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Big win sees Aussies retain Sir Frank Worrell trophy

Australia have retained the Frank Worrell Trophy and boosted their bid for the No.1 Test ranking with a 177-run win over West Indies at the MCG.

Steve Smith declared overnight at 3-179, setting the visitors a victory target of 460 on day four and there was plenty of toil for the hosts on a tedious Tuesday.

But Nathan Lyon and Mitch Marsh turned the screws to give their side another day off before the final Test starts on Sunday.

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Josh Hazlewood failed to take a wicket in the match and Peter Siddle was clearly restricted by an ankle problem.

But Marsh grabbed career-best figures of 4-61, including the final wicket of Jerome Taylor, as the hosts secured victory by rolling West Indies for 282 at 6.01pm.

Australia hold an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-Test series.

Combined with South Africa’s struggles against England in Durban, the result put Smith’s men one step closer to the No.1 ranking they crave so dearly.

Australia are currently third on the table on 109 rating points, with India (110) and South Africa (114) both ahead.

A two-Test tour of New Zealand in February will be a more realistic gauge of where Australia are at.

Australia cruised to victory before tea on day three in Hobart, winning by an innings and 212 runs.

However the Caribbean batsmen on Tuesday showed the sort of resolve that had largely been absent from their previous three digs in the series.

Siddle was well down on pace and went off the field for treatment on his ankle in the morning.

Siddle grabbed the prized scalp of Darren Bravo after lunch, the in-form first drop caught behind for 21.

The veteran only bowled nine overs on Tuesday, suggesting all is not right with his body.

Marsh stepped up sharply, sending down 17.3 overs and regularly hitting the 140 km/h mark.

The allrounder dismissed Taylor, Marlon Samuels, Denesh Ramdin and Jason Holder, who top-scored with 68.

“It’s probably as well as he’s bowled in Test cricket,” said Mark Taylor on the Nine Network.

Lyon also proved a partnership breaker.

Lyon added the scalps of Kraigg Brathwaite, Jermaine Blackwood and Carlos Brathwaite to his first-innings haul of four wickets.

The dismissal of Brathwaite was the most remarkable, with the Kookaburra beating the bat and kissing the off bail ever so slightly.

On-field umpires were unsure what happened and called on third umpire Ian Gould to review the footage.

A fired-up James Pattinson, who gave opener Rajendra Chandrika a spray in the morning session, typified his side’s early frustration.

– AAP

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