Carlos Brathwaite provided the few brief highlights of a second day dominated by bad weather in the third Test between Australia and the West Indies in Sydney.

Brathwaite clattered a couple of sixes as he used the handful of overs available to bring up a half-century before falling victim to James Pattinson, and his efforts helped the tourists move on to 248 for seven when play was finally abandoned at 4.30pm.

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Only 11.2 overs had been played all day.

After so much time was lost on the opening day, play had been due to start at 10am, but a wet outfield led to a 40-minute delay.

Once they did get under way, there was barely time for Nathan Lyon to bowl three dot balls to Denesh Ramdin before rain began to fall again and the teams headed for the pavilion.

 

A guessing game followed for the ground staff as the covers came off and went back on again a number of times before play resumed at 12, and this time it lasted only 10 minutes before the rain returned.

After an early lunch, they managed a more prolonged spell in the afternoon, and Brathwaite got into his rhythm to get the scoreboard moving, in the process becoming the first West Indian since Darren Bravo in 2010 to score fifties in each of his first two Tests. 

In the 84th over he twice hit Pattinson for six, the first a towering shot over extra cover and the second powered over backward square leg, with 15 coming off the over in all.

 

 

However, Pattinson had his revenge in his next over as he got one to swing, fooling Brathwaite to remove his off stump and send him back for 69. 

But soon after the rains came again, leaving Ramdin on 30 not out with Kemar Roach yet to register at the other end.