WTC Final: Carey remains unbeaten on 66 as Australia declare at 270/8, set India a daunting target of 444

London: Wicketkeeper-batter Alex Carey remained unbeaten on 66 as Australia declared their second innings at 270/8 in 84.3 overs in the World Test Championship (WTC) Final at The Oval here, setting India a daunting target of 444.

It means that if India were to win the coveted Mace, starting from 45 minutes left in the second session, they need to break the world record of 418 for the most successful fourth innings chase in a Test match on a not-so-easy pitch to bat on.

Carey showed fine composure and middled his shots well to hit eight fours in his unbeaten 105-ball vigil. He found an able ally in Mitchell Starc, who made a nice 41 while sharing a quick 93-run stand for the seventh wicket.

Brief scores:

Australia 469 and 270/8 decl. in 84.3 overs (Alex Carey 66 not out, Mitchell Starc 41; Ravindra Jadeja 3-58, Mohammed Shami 2-39) lead India 296 by 443 runs

–IANS