West Indies subside to 27 all out as Mitchell Starc and Australia run riot
The home side's score was the lowest total the West Indies have ever mustered at this level. They only eclipsed the worst score ever recorded by a Test team — New Zealand's 26 against England in 1955 — by one run, courtesy of a misfield by Sam Konstas in the gully before Starc completed the rout.
Advertisement
The Australian left-armer ended with Test best figures of 6-9, taking three wickets in his first over to leave the home side 0-3 chasing 204 for victory and completing the quickest five-wicket haul in Test history in terms of balls delivered — 15.
Starc, playing his 100th Test, passed the 400-wicket milestone when he trapped Mikyle Louis leg before wicket for four.
Australia ended up winning what had, after three innings, been a relatively tight day-night Test match by an emphatic 176 runs even before the lights were turned on on the third day.
'It's been a fantastic series,' said Starc. 'We've seen some difficult batting conditions throughout, but it's been a good few days. Very enjoyable. I go home with a smile on my face. Our bowling attack has been pretty on the money throughout the series. Today it was like that again.'
'When you talk about 100 Tests, you talk about resilience, skill and fitness, but today he showed the real Mitchell Starc and what he can bring to a team,' said Australia's captain, Pat Cummins. 'Out of nowhere, he can tear an opposition apart and win a game for you.
'He does it consistently in any format, and I'm very lucky he's on our team.'
Boland became the 10th Australian to claim a Test hat-trick by removing Justin Greaves, Shamar Joseph and Jomel Warrican with successive deliveries. 'He's amazing, isn't he,' added Starc. 'He would have played so many more Test matches in another team. But every time he comes in he's on the money, as you saw this week. He's never far from the perfect length.
'He got his opportunity this week and showed what a wonderful Test bowler he is.'
Australia's win completed their 3-0 series win following the 159-run success in Bridgetown, Barbados and 133 runs in St George's, Grenada.
Click here to read more cricket stories on The Athletic, and follow Global Sports on The Athletic app via the Discover tab.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Gus Atkinson interview: Oval Invincibles bowler targets Hundred impact before Ashes shot
Looking back at the year that Gus Atkinson made a stunning start to his Test career, it is unsurprising that a solitary appearance in the Hundred does not immediately spring to mind. The England seamer earned a Test debut against West Indies a year ago. By the end of the match he had 12 wickets to his name. Fast forward to the end of 2024 and he had taken 52 scalps, more than any other England players in the calendar year. There was also a Test hundred at Lord's for good measure. In amongst that, Atkinson's Oval Invincibles team-mates defended their Hundred title. The 27-year-old's contribution amounted to ten balls bowled in the final group-stage match, but the international calendar this year offers a window for a more significant role. 'Last year I only got to play one game, which was a shame," Atkinson tells Standard Sport. 'Obviously this year I've been injured for two months. Things might have been different if I'd played all five Tests, there might have been a chance that England pulled me out of the Hundred. 'But playing the one Test and then some white-ball cricket is exciting. 'Getting the chance to play for the two-time winners and trying to win that third one on the bounce will be good.' Atkinson's opening Hundred match will be his first white-ball appearance since an ODI against India in February. He was named in the England squad for the subsequent Champions Trophy but did not feature in a disastrous campaign. 'I felt like I wasn't really prepared well for that series, I hadn't played much white-ball cricket at all," Atkinson said. 