a distraction behind the sightscreen – but for Cameron Green, not Steve Smith.
He’s spent a minute trying to get a fellow above the sightscreen to sit down.
This Alzarri Joseph over has challenged Green a fair bit this over, too, with the ball moving a bit and beating the outside edge.
3.00PM: WE’RE UNDER WAY FOR DAY 4
After early concerns about rain, it Steve Smith, Cameron Green and the West Indies side are back out in the middle ready to recommence at 2-60.
2:30PM: SHAMAR JOSEPH HOPING TO BOWL
First-Test hero Shamar Joseph is poised to push through the pain barrier as West Indies chase their first victory in Australia since 1997 at the Gabba.
Joseph has reportedly been cleared of a broken toe after retiring hurt when he was struck — and left bloodied — by a Mitch Starc toe crusher on Saturday.
The breakout quick has been warming up before play on day four in a positive sign for the West Indies.
Joseph was taken for scans last night after being struck by Starc and has yet to bowl in Australia’s second innings.
“Optimistic signs here. He’s out in the middle just behind us taking some pretty ginger steps,” says Adam Gilchrist on Fox Cricket.
“He might be a chance.”
Michael Vaughan adds: “If he can have one spell I think the captain of the West Indies will take that.”
Kraigg Brathwaite tells Fox Cricket: “He says he feels good this morning…he’s eager to go.”
LYON’S MESSAGE TO SMITH OPENING DOUBTERS
Daniel Cherny, in Brisbane
Nathan Lyon has launched a passionate defence of Steve Smith after the former captain’s technique came under fire following an underwhelming start to his new role as Test opener.
After scores of 12, 11 not out and six across his first three innings during the series against the West Indies, Smith reached stumps on day three of the Gabba Test on 33 not out and shaping as a crucial factor in Australia’s chase of 216 to complete a perfect five wins from as many starts this home summer.
The Aussies are 2-60, with uncertainty over whether Windies paceman Shamar Joseph will be able to bowl on Sunday.
Joseph did not bowl on Saturday night after retiring hurt having been struck on the foot by a Mitchell Starc yorker.
The Windies said the Guyanese had been cleared of a fracture but provided scant other details.
Up to 35 millimetres of rain are forecast for Brisbane on Sunday.
Smith’s move to the opening role was controversial and his pronounced movement across to the off-side had been attributed with his downfall in both of his dismissals thus far in the series.
However Lyon, Smith’s long-time teammate, said he was not at all surprised that Smith had looked comfortable at the crease on Saturday night.
“We’re talking about arguably the greatest player in the last decade,” Lyon said.
“There’s a lot of talk about his batting. I sit here and laugh because he’s arguably the best problem-solver I’ve ever played with. I’ve only got accolades for Smithy, and I’ve been fortunate enough to play over 100, 115, 120 Test matches with him. He’s by the far best. So it looked normal for me, just what I expect.”
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While Smith looked to have found his touch, Marnus Labuschagne’s middling 12 months continued when he was squared up by Windies all-rounder Justin Greaves, nicking off for five.
Alzarri Joseph, the tourists’ vice-captain, said the Windies had tried to take a leaf from Pakistan’s book after Shan Masood’s side had some success against Labuschagne during the summer’s earlier Test series.
“Like I said before this series, we looked at a few things that the Pakistan bowlers did and we’re going to take them on board,” Alzarri Joseph said.