Australia were bowled out 180 but hit back with four wickets in the final session
Australia’s experienced pace attack has hit back on the opening day of the Frank Worrell Trophy after Shamar Joseph reprised his Gabba exploits to dismantle the tourists’ top order as wickets tumbled in Barbados.
West Indies went to stumps on day one of the first Test 4-57 at Kensington Oval after earlier rolling the No.1-ranked Test side for 180 after Pat Cummins opted to bat as Australia’s Test team returned to the Caribbean for the first time in a decade.
The hosts had overhauled their XI for the new World Test Championship cycle but their own top order proved no match for the might of Mitchell Starc (2-35) armed with a new Dukes ball.
The left-armer removed both openers Kraigg Brathwaite (4) and John Campbell (7) as Cummins and Josh Hazlewood each picked up a wicket as the shadows lengthened in the final hour.
New Windies captain Roston Chase went to stumps one not out alongside debutant Brandon King (23 not out) as brushed aside his earlier blemishes in the gully to live up to his T20 pedigree as he opened his Test account at a run-a-ball pace.
The loss of four wickets, which included nightwatchman Jomel Warrican for a duck, undid the dominance of their quicks for the first three-quarters of the day, with the 14 wickets lost the most on the opening day of a Test at Kensington Oval since 2011.
In case any of the Australians had forgotten his stunning seven-wicket haul in their Gabba triumph in January last year, Joseph issued a quick reminder to have the tourists reeling at 3-22 after electing to bat first.
The Guyanese tearaway claimed the first two wickets before returning to inflict more damage in the second session to finish with 4-46 from 16 overs.
Jayden Seales (5-60) provided valuable assistance in wrapping up the lower-order as he claimed four of the final five wickets as the tourists’ batting woes continued despite a rejigged line-up for their opening match of the new WTC campaign.
Missing Marnus Labuschagne (omitted) and Steve Smith (injured), Joseph made light work of Australia’s third opener in as many Tests, removing Sam Konstas (3) and then No.3 Cameron Green (3) in a brilliant opening spell.
The right-armer should have had all of Australia’s top three back in the sheds within the first hour if it wasn’t for some untidy catching behind the wicket, with Green given a life second ball when new Chase spilled Khawaja at first slip when he was on six.
Having pinned Konstas lbw in his second over following an excellent review from Chase with a ball that nipped back and beat the teenager’s inside edge, Joseph should have a second two balls later had Brandon King not spilled a relatively regulation chance in the gully.
It was the first of three drops for the West Indies’ first-gamer, later giving another life to Khawaja on 45 and Nathan Lyon on two.
Justin Greaves made amends for the Green drop when he comfortably pouched a low chance as second slip to hand Joseph his second as he found the edge with the West Australian prodding forward looking to defend in a similar vein to his two WTC final dismissals against South Africa.
Seales joined the fun when the new-ball quick was swung around to the Joel Garner End with the tourists’ new No.4, Josh Inglis, skying an attempted pull shot. But Khawaja made the hosts pay for their earlier sloppiness as he added an extra 41 runs to rebuild the innings alongside Travis Head.
Head (59) counterattacked in his typically flamboyant style, hitting the first boundary in the game’s 16th over when Seales over-pitched and was flayed through the vacant cover region.
Then got Khawaja going too as he lifted Alzarri Joseph (0-37) over square leg and into the stands for six, with the pair consolidating and quickly adding 43 runs in the second hour to take Australia to lunch without further loss.
But the return of Shamar Joesph after Head reached his 19th Test half-century from just 57 balls swung the momentum back in the hosts’ favour as Khawaja’s luck finally ran out of 47 after King dropped another chance in the gully diving to his right. The veteran opener also narrowly avoided the ball rolling back onto his stumps when his attempted pull rebounded off his heel, missing his off peg by a whisker.
Joseph made it all of Australia’s top three in his pocket moments later when Khawaja attacked a short ball that he could only top edge though to recalled wicketkeeper Shai Hope before the speedster produced a peach that took Beau Webster’s (11) off stump bail.
It took Joseph’s tally to 17 wickets at 15.94 in five innings against the Australians following hauls of five wickets on debut in Adelaide followed by his 7-68 on one leg at the Gabba to spur the West Indies to their first win over the No.1-ranked Test side in more than two decades.
Head also survived his own catch controversy when TV umpire Adrian Holdstock determined there was “no clear evidence” to prove that his under-edge off Joseph had carried into the gloves of Hope behind the wicket.
Fortunately, it didn’t cost the home side too many runs as Seales and Greaves removed the visitors’ pair of South Australians either side of tea, Carey edging the former to Chase at slip who squared his after the earlier drop of Khawaja before latter picked up Head caught behind as he slashed again outside the off stump.
Cummins provided a brief 18-ball cameo that yielded 28 runs as well as a beautiful six over cover, but Seales had the last laugh as he picked up four of the final five Australian wickets to claim his third five-wicket haul of his Test career.
