BRIDGETOWN: Australia’s vaunted pace attack demolished West Indies’ fragile batting, routing the hosts for just 141 off 33.4 overs to complete a comprehensive 159-run victory in the final over of the third day of the first Test here at the Kensington Oval on Friday.

Josh Hazlewood was the chief destroyer with figures of 5-43 as the tourists dominated the day with both ball and bat.

Half-centuries from Alex Carey, Beau Webster and Travis Head were the fulcrum of a recovery from 65-4 late on day two to a final second innings total of 310 at tea the next day.

Shamar Joseph led the West Indies bowling effort with five wickets at the cost of 87 runs for a match haul of 9-133.

Any winning target in excess of 200 was always going to be challenging on this two-paced surface.

As it transpired, the West Indies never looked up to the task from the moment former captain Kraigg Brathwaite fell to Mitchell Starc in the first over.

Hazlewood then took centre stage. His metronomic accuracy accounted for John Campbell and debutant Brandon King off successive balls, before adding the wickets of captain Roston Chase and Keacy Carty.

Chase’s Australian counterpart, Pat Cummins, removed first innings top-scorer Shai Hope and insult was added to considerable injury when substitute fielder Marnus Labus­chagne ran out Alzarri Joseph with a direct hit to the striker’s end from mid-off.

Hazlewood returned to the attack to prise out Jomel Warrican but Shamar Joseph entertained with 44 off 22 balls before falling to off-spinner Nathan Lyon, who then dismissed Jayden Seales first ball to complete victory with two days to spare. Justin Greaves was left unbeaten on 38.

“It was just about hitting the right areas time and time again and just being patient,” said Hazlewood in identifying the tactics to capitalise on the challenging surface.

“There are a few cracks there on a good length and just short of a length which kept the batters guessing about going forward or back with a few skidding through as we saw.”

SKIPPER BACKS KONSTAS

Cummins, meanwhile, backed inexperienced opener Sam Konstas to deliver on the international stage despite the youngster’s struggles against the West Indies.

The highly-rated 19-year-old was out for three runs in the first innings and scored five in his second spell at the crease, but Cummins threw his support behind the Sydney-born right-hander.

“One of the hard things about playing Test cricket is you get thrown different conditions all the time,” said Cummins.

“You might not have the flying hours under your belt as a youngster coming in, so you’ve got to come in and work out your craft on the bigger stage.

“The hardest thing when the pitch is doing a lot is getting out of your little bubble, trying to score and take good options, which is really hard in these conditions. You saw today how hard it can be to fire a few shots.

“Sammy tried a few different options yesterday, not too many worked out. But [I have] full confidence.”

Australia’s intent was clear at the start of the day as Head and Webster transformed the consolidation of the previous evening to controlled aggression in a partnership of 102 for the fifth wicket.

With a clear intent on aggression on a pitch becoming increasingly two-paced, the Australians progressed at almost a run-a-minute after lunch despite wickets falling at regular intervals.

Carey, who top-scored with 65, built on the platform laid by Head and Webster (63), who fell caught behind off the persevering Shamar Joseph.

The right-armer also accounted for Starc and wrapped up the innings when last man Hazlewood was bowled off the inside edge to give the Guyanese pacer his fourth five-wicket haul and third against Australia.

SCOREBOARD

AUSTRALIA (1st Innings) 180 (T. Head 59; J. Seales 5-60, S. Joseph 4-46)

WEST INDIES (1st Innings) 190 (S. Hope 48; M. Starc 3-65)

AUSTRALIA (2nd Innings):

S. Konstas b S. Joseph5

U. Khawaja lbw A. Joseph15

C. Green c Chase b Greaves15

J. Inglis b Seales12

T. Head lbw S. Joseph61

B. Webster c Hope b S. Joseph63

A. Carey c Greaves b Chase65

P. Cummins c Brathwaite b A. Joseph9

M. Starc b S. Joseph16

N. Lyon not out13

J. Hazlewood b S. Joseph12

EXTRAS (B-2, LB-13, NB-9)24

TOTAL (all out, 81.5 overs)310

FALL OF WICKETS: 1-27 (Khawaja), 2-34 (Konstas), 3-57 (Inglis), 4-65 (Green), 5-167 (Head), 6-208 (Webster), 7-247 (Cummins), 8-264 (Starc), 9-291 (Carey)

BOWLING: Seales 18-4-70-1; S. Joseph 25.5-5-87-5 (7nb); A. Joseph 16-2-65-2 (2nb); Greaves 13-1-55-1; Warrican 8-2-18-0; Chase 1-1-0-1

WEST INDIES (2nd Innings):

K. Brathwaite c Konstas b Starc4

J. Campbell c Carey b Hazlewood23

K. Carty b Hazlewood20

B. King c Green b Hazlewood0

R. Chase c Konstas b Hazlewood2

S. Hope b Cummins2

J. Greaves not out38

A. Joseph run out0

J. Warrican c Carey b Hazlewood3

S. Joseph c Khawaja b Lyon44

J. Seales c Konstas b Lyon0

EXTRAS (LB-5)5

TOTAL (all out, 33.4 overs)141

FALL OF WICKETS: 1-4 (Brathwaite), 2-47 (Campbell), 3-47 (King), 4-49 (Chase), 5-56 (Carty), 6-61 (Hope), 7-73 (A. Joseph), 8-86 (Warrican), 9-141 (S. Joseph)

BOWLING: Starc 8-1-44-1; Hazlewood 12-3-43-5; Cummins 7-2-15-1; Webster 4-2-14-0; Lyon 2.4-1-20-2

RESULT: Australia won by 159 runs.

MAN-OF-THE-MATCH: Travis Head

SERIES: Australia lead three-match series 1-0.

Published in Dawn, June 29th, 2025