Windies capitulation all their own doing

The West Indies' hopes of breaking Australia's pink-ball winning streak are in tatters and not because of any day-night mastery from the home side. 

For Australia, the colour of the Kookaburra ball would not have mattered against a West Indies side that spent day three finding new ways to make life harder for themselves.

The Australians set the tourists a formidable total of 7(dec)-511 but with Tagenarine Chanderpaul looking good on 47 at stumps and a chance to bat in the sun awaiting them, the tourists had reason to believe they could make a go of things as the Test approached its midpoint.

But the optimism was short-lived, thanks not to Australian brilliance, but to errors that would have made even the most patient schoolboy coach cringe.

On the fourth ball of the day, Chanderpaul tapped Mitchell Starc to silly point and tried to sneak a single but the Australian was wise to his plan.

Starc retrieved the ball and hit the stumps directly to dismiss the West Indies' talisman as he tried to scurry back to his crease.

Rather than adjust their focus back to the lofty task at hand, the West Indies were left rattled by the run-out.

And when Jason Holder edged to Alex Carey less than two overs later, they'd given up two wickets before they'd scored a run on day three.

The tourists didn't learn from Chanderpaul's run-out, instead losing their next-most prolific batter Anderson Phillip (43) in much the same way.

The nightwatchman hit a ball to cover, hesitated, and then tried to run on a misfield but was sprung short of his ground. 

Things weren't much better when the visitors had a chance to field.

In the most egregious of the missed chances, Alzarri Joseph gave Steve Smith an extra life after the stand-in captain belted the ball high in the air to forward square leg.

Joseph never looked comfortable under the ball, despite having ample time to take it, and spilled it to the ground to the chagrin of bowler Jason Holder.

Wicketkeeper Joshua da Silva twice dropped Travis Head and the South Australian remained not out when Australia declared on 199.

The blunders summed up a long and tough tour, which began in Twenty20 disappointment, included a World Cup exit in the preliminary stage and now looks set to finish in a series whitewash with more than a day to spare.