'Red ball has been my priority in the last year or so." That will change over the coming weeks when Atkinson lines up for the Oval Invincibles. It is once again an incredibly strong side, with Rashid Khan a "very cool" addition to a squad already containing the likes of Sam Curran, Sam Billings and Will Jacks. Atkinson is ready to play his part after returning to fitness. His flying start to life in the Test arena was halted by a hamstring injury picked up against Zimbabwe this summer. England have been cautious over his recovery and Atkinson had to wait until the fifth and final Test of the India series to make his return. Eight wickets on his home ground, including 5/33 in the first innings, was a swift reminder of what he brings to the attack. 'It was frustrating," Atkinson says of the hamstring injury. "I had the India series very much on my mind leading into the summer. 'I've never really had a muscle injury like that before. It came as a bit of a surprise. I was out fielding with my injury and it was definitely worse than we thought it was going to be. 'We thought it might be a few days of resting. We didn't think it would be this long. 'It's been quite frustrating, especially because I've been able to bowl. I bowled in Leeds for the first Test off a full run-up but not quite at 100 per cent." Efforts to build up his match fitness involved an outing for club side Spencer in Surrey Cricket Championship Premier Division. What did he sense the Sunbury batters were feeling as he marked out his run-up? Atkinson graciously points out his figures of 0/36 from his eight overs. 'I didn't take any wickets or anything! 'They're still good players. Cricket is one of those sports where it's small margins between being right at the top and a club player." Following the epic drawn Test series against India, England have white-ball fixtures against South Africa, Ireland and New Zealand before the spotlight shifts firmly to the Ashes at the end of the year. Despite having now taken 63 Test wickets at 22.01, Atkinson still feels he has something to prove when asked how much of a target being in the side for that first Test in Perth in November is. After a lengthy pause, he responds: 'It's difficult. People on the outside would say I haven't been tested much in Test cricket. 'You've got Australia and you've got India as the two big series. That's why it's disappointing to miss so much of the series this summer. 'I think if I can get a good block of cricket now leading up to Australia - there's no red-ball cricket now before that series so it's important that I play a lot of white-ball games." Atkinson spent a season in Australia playing grade cricket when he finished school but is set for a slightly more high-profile experience this winter. He could have a crucial role in a series that will define the Ben Stokes-Brendon McCullum era, and Atkinson is determined to play his part in ensuring the history books are kind. 'I love playing under Stokesy as a captain," he says. "I don't know what it is, but he just makes you want to do well and put in big performances. He gets that out of players. You want to run through a brick wall for him basically.' This will be the first time since the 2002/03 Ashes series that England have travelled to Australia without James Anderson or Stuart Broad in their ranks. There is a largely settled top seven in the batting line-up but the bowling attack is far more uncertain. England will hope to have Jofra Archer and Mark Wood fit, while the likes of Brydon Carse and Josh Tongue have featured prominently this summer. Atkinson could not have done more to push his case over the past 12 months and is confident England's seamers, whoever they are, can take the wickets to secure only a second series win in Australia in nearly 40 years. 'You could say we've got inexperienced bowlers, but I don't think that's a bad thing at all," Atkinson says. "Going out there with no expectations, we're all really excited and looking forward to the challenge. 'Different sorts of bowlers to Jimmy and Broad. Slightly more hit-the-deck bowlers, which has worked in Australia in the past. 'It will be a challenge but I think we've got a good group of lads who are eager to go out there and impress.'
