In a performance reminiscent of West Indies’ fearsome bowling attacks of old, Jayden Seales and Shamar Joseph tore through the Australia batting lineup, toppling them for a meagre 180 on day one of the first Test at the Kensington Oval in Barbados.
Mitchell Starc, skipper Pat Cummins, and Josh Hazlewood saved Australia’s blushes, taking four wickets between them to send the West Indies in at stumps at 57 for four, trailing the tourists by 123 runs to leave the match delicately poised on Wednesday.
With Seales claiming a magnificent five-wicket haul and Joseph unleashing thunderbolts that left Australia’s batsmen floundering, the visitors never recovered from a catastrophic start that saw them reeling at 22 for three on a lively pitch.
“This one was pretty special for me,” Seales said.
“I have played against [Australia] once, and was injured. To play against them and get five on the first day was pretty special.
“With the new ball, the plan was to bowl fuller. We knew the batters would come hard if we gave them width, and the plan was to bowl full and as much at the stumps as possible.
“A little slower than what the Australians would have expected, and that made them play a lot more.
“Shamar was special today … He has a love for Australia. He got through the top order and made it easy for us in the middle and at the end.”
Australia, already vulnerable with Steve Smith sidelined by injury and Marnus Labuschagne axed, watched in dismay as their re-jigged top order wilted under relentless pressure from the Caribbean quicks.
Joseph got the Bridgetown carnival started in the fourth over when he trapped teenage debutant Sam Konstas leg before wicket after a review.
The 25-year-old then delivered a scorching delivery that all-rounder Cameron Green could only edge to Justin Greaves at second slip.
Seales then joined the party, coaxing a thick top edge from Josh Inglis that sent him trudging back to the pavilion for five, completing Australia’s horror start.
Veteran Usman Khawaja and Travis Head briefly stemmed the tide with an 89-run partnership, but Joseph struck again at the perfect moment, removing Khawaja for 47 – agonisingly short of his half-century – and extinguishing Australian hopes of a recovery.
The middle order offered little resistance, with Beau Webster (11) and Alex Carey (8) falling cheaply before Greaves claimed the prize scalp of Head for 59, caught behind.
Captain Pat Cummins (28) provided the only lower-order resistance before Seales returned to sweep through the tail, completing his five-wicket masterclass and leaving Australia to contemplate the wreckage of their innings.
West Indies would have fancied their chances at that point, but Starc had other plans, snapping up the wickets of Kraigg Brathwaite and John Campbell in an action-packed opening spell.
Cummins then had Keacy Carty caught behind on 20 before Hazlewood bowled nightwatchman Jomel Warrican out for a duck, as the Barbadian sun set on an exhilarating day of Test cricket dominated by pace.
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