The first day of the Test match in Bridgetown was rough. The West Indies then bowled Australia out for a woeful 180 in double quick time. The game progressed with both squads showcasing amazing talents, particularly when it came to bowling. Yet it was West Indies’ bowlers who really shined, particularly the duo of Jayden Seales and Shamar Joseph. As the day’s play drew to a close, the West Indies looked to be in dire straits. At one point they were trailing by 123 runs after crashing to 57 for 4.
Travis Head emerged as Australia’s top scorer, contributing 59 runs before falling to the West Indies’ bowling attack. Usman Khawaja provided valuable support, building an impressive 47-run partnership for the fourth wicket. Australia battled bravely down the order, but their inning came to a quick conclusion. It was the West Indies disciplined bowling that proved to be their undoing.
On an otherwise nondescript day, Seales was the standout superstar as he stole the show, the pace bowler finishing with figures of 5-60. Joseph was well supported, taking four wickets for only 46 runs. Their synergistic work was instrumental in routing the Australian batting order. The Australians found it hard to build lasting stands and throughout their innings, only managed 2 partnerships of over 50.
Australia’s pace trio—Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, and Pat Cummins—put together one of the great spells. Collectively, they took 4 of the 5 most important wickets. Starc removed both Kraigg Brathwaite and John Campbell in successive overs, putting the West Indies on the back foot early in their innings. Cummins added to the pressure by having Keacy Carty caught behind, while Hazlewood bowled Jomel Warrican, further diminishing the West Indies’ hopes of a strong response.
As the day’s play drew to a close, the West Indies certainly had their work cut out. After conceding four wickets unnecessarily, it’s time to reassess the approach for the matches to come. The trouble is that this team is 123 runs adrift of Australia. The Northern Irish are desperate for their first home Test victory over them in 22 years. The pressure will be on even more as they look to reverse their awful luck against the Americans in this winner-take-all matchup.
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