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
How ‘warrior' Mohammed Siraj set the tone to announce a new era for India
Mohammed Siraj woke up on a drizzly morning in south London realising that the time was now. India were up against it and heading towards a fifth Test defeat against England and subsequently a 3-1 series loss. A scoreline that would not reflect the fierce battle between the two sides over 25 days, with each Test meandering to a climax over its full duration. Siraj had bowled 1,088 balls by this stage. Yet as much as his physical endurance, his composure was tested, too. That misfield on day four at The Oval, stumbling and staggering into the boundary after clutching Harry Brook for, what would have been, a match-turning score of 19. A mistake that cost India 92 runs before the most dramatic of six-run victories. 'When he woke up in the morning, he believed he could do it,' former India wicket-keeper and Sky Sports pundit Dinesh Karthik confirmed. 'Then he took a screenshot of something from Google that said, 'believe'. He put it out there because he wanted to get it done.' And believe he did. England started the day needing just 35 runs in their pursuit of 374. Prasidh Krishna coughed up eight runs from the rest of his over, finished overnight after the bad light and rain scuppered a premature conclusion to this enthralling Test. Siraj then dialled up the pace and added some menacing swing, too, with Jamie Smith bamboozled immediately. A couple of near misses followed a delicate nick back to Dhruv Jurel with his third ball, sparking bedlam. Siraj wheeled away, arms outstretched, but the chaotic celebrations were temporarily cut short due to umpire Kumar Dharmasena's bizarre move to verify that the catch was clean. Of course, it was, and Siraj had duly delivered the belief India needed to hunt down another three wickets for victory and a drawn series. The rest of the match-winning spell, ending at 3-9 from just 25 balls, saw Jamie Overton trapped lbw, before Gus Atkinson finally departed, despite a gritty effort to shield the one-armed, heroic Chris Woakes from this devilish Indian pace attack. His stumps rearranged to put the exclamation mark on this iconic win. While Jasprit Bumrah remains the finest bowler in the world, with his ailing body unable to allow more than three appearances in this epic series, Siraj has underlined his importance, confirming the duo, whenever they do line up together, as one of the great fast bowling pairs in the game. Cricket, a sport riddled by the quirks of trends and numbers, shows us that India win just 41.67 percent of the games he plays, but that rises to 71.43 percent without him, according to cricket statistician Ric Finlay. While Siraj's inclusion ensures a 53.66 percent win rate and just 40.00 percent without him. Naturally, it is daft to suggest India are better off without Bumrah, but there is something about Siraj and the emotional impact that numbers cannot measure with this fiery seamer and unique character. "You don't seem to look at the bowlers as much,' Karthik remarked when highlighting how batters usually get the credit. 'Not just today, but Siraj walked in today trying to be the man. He has bowled like an absolute warrior; he's done the donkey's work too. He's hit 90mph, I couldn't be more proud of him as a bowler." It is that energy and the ability to dig deep when others wilt. Take the wicket of Atkinson to clinch the match, clattering the stumps in this most chaotic of finales. It was clocked at 143kmph, according to CricViz, his fifth-quickest ball of the series. That, after 1,111 balls in this series, shows remarkable strength. As proven with others, such as Ben Stokes, and the aforementioned Bumrah, who, despite their brilliance, have been unable to hold up to this relentless pace of five Tests and 25 sapping days of play crammed into 46 days. 'He's a captain's dream,' concluded the gleeful India skipper Shubman Gill. 'Coming in for five matches, giving absolutely everything. Every team wants a player like him, and we're very lucky to have him.' If Bumrah is India's talisman, then Siraj has elevated himself to be his partner in crime and a sensational stand-in when needed. An intimidating presence for the opposition and an able supporter of his teammates when tensions spill over in highly-charged moments, as proven during the antics at Lord's after Zak Crawley's theatrics to delay play on day three. He is also the ultimate counter-puncher, as proven by the final delivery on day three at the Oval to rearrange Crawley's stumps. If Test cricket is about momentum, then Siraj can swing it as much as the ball. 'I've always had great admiration and respect for Siraj as a competitor,' Ben Stokes conceded following the fifth Test. 'He keeps coming and coming and coming. 'You know he'll always be in a fight with you. He's an example of what it means. I have respect for how he goes about his cricket and how he takes it on.' The tourists had a mindset throughout the series that they were 'not given a chance,' according to KL Rahul, with key figures Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma absent. But the India opener insists that the fifth Test victory is 'where the change begins' and that 'it means absolutely everything.' If that is the case, then Siraj's impact might just be felt for many years to come.
