Australia gamers rejoice successful on the third day of the first Take a look at match between West Indies and Australia at Kensington Oval, Bridgetown, Barbados, on June 27, 2025. — AFP
Australia’s vaunted tempo assault demolished West Indies’ fragile batting, routing the hosts for simply 141 off 33.4 overs to finish a complete 159-run victory within the closing over of the third day of the primary Take a look at at Kensington Oval on Friday.
Josh Hazlewood was the chief destroyer with figures of 5-43 because the vacationers dominated the day with each ball and bat.
Half-centuries from Alex Carey, Beau Webster and Travis Head have been the fulcrum of a restoration from 65-4 late on day two to a closing second innings complete of 310 at tea the subsequent day.
Shamar Joseph led the West Indies bowling effort with 5 wickets at the price of 87 runs for a match haul of 9-133.
Any successful goal over 200 was all the time going to be difficult on this two-paced floor.
Because it transpired, the West Indies by no means regarded as much as the duty from the second former captain Kraigg Brathwaite fell to Mitchell Starc within the first over.
Hazlewood then took centre stage. His metronomic accuracy accounted for John Campbell and debutant Brandon King off successive balls, earlier than including the wickets of captain Roston Chase and Keacy Carty.
Chase´s Australian counterpart, Pat Cummins, eliminated innings top-scorer Shai Hope and insult was added to appreciable damage when substitute fielder Marnus Labuschagne ran out Alzarri Joseph with a direct hit to the striker’s finish from mid-off.
‘Hitting the best areas’
Hazlewood returned to the assault to prise out Jomel Warrican however Shamar Joseph entertained with 44 off 22 balls earlier than falling to off-spinner Nathan Lyon, who then dismissed Jayden Seales’s first ball to finish 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,” stated Hazlewood in figuring out the ways to capitalise on the difficult floor.
“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.”
Australia´s intent was clear in the beginning of the day as Head and Webster remodeled the consolidation of the earlier night to managed aggression in a partnership of 102 for the fifth wicket.
Head was trapped lbw for 61 by Shamar Joseph 20 minutes earlier than lunch.
Nonetheless, the course of the primary session may have been very totally different had Greaves held on to a different simple catch at second slip off Alzarri Joseph when the left-hander was on 22.
It was the seventh likelihood put down by the West Indies slip cordon within the match, a poor show in one of many elementary points of the sport which started on day one when 4 catches have been shelled.
With a transparent intent on aggression on a pitch changing into more and more two-paced, the Australians progressed at virtually a run-a-minute after lunch regardless of wickets falling at common intervals.
Carey, who top-scored with 65, constructed on the platform laid by Head and Webster (63), who fell caught behind the persevering Shamar Joseph.
The fitting-armer additionally accounted for Starc and wrapped up the innings when final man Hazlewood was bowled off the within edge to present the Guyanese pacer his fourth five-wicket haul and third towards Australia.
By then although, the duty already regarded past the West Indies, which was confirmed two balls earlier than stumps.
