Josh Hazlewood blitz sends Australia to victory inside three days in West Indies

The Guardian

4 days ago

It was an extraordinary final session to end the first Test in Barbados in the long shadows of the third evening. After two days of wobbles, a portion of Australia's batting got its act together, with the lower-middle-order trio of Travis Head, Beau Webster, and Alex Carey making half centuries to lift Australia's second innings to 310. That left West Indies needing 301 to win the first Test in Barbados, always unlikely on a Kensington Oval pitch that already had balls keeping low. Josh Hazlewood made sure of it with a withering burst of 4-4 in 16 balls, later upping that to 5-23, as West Indies crashed humiliatingly to 141 all out, losing by 159 runs.
Hazlewood has been the subject of some public attention of late, given his injury absences and how well Scott Boland has performed during each one. But the first-choice option has 288 Test wickets, took 35 of them at 13 last calendar year, and has nine at 18 in the two matches he has managed in 2025. His career against West Indies is worth 43 at 15, and over two tours to this part of the world he has 19 wickets at nine.
His match-defining spell was built around his ability to keep putting the ball on exactly the right spot. After an unusually expensive first three overs went for 18, Hazlewood had a brief break and returned for the 11th. West Indies were going brightly at 47-1. Former captain Kraigg Brathwaite had flicked a catch from Mitchell Starc to square leg, but John Campbell and Keacy Carty were scoring freely. Facing a line around the wicket, the left-handed Campbell gave up a gift, a kneeling lap shot that lobbed to Carey behind the stumps.
The very next ball, Hazlewood's suffocating line got an inside edge on to pad from Brandon King, lobbing to slip, a golden duck to complete a grim debut for the man who dropped three catches in the first innings. The hat-trick didn't follow, captain Roston Chase able to leave just outside off, but Hazlewood got him next over, more seam movement and another inside edge to short leg. Then even more jag an over later, and a touch of low bounce, as he knocked Carty's stumps awry. He had four wickets for 23, West Indies were 65-6, and the match was all but done.
Pat Cummins followed Hazlewood's spell with another lawnmower delivery into Shai Hope's stumps, but hope had already gone. Alzarri Joseph got a promotion after his late tonk in the first innings, but ran himself out with a slow response to a call from Justin Greaves, Marnus Labuschagne as a sub fielder hitting the stumps direct. Hazlewood returned from a brief break for his fifth thanks to Jomel Warrican, who survived an lbw thanks to umpire's call then nicked the next, making it 86-8 as extra time began.
It was a subsidence, but one in the expected direction after Australia's score. In a match dominated by pace, Head and Webster were able to use it to their advantage, scoring almost entirely square of the wicket on the off side, left-hander and right-hander alternating cover drives and back-foot punches to opposite sides of the ground. West Indies frustration mounted as the partnership reached 102, and it took a devilish moment from the pitch to cut off Head for 61, lbw to a ball that almost went underground to hit his pad from around the wicket.
That was the first of seven overs from Shamar Joseph either side of lunch, with the other end of his spell getting Webster nicking down the leg-side on review for 63. Carey immediately hit the nitro, smacking Jayden Seales straight for four and six before pulling another four in the same over. A second six followed from Greaves, as the Australian keeper raised 50 in 40 balls.
With Cummins having skied a catch, Joseph returned to bowl Starc off the inside edge. Fatigue was telling, with a rash of no-balls including a wide beamer, as the tail smacked a few runs. His next break lasted all of four overs, until Chase got Carey out smartly with a wide slow off break lashed to long off. With Joseph on four wickets as he had been in the first innings, he had one last chance to take five, and as at the Gabba 18 months ago, he finished an Australian innings by castling Hazlewood, this time off a flailed bottom edge. The bowler sank to his knees, pounding the pitch with one hand. In three Tests against Australia he has 22 wickets at 16.
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Still, with their outmatched batting, West Indies had given away far more than they had a credible chance to chase. Not that Shamar Joseph would have expected to follow his five-for by having to go out and bat before the end of the day, with the umpires extending beyond the extra half hour because the required overs hadn't been bowled.
He let out some frustration, lashing 44 from 22 balls, and while aiming for a half-century in one blow, edged Nathan Lyon to slip. That left three balls in the day, and Lyon only needed one. In gathering Friday dusk, it was an hour and 13 minutes after the scheduled close when Seales was caught by Sam Konstas at bat-pad – a chastening end for West Indies, and a dramatic turnaround for Australia. West Indies authorities were desperate for this match to reach the weekend to get some crowds into the party stand. Instead, everyone will hit the beach.