Australia bowl out West Indies to win third test

Observer

4 days ago

KINGSTON, Jamaica: Australian fast bowler Mitchell Starc produced a devastating opening spell as the West Indies were demolished for 27, the second-lowest score in Test history, to suffer a humiliating 176-run defeat on the third day of the third and final game at Sabina Park on Monday. Australia swept the series 3-0 after earlier victories in Barbados and Grenada to retain the Frank Worrell Trophy.
Starc reached the landmark of 400 Test wickets and Scott Boland completed a hat-trick but the hosts just avoided New Zealand's record low of 26, set in 1955.
"We didn't think things would start going our way with the ball today until the sun went down a bit," Starc said after collecting the player of the match and series awards.
"But anyway our bowling attack has been pretty much on the money throughout the series," he added.
West Indies captain Royston Chase warned his side must improve with the first of five T20 internationals on Monday.
"Assessing this series is simple: the bowlers kept us in the contest and the batting let us down time after time," he said.
"We need to put in some serious work on our batting moving forward if we really want to compete," he added.
West Indies were set a victory target of 204 after the tourists lost their last four wickets within 45 minutes of the start of play to be dismissed for 121 in the second innings, their lowest Test innings total against the West Indies for 30 years.
Alzarri Joseph led the effort with his best Test innings figures of five for 27 while Shamar Joseph claimed four for 34 to finish with 22 wickets in the series and go past the 50-wicket mark in Tests along the way.
Everything else in the frenetic first session faded into irrelevance though in the face of Starc's wrecking ball-type performance as he reached the break with figures of five for six off five overs, finishing with six for nine when he bowled last man Jayden Seales half an hour into the second session to seal the win. In his 100th Test, the left-armer made up for a luckless first innings, when he picked up just one wicket, by dismissing John Campbell with the first ball of the second innings and adding two more victims — debutant Kevlon Anderson and Brandon King off successive balls — before the opening over was completed.
Starc's 400th wicket came at the start of his third over when the other opener, Mikyle Louis, was palpably leg-before.
At that stage, the West Indies were five for four and Starc boasted the astonishing figures of four wickets for no runs.
The 35-year-old eventually conceded two runs via the outside edge of Shai Hope's bat but then promptly trapped the same batsman lbw for his fifth wicket.
He had taken just 15 deliveries, the fewest ever in Test history, to complete a five-wicket haul.
Skipper Chase was then caught behind off Josh Hazlewood to make the score an eye-popping 11 for six.
Boland then stole the honours at the start of the second session when he dismissed Justin Greaves, Shamar Joseph and Jomel Warrican off successive deliveries to complete the rare feat of a Test hat-trick.
"I was a bit nervous bowling that last ball (to Jomel Warrican)," Boland said.
"I was just trying to concentrate and keep bowling balls in good areas," he added.
Australia were without first-choice wicketkeeper Alex Carey, who suffered a concussion when hit on the helmet by Alzarri Joseph late on day two. Josh Inglis replaced him behind the stumps. — AFP