Australia have surged to a thumping victory in the Frank Worrell Trophy opener after Josh Hazlewood obliterated the West Indies batting line-up in the final session on day three in Barbados.
Set 301 to win after half-centuries by Travis Head (61), Beau Webster (63) and Alex Carey (65) earlier wrestled Australia control of the contest, the hosts folded under Hazlewood’s relentless line and length, bowled out for 141 entirely within an extended last session that went beyond the three-hour mark.
Nathan Lyon secured the final two wickets in consecutive balls at 6.13pm local time as shadows stretched across the pitch in the last over of the day after the final session was extended by eight overs to try and achieve a result on day three.
The 159-run win gave Australia 12 valuable points to start the new World Test Championship campaign and extended their unbeaten run in the Caribbean to nine matches dating back to 2003.
The margin would have been far greater had Shamar Joseph (44) not thrown the willow around late to top score for the innings, landing four big sixes to post his highest score in first-class cricket.
It completed another fast-moving day that saw 16 wickets fall – the third straight day of double-digits after 14 fell on the opening day followed by 10 on day two.
Hazlewood (5-43) completed back-to-back five-wicket hauls in the Caribbean 10 years apart just after the extra time was granted, with the New South Welshman now boasting the remarkable average of 10 in three Tests in the West Indies after topping the wickets tally with 12 during Australia’s last tour in 2015.
Joseph’s own five-for earlier in the day – his third in three Tests against Australia – went in vain, with his nine wickets for the match taking his career tally against the No.1-ranked team to 22, striking on average once every 23.5 balls bowled.
First-over king Mitchell Starc immediately put the hosts on the back foot when they began their chase after tea, claiming his 20th wicket in the first over of an innings as he lured Kraigg Brathwaite (4) into a leg-side trap.
Hazlewood then followed Starc for a second spell for the Joel Garner End, striking with his first two deliveries to remove John Campbell (23) and Brandon King for a golden duck before adding Keacy Carty (20) and West Indies skipper Roston Chase (2) to leave the hosts in the perilous position of 5-56.
Earlier, Head and Webster’s 102-run fifth-wicket stand gave Australia the upper hand before Carey’s 40-ball half-century lifted their second innings total to 310 and a target that proved far too much for the hosts despite having taken a first-innings lead the previous day.
Starc’s first over set-up of Brathwaite worked to perfection as captain Pat Cummins ditched his mid-on in favour of a midwicket and a man catching behind square leg. The left-armer just six deliveries to get the in-swinger on the money as the Windies’ veteran opener clipped it straight to Sam Konstas stationed next to the square leg umpire, diving forward to pouch the catch just above the turf.
Campbell gifted Hazlewood his first wicket as he began his second spell behind Starc, the left-handed opener misjudging an attempted scoop over the wicketkeeper’s head as the ball instead ballooned off his glove and straight to Carey behind the wicket.
Hazlewood also had a stroke of fortune in second wicket next delivery as King’s inside edge cannoned into his thigh pad and also ballooned behind the wicket, fortunately in the vicinity of towering gully fielder Cameron Green who leaped up to mark it over his head.
Hazlewood’s third breakthrough is his next over was also courtesy of Chase’s inside edge that rebounded to Konstas at short leg, completing a terrific spell an over later when he nipped one back at Carty and removed his off-stump.
West Indies’ chase had fallen apart completely by the close of play as Cummins joined in to remove Shai Hope (2) and substitute fielder Marnus Labuschagne’s direct hit from mid-on caught Alzarri Joseph (0) short at the striker’s end.
Qantas Tour of the West Indies
First Test: Australia won by 159 runs
Second Test: July 3-7, St George’s, Grenada (midnight AEST)
Third Test: July 12-16, Kingston, Jamaica (4.30am AEST)
Australia Test squad: Pat Cummins (c), Sean Abbott, Scott Boland, Alex Carey, Cameron Green, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Usman Khawaja, Sam Konstas, Matt Kuhnemann, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Beau Webster
West Indies Test squad: Roston Chase (c), Jomel Warrican (vc), Kevlon Anderson, Kraigg Brathwaite, John Campbell, Keacy Carty, Justin Greaves, Shai Hope, Tevin Imlach, Alzarri Joseph, Shamar Joseph, Brandon King, Johann Layne, Mikyle Louis, Anderson Phillip, Jayden Seales
First T20I: July 20, Kingston, Jamaica (July 21, 11am AEST)
Second T20I: July 22, Kingston, Jamaica (July 23, 11am AEST)
Third T20I: July 25, Basseterre, St Kitts (July 26, 9am AEST)
Fourth T20I: July 26, Basseterre, St Kitts (July 27, 9am AEST)
Fifth T20I: July 28, Basseterre, St Kitts (July 29, 9am AEST)
West Indies T20 squad: TBC
Australia’s T20 squad: Mitchell Marsh (c), Sean Abbott, Cooper Connolly, Tim David, Ben Dwarshius, Nathan Ellis, Cameron Green, Aaron Hardie, Josh Hazlewood, Josh Inglis, Spencer Johnson, Matt Kuhnemann, Glenn Maxwell, Mitch Owen, Matthew Short, Adam Zampa