Forbes
9 hours ago
- Forbes
Gripping India-England Series Underlines Urgency To Keep Test Cricket Alive
A typically gray Monday morning in London was aroused by one of the greatest finishes in the 148-year history of Test cricket, the sport's traditional five-day format that feels like a relic to a quieter time but still ensures despite uncertainties over its future. Naturally a lot of time is invested in a game that lasts the equivalent of a working week. And a lot of that time can feel wasted, many days where you question watching something so tedious and out of touch with the sugar hits of modern life. But sometimes Test cricket throws up something so gripping that it is unrivalled by any other sport. When there is a tense finish, the intrinsic slowness heightens the excitement and makes every delivery so nerve-jangling that you could cut the tension in the air with a knife. There is a payoff in Test cricket that trumps its knockoff shorter versions. And so a riveting five-Test series between England and India at the Oval just had to finish this way. It was delicately poised by the end of day four, with all results possible, and what ensued will never be forgotten. In front of a tense sold out crowd, many of who were supporting the tourists, India pulled off their smallest margin of victory in Test cricket to deservedly draw the series 2-2. They won by six runs after workhorse quick Mohammed Siraj - who was inspired by his hero Ronaldo - completed one of the most indefatigable performances seen on a cricket field when he clean bowled Gus Atkinson, who had threatened an improbable late heist for England. There were also stirring scenes of an incapacitated Chris Woakes bravely coming out to bat at No.11 with his playing attire covering his left arm in a sling due to a dislocated shoulder. Woakes was likely to bat one-handed and wrong-sided - picture a table tennis player - but did not end up facing a delivery He did grimace on every run to add to the incredible drama. It was probably the best Test match and series played since the legendary 2005 Ashes, an iconic series that captured Australia and England far beyond traditional cricket fan bases. The 25-day series ended with 56 minutes of sheer suspense that David Fincher couldn't even concoct from the director's chair. While Test cricket continues to flourish among cricket's power three - it remains the cornerstone of billion-dollar broadcast deals in Australia and England - the format's future is unclear beyond them. A working group among the sport's most powerful administrators is being formed to address major issues in cricket, including Test cricket's future. As I reported last month, representatives from the big three are likely to be part of the working group led by New Zealander Roger Twose. The chiefs from smaller Full Member Zimbabwe and Associate nation Namibia - countries who have hosting duties at the 2027 World Cup - are also on the working group, it is learned. Twose has already done some of the grunt work having helmed smaller working groups that have looked into thorny issues such as the Future Tour Programme and playing opportunities for smaller countries often shunned by the power trio. Perhaps the biggest issue facing the working group will be a radical plan to split the 12 Test nations into two divisions. There was a prevailing feeling from administrators at the recent International Cricket Council meetings in Singapore that two divisions is inevitable. While the nine-team World Test Championship has been a good starting point to add greater context, a league structure that would also add Zimbabwe, Ireland and Afghanistan is widely seen as needed. There are a couple of sticking points. Promotion and relegation is being pushed by smaller nations, and undeniably would add great drama, but the big three nations seemingly are reticent on the prospect of being demoted. If they aren't in the same division, series between them would continue - given the financial stakes - but outside of the league which would create some chaos. "(Two divisions) is a smarter way of cramming in more 'big three' matches and justifying it,' a senior administrator told me. "I do actually like two divisions with promotion and relegation, it means there is more interest in the game. But division one has to properly fund division two. 'Every participating team needs to get a decent slug of money to justify the cost of Test cricket. You have to have a viable A-Team and first-class system and that all needs funding.' A revived Test Match Fund - where the big three would provide financial support to smaller nations - appears to have stalled, it is learned, but should be part of the working group's remit. Four-day Test cricket, which has been played intermittently since 2017, will also be analyzed with support coming from smaller nations who want it sanctioned for the next WTC cycle. The truncated Test version helps ease the financial strain for those financially-stricken countries struggling to cover the costs of host. While Test cricket is extremely popular and profitable in the traditional markets of England and Australia, it has diminished in popularity elsewhere where the three-hour T20 format has become the sport's growth engine. No new nations are expected, with Test cricket unlikely to expand ever again. 'T20 is the thing in the Caribbean, it has helped keep the flame alive for cricket,' Cricket West Indies chief executive Chris Dehring told me. "World cricket is in the balance in terms of where it is going. "When you use the term cricket, now you don't know whether you're talking about Test cricket or T20s. 'But our biggest investment in the Caribbean is our first-class system. We are still quite optimistic about the future of Test cricket.'
