Rain delays day three start at Windies Test

West Indies were 248/7 in their first innings when the rain interrupted play for the third and final time half-an-hour after lunch in the wake of Brathwaite’s dismissal for 69.

“I’m trying to think when we’ve had rain like this for a Sydney Test, even when I played”, he said.

Denesh Ramdin will resume on 30 not out for West Indies alongside Kemar Roach, who has but to attain, on day three.

“I’m proud of that, it’s a pretty big achievement”, he said. It’s a pretty big achievement for myself. “I don’t know about it in a Test match”, he said.

“I didn’t expect the first day to spin like that”. It’s a challenge for me to try and hit the stumps.

Rain is predicted to interrupt days four and five of the contest and the underwhelming Test series against West Indies is set to fizzle out with a draw in the third and final match.

O’Keefe’s inclusion for his second test – his first on home soil – would make it the first time Australia have played twin spinners at the SCG since Shane Warne and Stuart MacGill took on South Africa at the ground in 2006.

Hope, brought into the side for Rajenda Chandrika when the opener suffered a groin strain in the warm-up, lasted just 17 balls of the morning before nicking a Josh Hazlewood delivery behind to Peter Nevill.

Australia quick James Pattinson dismissed Bravo for 33 shortly after the break, however, and Marlon Samuels followed, run out in farcical fashion for four, before rain stopped play 37 minutes into the session.

The offspinner then snared the key wicket of Kraigg Brathwaite, with the ball catching him on the glove and going to Australia skipper Steve Smith at slip.

Brathwaite had dropped his bat before retreating to his end and Samuels was stranded by Hazlewood’s throw to the striker’s end.

“I used to hear about that in county cricket”.

“There is a lot of light with the players and I think you can mention Kraigg and Carlos because they have got runs”, he added. “It was just a misunderstanding”.

An error in judgement caused his downfall, however, offering no stroke to one from Lyon that ripped back to hit off stump with West Indies on 131 for four. Leg-spinner Devendra Bishoo is still not fully recovered from a shoulder injury he sustained in the warm-up for the Melbourne Test.