Steve O'Keefe is unlikely to get a better chance to show his fine record at Sheffield Shield level can be replicated in Test, thanks to an SCG pitch that is immediately living up its former spin-friendly reputation.
Yet that same pitch could also hinder him - by showing up just how far Nathan Lyon is ahead of his peers with the red ball. 
For the second time in a week Lyon was Australia's key strike-bowler as the West Indies struggled to 6-207. Their position would have been worse had it not been for an unbroken seventh-wicket partnership between Denesh Ramdin (23 not out) and Carlos Brathwaite (35 not out) that contributed 48 runs in the last 10 overs.
Carlos Brathwaite entered at a precarious 6-159. The bowling all-rounder's willingness to repeatedly sweep O'Keefe showed he held no fear of the ball spinning sharply away and catching his outside edge. All six of his boundaries - four fours and two sixes - came off the left-arm finger-spinner.
Even with that late hitting O'Keefe conceded just 42 from his 14 overs. He claimed his first Test wicket in Australia, but yet that was more so due to the fine reflexes of Joe Burns at short-leg than it was to him deceiving the batsman who offered that catch, West Indies captain Jason Holder.
Lyon's opening-day figures of 2-68 did not do justice to the quality of his bowling. Those two scalps included that of anchor batsman Kraigg Brathwaite, for 85.
A key theme of this Frank Worrell Trophy series has been for the West Indies to start a day well only to undermine their good work after lunch. That script was maintained on Sunday.
The visitors overcame the early loss of opener Shai Hope, a late replacement for the injured Rajendra Chandrika, to reach 1-92 at lunch. They managed this courtesy of a solid partnership between their two best batsmen, Kraigg Brathwaite and Darren Bravo.
Australia's two-man pace attack of Josh Hazlewood and James Pattinson spent only the first seven overs bowling in tandem. It was at that stage that captain Steve Smith turned to Lyon, who spun the ball so sharply he kept him unchanged at that end for all but two of the remaining 34 overs for the day at the Randwick End of the SCG.
The spin on offer was welcomed by Fawad Ahmed, the leg-spinner who served as Lyon's deputy during the tours of the West Indies and England only to lose his spot to O'Keefe because he struggled in his scant playing opportunities.
"After long time, ball is spinning miles . . . typical SCG wicket . . . love to watch," tweeted Ahmed, who is Sydney for BBL duty.
The turn was so pronounced that even when Lyon was bowling over the wicket to right-hander Kraigg Brathwaite and pitching the ball outside off-stump his captain deployed a leg-slip, so confident was he that Brathwaite would have to play into the leg side.
From the other end Smith relied on pace for most of the first session. That brought the first wicket, with the new ball, as Hazlewood had Hope caught behind to claim his first wicket since Hobart.
Pattinson's two spells before lunch were underwhelming. That changed after the break as he bowled with conspicuous effort.
It was a bouncer, to Bravo, that ended the left-hander's partnership with Brathwaite nine short of a century. Usman Khawaja deserved credit for the removal of Bravo for 33, given the difficulty of the low chance at backward square-leg.
Marlon Samuels' wretched tour continued with his departure for four. He ran himself out from the last delivery before a rain delay to leave the West Indies at 3-115.
Despite the spin on offer Smith declined to give both his spinners a long opportunity to bowl in tandem until the final session.
Lyon struck five overs into the final session when Kraigg Brathwaite underestimated the bounce from him, attempting a cut, and was caught at first slip off his gloves. Within 10 minutes O'Keefe had his wicket when Holder turned him a half-volley in the leg-side, only for Burns to snare the difficult low chance.


SCOREBOARD

WEST INDIES 1st innings                                          R         M          B      4s     6s 
K Brathwaite c Smith b Lyon                                     85     241     174     10      0 
S Hope c Nevill b Hazlewood                                        9       19       17       0      0 
DM Bravoc Khawaja b Pattinson                                33      111      95       6      0 
M Samuels run out (Hazlewood)                                 4        25       20      1       0 
J Blackwood b Lyon                                                  10        30       29      2       0 
D Ramdin not out                                                     23       79       72      2       0 
J Holder c Burns b O'Keefe                                          1         6         9       0      0 
C Brathwaitenot out                                                 35       29       35       4      2 
Sundries (5b 1lb 1nb)                                                7 
TOTAL (for six wickets)                                          207 

FALL: 13 (Hope), 104 (Bravo), 115 (Samuels), 131 (Blackwood), 158 (K Brathwaite), 159 (Holder).
BOWLING: J Hazlewood 12-2-35-1, J Pattinson 13-2-41-1 (1nb), N Lyon 32-11-68-2, M Marsh 4-1-15-0, S O'Keefe 14-4-42-1.
BATTING TIME: 279 mins. OVERS: 75.
UMPIRES: Ian Gould (Eng), Chris Gaffaney (NZ).
MATCH REFEREE: Chris Broad (Eng).
THIRD UMPIRE: Marais Erasmus (SAf).
Stumps, day one