Australia vs. West Indies: Winners and Losers from 3rd Test
The third and final Test of the series between Australia and West Indies saw only one real winner—the rain.
Bad weather meant only 150.1 overs were bowled in the entire match at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) in Sydney, Australia.
West Indies resisted the temptation to make a game of it on Day 5, instead batting on to reach 330 in their first innings.
With no declarations to set up a late run chase, Australia were simply left to bat out time. David Warner hit an unbeaten hundred as they finished on 176 for two.
It was a damp start to 2016 for the two teams, though that's not to say there weren't some notable highlights in the play that was possible.
However, the drawn outcome means the hosts win the series 2-0. They had already made certain of retaining the Frank Worrell Trophy thanks to victories in the previous Tests, in Hobart and Melbourne.
Here, Bleacher Report picks out the winners and losers from what little action took place at the SCG.
Winner: David Warner
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David Warner entertained those spectators who made the most of free entry to the ground on Day 5, lighting up an otherwise forgettable final two sessions of play with a thrilling century.
The Australia opener hit two sixes and 11 fours as he posted his 16th career ton in Test cricket.
He finished up on 122 not out from just 103 deliveries, meaning he ended the series with an average of 75.33.
Per statistician Shiva Jayaraman of ESPN Cricinfo, Warner also set a new record: "82, Balls taken by David Warner for his century in Australia's first innings—the fastest at the SCG. Matthew Hayden's century against Zimbabwe at this ground in 2003-04 had come off 84 balls, which was the previous quickest."
Loser: Marlon Samuels
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If Marlon Samuels hoped the start of a new year might lead to a change in his fortunes at the crease, the Sydney Test suggested he should maybe think again.
The West Indies' most experienced batsman finished a miserable tour by being run out for four on Day 1 of the series finale.
It means in five innings in the series, Samuels managed just 35 runs and faced 92 deliveries. That is hardly the kind of return the tourists needed from a man who has played well over 50 Tests in his career.
ESPN Cricinfo pointed out the player's miserable run on Twitter: "Marlon Samuels' horror run continues. Last 9 Test innings: 11, 0, 13, 6, 9, 3, 0, 19, 4."
Winner: Steve O'Keefe
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Steve O'Keefe must have feared the weather was going to spoil his audition.
However, picked to play in his just his second Test—his first on home soil—the left-arm slow bowler seized on the chance to clean up the West Indies tail on Day 5.
O'Keefe finished with figures of three for 63, hardly dazzling numbers but enough to push his claims for selection when Australia tour Sri Lanka later in the year.
Before the match, the last time Australia had played two spinners in the same Test XI was back in 2006. On that occasion, Stuart MacGill and Shane Warne worked in tandem against South Africa at the SCG.
Nathan Lyon and O'Keefe don't quite carry the same threat as the leg-spinning duo, but they did work well as a partnership on the final morning.
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Loser: Sydney Cricket Ground
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New Year Test matches at the Sydney Cricket Ground are usually special occasions. In 2016, however, rain ruined the entire spectacle.
While Day 2 saw only 68 balls squeezed in, Days 3 and 4 were completely washed out by persistent downpours. The busiest people throughout the match were the ground staff.
According to statistician Shiva Jayaraman of ESPN Cricinfo, the total of 901 deliveries bowled in the match was the fewest ever in a Test at the venue.
The SCG will hope for better luck with the weather when they host a 50-over match between Australia and India on January 23.
Winners: The Brathwaites
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West Indies impressively managed to span all five days of the Test with their first innings, albeit with a lot of help from the weather.
However, there were some impressive performances in their final total of 330.
Opener Kraigg Brathwaite top-scored with 85 to finish the series with 229 runs at a respectable average of 45.80.
Meanwhile, namesake Carlos Brathwaite (no relation) made a second half-century in as many Tests, following up his score of 59 in the second Test in Melbourne with a breezy 69 in Sydney.
His knock carried extra meaning in a match that saw Day 3 nominated as "Pink Day," an initiative set up by the McGrath Foundation in support of the fight against breast cancer.
Brathwaite's mother is a breast cancer survivor, and he dedicated his efforts to her, per the Jamaica Gleaner: "She not a 'big' cricket person, but she understands a bit about the game and she has been a tremendous supporter all my life."
Loser: West Indies' Bowlers
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West Indies rejected an offer from Australia to set up a fourth-innings run chase on Day 5. When you look at their bowling figures for the series, you can understand why.
Spinner Jomel Warrican's average of 76 was the best of the lot for the tourists. He picked up both wickets as Australia made 176 for two before declaring in the final session.
Kemar Roach had a particularly miserable tour, the paceman going wicketless in 41 overs and leaking runs at an economy rate of 6.02.
Captain Jason Holder explained why he had knocked back opposite number Steve Smith's idea of the hosts chasing 370 in 70 overs, per Daniel Brettig of ESPN Cricinfo: "He [Smith] came to us and made an offer, I just went back to the team and we thought at this stage of our development it wasn't the best thing for us."
Considering the speed at which David Warner made his unbeaten century on Day 5, Holder's decision to reject Australia's proposition might have saved West Indies from suffering a series sweep.
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