Australia Clinches Victory Inside Three Days
Josh Hazlewood spearheaded Australia’s dominant performance in Barbados, helping seal a commanding 159-run win over West Indies inside just three days. West Indies’ innings folded in the final session of day three, with Nathan Lyon finishing the job by taking two wickets in consecutive balls in what would have been the last over of the day.
“We showed resilience and executed well under tough conditions,” Hazlewood reflected after the match.
A Near Fourth-Day Finish Was Foiled Late in Play
Australia had extended the game with an extra half-hour as West Indies stood at seven wickets down, with Shamar Joseph and Justin Greaves offering some resistance. A dropped catch in the deep by Sam Konstas gave Joseph a lifeline, but he was soon dismissed, followed quickly by Jayden Seales, ending the innings.
Key Australian Batting Contributions on a Challenging Surface
Travis Head’s gritty 61 and half-centuries from Beau Webster (63) and Alex Carey (65) laid a strong foundation on a difficult pitch. Head, who benefited from West Indies’ seventh dropped catch of the match, was named player of the match for his consistent performances in tricky batting conditions.
“𝑰𝒕 𝒘𝒂𝒔 𝒂𝒍𝒍 𝒂𝒃𝒐𝒖𝒕 𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒚𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒑𝒐𝒔𝒊𝒕𝒊𝒗𝒆 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒎𝒂𝒌𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒎𝒐𝒔𝒕 𝒐𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒐𝒑𝒑𝒐𝒓𝒕𝒖𝒏𝒊𝒕𝒊𝒆𝒔,” 𝑯𝒆𝒂𝒅 𝒔𝒂𝒊𝒅.
Carey’s elegant strokeplay especially provided Australia with a healthy buffer to defend, ensuring the team avoided a repeat of the tight World Test Championship final scenario.
Early Breakthroughs Set the Tone for Australia
Mitchell Starc struck early in the West Indies chase by catching former captain Kraigg Brathwaite on the leg side. John Campbell then looked promising with some inventive shots, including sweeps against Hazlewood.
However, Campbell’s adventurous attempt to sweep Hazlewood again led to his dismissal, caught by Carey. Brandon King soon followed, caught by Cameron Green after being given a reprieve earlier.
Hazlewood’s Near Hat-Trick and Dominant Bowling Spell
Hazlewood came close to a hat-trick but was denied when Roston Chase played safely to avoid a catch-packed field. However, two overs later, Hazlewood claimed key wickets, including Chase, showing his mastery with precise back-of-the-length deliveries on a tricky surface.
“𝑻𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒊𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒌𝒊𝒏𝒅 𝒐𝒇 𝒃𝒐𝒘𝒍𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝑰 𝒆𝒏𝒋𝒐𝒚—𝒕𝒆𝒔𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒃𝒂𝒕𝒔𝒎𝒆𝒏 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒍𝒆𝒕𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒑𝒊𝒕𝒄𝒉 𝒅𝒐 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒕,” 𝑯𝒂𝒛𝒍𝒆𝒘𝒐𝒐𝒅 𝒆𝒙𝒑𝒍𝒂𝒊𝒏𝒆𝒅.
Pat Cummins and Middle Order Wrap Up the Innings
Pat Cummins added to the pressure by bowling a devastating delivery to clean up Shai Hope. Australia’s middle order, though less effective against the older ball, was helped by tight bowling and smart field placements.
Marnus Labuschagne made a notable impact as a substitute fielder with a direct-hit run-out, and Hazlewood took his fifth wicket by dismissing Jomel Warrican, before Lyon finished the innings as daylight faded.
Match Context: Difficult Conditions and Missed Opportunities
At the start of the day, Australia held an 82-run lead but faced tricky batting conditions. Early chances were missed by West Indies’ fielders, including seven dropped catches despite catching drills led by coach Daren Sammy.
Head capitalized on these errors to reach his second fifty of the match off 77 balls, while Webster built a composed innings utilizing his reach and off-foot strokes to great effect.
Carey’s Flourish Accelerates Australia’s Lead
Following Webster’s dismissal, Carey accelerated impressively, hitting 14 runs off one over, including a perfectly executed lofted straight drive regarded as the shot of the match. Carey continued to dominate, lofting a six over long-off and racing to a 40-ball half-century as Australia pulled further ahead.
Closing Moments: Bowling Performance Seals the Win
With Lyon and Hazlewood sharing the bowling duties, Australia controlled the last stages of the game. Despite Shamar Joseph’s two towering sixes and a five-wicket haul, the damage was already done.
Hazlewood, whose five wickets included critical breakthroughs, reflected,
“𝑰𝒕 𝒇𝒆𝒍𝒕 𝒈𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒕 𝒕𝒐 𝒇𝒊𝒏𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒚 𝒈𝒆𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒇𝒊𝒗𝒆-𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒕𝒓𝒊𝒃𝒖𝒕𝒆 𝒕𝒐 𝒂 𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒑𝒓𝒆𝒉𝒆𝒏𝒔𝒊𝒗𝒆 𝒕𝒆𝒂𝒎 𝒘𝒊𝒏.”
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