Australia has tightened its grip on the second Test against the West Indies in Jamaica, taking wickets late on day three to close in on victory at Sabina Park.

Earlier, a sensational rearguard effort from Jason Holder took the score from 8 for 143 overnight to 220, before the tourists came out and scored 2 for 212, including 69 to Shaun Marsh.

Captain Michael Clarke pulled a surprise declaration in the final hour of play, giving the West Indies eight difficult overs before stumps, with the hosts 2 for 16 at the close, chasing 392 to win.

The hosts had a terrible start, as Kraigg Brathwaite lasted just three balls before dragging a Mitchell Starc delivery on to depart for a duck, then he struck again in the first over, as Rajendra Chandrika completed a pair on debut when he was caught by Marsh.

The Australians thought they had a third wicket when Darren Bravo was given out LBW to Nathan Lyon for 1, only for the decision to be reversed after a referral, with the ball tracking over the stumps.

Bravo survived and hit Lyon for a straight six in the final over of the day to be 8 not out at stumps, with Shane Dowrich unbeaten on 1, leaving the home side in trouble with two days left.

Tailender Holder was left stranded on 82 not out as the West Indies were dismissed for 220 in their first innings, leaving a deficit of 179.

Holder swatted the four Australian specialist bowlers to all corners of Sabina Park with an aggressive display of lusty hitting more reminiscent of a limited overs game than a Test.

His unbeaten score, off only 63 balls, included 12 fours and two sixes.

It allowed West Indies to avoid the follow on, but they nonetheless ended the first innings in a deep hole on day three.

Josh Hazlewood took the final two wickets to fall, dismissing Kemar Roach for 7 and Jerome Taylor for a third-ball duck. He finished with career-best figures of 5 for 28 off 15.5 overs.

Australian innings starts slow, but builds in final session

At lunch, the Australians were 22 without loss in their second innings, with Shaun Marsh on 14 and David Warner on 8.

The two openers had some nervous moments in the 11 overs they faced before the break, and the normally free-scoring Warner was particularly subdued as he focused on survival rather than runs.

The pair built their innings in the post-lunch session, with Warner mixing patience with big shots as he compiled 62 off 110 balls (seven fours, one six) before falling to Roach through a loose pull shot before tea.

Marsh also played plenty of shots, as he moved to 59 at tea, alongside Steve Smith who was 8 not out.

With the lead over 300, the Australians then opened up in the final session. Marsh fell for 69, but Clarke and Smith added 49 off 15 overs, including 39 off the last 10, before Clarke called the innings to a close.

The Australians won the first Test by nine wickets and are seeking to sweep the two-Test series as they tune up for the Ashes series against England, with the first Test in Cardiff less than a month away.