West Indies vs. Australia, 1st Test, Day 1: Highlights, Scorecard, Report
Australia closed on 85 for three in Dominica after bowling out the West Indies for 148 on Day 1 of the first Test match.
The tourists bowled superbly to tear through the batting card of the Windies. But they were pegged back thanks to clutch late wickets, including that of skipper Michael Clarke. Australia will resume 63 runs behind the hosts’ first-innings score with Steve Smith and Adam Voges at the crease.
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After winning the toss and deciding to bat first, West Indies skipper Dinesh Ramdin would have expect his side to make the most of some decent conditions. But they crumbled up against some aggressive and economical Australia bowling.
Mitchell Johnson and Josh Hazlewood set the tone for the visitors with the ball in the early exchanges.
The bouncy pitches in the Caribbean suit Johnson’s bowling style, and the left-armer’s propensity for hitting the deck hard made him a major threat throughout the day, with the Windies batsmen having to take evasive action on a few occasions.
| Runs | Minutes | Balls | 4s | 6s | |||
| K Brathwaite | c Haddin | b Hazlewood | 10 | 27 | 22 | 0 | 0 |
| Hope | c S Marsh | b Johnson | 36 | 89 | 54 | 5 | 0 |
| Darren Bravo | c Clarke | b Lyon | 19 | 45 | 26 | 3 | 0 |
| Dowrich | b Hazlewood | 15 | 52 | 36 | 2 | 0 | |
| Samuels | c Hazlewood | b Starc | 7 | 53 | 39 | 1 | 0 |
| Blackwood | c Clarke | b Hazlewood | 2 | 9 | 9 | 0 | 0 |
| Ramdin | b Johnson | 19 | 45 | 27 | 2 | 0 | |
| Holder | c S Marsh | b Starc | 21 | 69 | 42 | 3 | 0 |
| Taylor | c Voges | b Smith | 6 | 47 | 30 | 1 | 0 |
| Bishoo | not out | 9 | 38 | 28 | 1 | 0 | |
| Gabriel | c Clarke | b Johnson | 2 | 13 | 11 | 0 | 0 |
| Extras | 1nb 1w 0b 0lb | 2 | |||||
| Total | all out (53.5 ovs) | 148 | |||||
| Bowler | Overs | Maidens | Runs | Wickets | |||
| Johnson | 13.5 | 2 | 34 | 3 | |||
| Hazlewood | 15.0 | 7 | 33 | 3 | |||
| Starc | 15.0 | 5 | 48 | 2 | |||
| Lyon | 6.0 | 1 | 20 | 1 | |||
| Watson | 3.0 | 1 | 11 | 0 | |||
| Smith | 1.0 | 0 | 2 | 1 |
As we can see here courtesy of the team’s official Twitter account, Johnson also knocked a few stumps out of the ground on his way to eventual figures of three for 34:
Hazlewood also impressed. He may not be as ferocious as Johnson with ball in hand, but he built pressure brilliantly by operating with exceptional accuracy, taking the key wicket of Kraigg Brathwaite to build early momentum. Hazlewood finished with figures of three for 33:
Cricket expert Paul Dennett had high praise for the 24-year-old seamer:
In truth, it was an excellent all-round effort from the tourists. Mitchell Starc also picked up a couple, and the dynamism in the field matched the intensity with the ball. The fact that the Windies’ top scorer, Shai Hope, only managed 36 tells you all you need to know about how the Baggy Greens took wickets in vital moments during the innings.
Indeed, the team’s Twitter account was quick to pay tribute to their overall effort:
It was a tough position for the West Indies. After being bowled out so cheaply against the world’s best test nation, it would have been easy for them to roll over in the latter stages of the day. But to their credit, they responded admirably and made a sizable dent in this illustrious Aussie batting order.
The dangerous David Warner was bounced out for eight following a devilish ball from Jerome Taylor in the third over before Shaun Marsh fell for just 19 in the 17th over. Clarke and Smith looked to see Australia through to the close, but when the spin of Devendra Bishoo deceived the skipper, the Aussies were teetering on 61 for three.
| Runs | Minutes | Balls | 4s | 6s | |||
| Warner | c Blackwood | b Taylor | 8 | 14 | 8 | 1 | 0 |
| S Marsh | c Darren Bravo | b Holder | 19 | 83 | 53 | 3 | 0 |
| Smith | not out | 17 | 124 | 67 | 0 | 0 | |
| Clarke | c Ramdin | b Bishoo | 18 | 28 | 28 | 1 | 1 |
| Voges | not out | 20 | 24 | 27 | 4 | 0 | |
| Extras | 3nb 0w 0b 0lb | 3 | |||||
| Total | for 3 (30.0 ovs) | 85 | |||||
| Bowler | Overs | Maidens | Runs | Wickets | |||
| Taylor | 8.0 | 0 | 19 | 1 | |||
| Gabriel | 6.0 | 1 | 20 | 0 | |||
| Holder | 7.0 | 2 | 14 | 1 | |||
| Bishoo | 9.0 | 1 | 32 | 1 |
The tourists needed an experienced head, and although he was on debut, when Adam Voges strode out to the crease, that’s exactly what they got, as noted here by Cricket Record:
He, 20 not out, and Smith, unbeaten on 17, were able to keep out Bishoo as the overs ticked down. But as is always the case in Dominica, it’s clear the spin option will be critical in this match. In the end, Australia will have been pleased to close on 85 for three.
Hope admitted his side needs to perform better with the bat, per ESPNcricinfo.com:
"We did not do ourselves any good with the bat. Hopefully, we will redeem ourselves with the ball tomorrow. We need to be consistent with line and length and take early wickets. I put the team before myself [responding to opening the batting].
I am getting used to Test cricket. I need to get some runs under the belt.
"
After being obliterated earlier in the day, the West Indies, who are major underdogs in this series, could have easily given up the ghost. But the manner in which they’ve responded has set the tone for what should be an intriguing Test match.
If the hosts can prize out another couple of wickets early on Day 2, then they’re right in this contest. But if Smith settles down, he has the quality to churn out a big hundred, and that’s something the Caribbean islanders must be acutely aware of as they look clamber back into contention.
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