West Indies fast bowler Shamar Joseph continued where he left off at the Gabba last year before Australia’s pace cartel launched a late fightback on day one of the Frank Worrell Trophy series opener in Bridgetown.
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The tourists were rolled for 180 in challenging conditions after Australian skipper Pat Cummins won the toss and chose to bat first at Kensington Oval, with Joseph taking 4-46 in a scintillating performance. However, the Guyana product was bitterly unlucky not to finish with more wickets, denied by a dubious umpiring call and multiple dropped catches, with debutant Brandon King putting down three chances.
Australian vice-captain Travis Head top-scored with a swashbuckling 59, while seamer Jayden Seales secured a five-wicket haul, his third in Tests, by cleaning up the tail in the evening session.
In response, the West Indies stumbled towards 4-57, still trailing by 123 runs at stumps, after Australia’s quicks wreaked havoc late in the evening session. Mitchell Starc removed both of the West Indies’ openers in a damaging opening burst before Cummins and Josh Hazlewood made further inroads on the volatile deck.
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Earlier, Sam Konstas’ highly-anticipated return to the Test arena lasted just 14 deliveries, with Joseph producing a well-directed in-ducker that thudded into the teenage opener’s pads. West Indies captain Roston Chase successfully overturned the on-field decision of not out, with ball-tracking technology suggesting the ball would have struck leg stump.
Joseph should have been celebrating a second breakthrough two deliveries later when Cameron Green flashed at a wide delivery and picked out gully, but King grassed a regulation chance that thudded into his chest.
The blunder didn’t prove too costly, however, with Green falling victim to Joseph a few overs later for 3. The tall West Australian departed in almost identical fashion to his twin dismissals during the recent World Test Championship final, pressing forward with hard hands and edging towards the slips cordon.
Despite Joseph’s brilliance, dropped catches continued to plague the West Indies fielders, with Chase bottling a simple chance at first slip to gift veteran opener Usman Khawaja an extra life on 6.
Australia was suddenly reeling at 3-22 when the recalled Josh Inglis top-edged an ill-judged pull stroke against Seales, with wicketkeeper Shai Hope settling underneath the Dukes ball.
Runs proved hard to come by on the unpredictable surface – the Australians didn’t hit a boundary until the 16th over, while Khawaja needed 45 deliveries to achieve the feat, nailing a hook shot into the stands. However, the scoring tempo accelerated after lunch courtesy of a trademark counterpunch from Head, who raced towards fifty in just 57 deliveries.
Khawaja, dropped once again on 45, combined with Head for an 89-run partnership for the fourth wicket to briefly swing momentum back in Australia’s favour before Joseph returned to break the stand following the drinks break.
Attempting a pull shot, Khawaja feathered a bottom edge through to wicketkeeper Shai Hope and trudged off for 47 before Joseph knocked over all-rounder Beau Webster with an absolute peach that nipped away on a good length and crashed into off stump.
“That was probably one of the best deliveries I’ve bowled in my life,” Joseph laughed at stumps.
Drama erupted late in the afternoon session when Head, unbeaten on 52 at the time, seemingly snicked behind to the wicketkeeper, only for third umpire Adrian Holdstock to adjudicate that Hope hadn’t taken a clean catch, denying Joseph a fifth wicket.
On what proved the final delivery before tea, Chase held onto a smart chance at slip to send Australian wicketkeeper Alex Carey packing for 8, with the reckless dismissal prompting a brief collapse of 3-5 from 11 balls.
Head, Australia’s last recognised batter, threw the kitchen sink at a wide delivery from Justin Greaves and edged behind for 59, with Starc departing shortly after for a fifth-ball duck.
Cummins struck four boundaries in an entertaining cameo before Seales cleaned up the tail, finishing with 5-60 from 15.5 overs. The West Indies quick couldn’t resist giving his rival skipper a send-off following his dismissal, pointing towards the sheds.
The West Indies’ innings got off to a dreadful start as Starc dismissed both openers within eight deliveries of each other — Kraigg Brathwaite edged towards Webster at second slip before John Campbell lazily swatted at an outswinger, tickling behind to Carey with the gloves.
King and Keacy Carty steadied the ship for a 36-run partnership for the third wicket before Cummins produced an unplayable riser that kissed Carty’s bat, gone for 20.
And Hazlewood ensured the Australians were in the preferred position at stumps by knocking over Jomel Warrican for a second-ball duck, bowled through the gate. Chase (1*) and King (23*) were unbeaten at stumps.
The first Test between the West Indies and Australia will resume on Friday at 12am AEST.
