The West Indies fast bowlers have ripped through Australia’s middle order in a dramatic burst with the pink Dukes ball under floodlights on day one of the Frank Worrell Trophy series finale in Kingston.
After captain Pat Cummins won the toss and chose to bat first, Australia was bowled out for 225 in 70.3 overs, with West Indies speedster Shamar Joseph taking four wickets in another scintillating performance.
MATCH CENTRE: West Indies vs Australia third Test live scorecard
The tourists, who at one stage were cruising at 3-157, lost seven wickets in a frantic collapse after the dinner break, with the West Indies quicks wreaking havoc during the evening session.
However, the West Indies have been hampered by a trio of injury setbacks, with fast bowler Alzarri Joseph undergoing scans after experiencing discomfort while bowling.
West Indies vs Australia Test & T20I Series | Watch every ball LIVE with ESPN, available on Kayo Sports | New to Kayo? Get your first month for just $1. Limited time offer >
With openers Mikyle Louis and John Campbell also unavailable due to injury, the West Indies were forced into a top-order reshuffle, sending debutant Kevlon Anderson and Brandon King out for a tricky 40-minute passage of play in challenging conditions.
But Anderson couldn’t survive through to stumps, toppled by a hooping inswinger from milestone man Mitchell Starc, playing his 100th Test, that crashed into the pegs.
The West Indies were 1-16 at stumps, still trailing by 209 runs, with King (8*) and captain Roston Chase (3*) unbeaten in the middle.
Following the toss, the West Indies bottled two chances for an early breakthrough in the fifth over, with teenager opener Sam Konstas the beneficiary on both occasions. Campbell missed a run out at the striker’s end before debutant Kevlon Anderson dropped a catch at third slip the very next delivery, with Konstas surviving on 1.
Runs proved difficult to come by against the new ball, but Konstas released the shackles in the ninth over by thumping a pull shot through square leg for Australia’s first boundary of the match.
Veteran opener Usman Khawaja, who didn’t muster a boundary until his 56th ball in the middle, was struck on the shoulder by Joseph before surviving a marginal LBW chance, with ball-tracking technology suggesting the delivery would have clipped leg stump.
West Indies all-rounder Justin Greaves entered the attack in the 17th over and struck with his first delivery, beating Konstas on the inside edge and trapping him on the pads. The 19-year-old wasted a review before trudging off for 17.
The scoring rate picked up late in the afternoon session as the pink ball lost its shine, with Khawaja showing more willingness to attack the West Indies seamers. Moments before the tea break, Green made a final-second decision to review an LBW shout against quick Jayden Seales, offering Khawaja a hearty fist bump after the dismissal was overturned courtesy of Hawkeye.
Several deliveries evaded the outside edge before Khawaja finally nicked one against Joseph early in the twilight session, with West Indies wicketkeeper Shai Hope holding onto a superb one-handed chance low to his left.
Green and Smith dropped anchor following Khawaja’s departure, combining for a 61-run partnership for the third wicket to swing momentum firmly back in Australia’s favour. The vice-captain cracked three consecutive boundaries off Graeves before West Indies spinner Jomel Warrican put down a difficult return chance with Smith on 24.
Matters only got worse for the hosts when opener Louis damaged his knee while fielding in the covers, hobbling off the ground alongside a team medic. A few minutes later, Campbell gingerly left the field after copping a nasty blow to the collarbone while fielding at short leg.
However, Seales gave the West Indies something to celebrate at the dinner break, knocking over Green for 46 with a peach that nipped away from the West Australian and flicked the top of off stump.
The venue’s floodlights took effect in the evening session, with the pink ball hooping around corners and Smith edging through the slips cordon on multiple occasions.
Joseph turned the match on its head by removing Smith and all-rounder Beau Webster in consecutive overs, prompting a collapse of 7-68 — Smith flashed at a wide delivery and nicked towards first slip for 48 before Webster feathered behind for 1.
Seales, who earlier in the series received a fine for giving Cummins a send-off, was cautioned by the umpires for similar behaviour following Smith’s dismissal.
As he’s done so often throughout the series, Australian wicketkeeper Alex Carey launched into an entertaining counterattack after arriving in the middle, slapping Graves over cover for a belligerent six.
But Graves got his revenge later in the same spell, removing Carey and Travis Head in quick succession to expose Australia’s tail under lights. Head miscued a reckless slog towards cover, where substitute fielder Anderson Phillip held onto an excellent diving catch, before Carey tickled an inside edge through to Hope for 21.
Seales, who finished with 3-59 from 16 overs, returned to the attack and knocked over Starc with an inswinger, bowled for a fourth-ball duck. Cummins clobbered a trio of sixes in a late cameo before becoming Seales’ third victim, picking out long-on for 24, with Joseph cleaning up the tail.
Both sides dropped a star veteran ahead of the series finale, with Australian spinner Nathan Lyon and West Indies opener Kraigg Brathwaite missing selection for the Jamaica contest. Earlier, Brathwaite presented Anderson with his maiden cap to become the West Indies’ 344th men’s Test cricketer.
The third Test between the West Indies and Australia resumes on Monday at 4.30am AEST.
