Outstanding spells from Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood exposed West Indies’ longstanding batting problems, helping Australia emerge as comfortable winners of the first ODI in Barbados on Tuesday
The two exceptional seamers shared eight wickets between them. While Starc took a five-fer (5/48), Hazlewood contributed three wickets (3/11) in their team’s successful quest to defend the total of 252/9 in a rain-interrupted 49 overs per side game.
Unable to withstand the class of Starc and Hazlewood, West Indies were bundled out for a paltry score of 123 inside 27 overs. Captain Kieron Pollard fought hard for a half-century (56 off 57 balls), but only one other home team batsman – lower-order batter Hayden Walsh (20) – reached the 20-run mark.
Wrist-spinner Adam Zampa (1/39) and all-rounder Mitchell Marsh (1/7) also took a wicket apiece in the second half, where West Indies’ collapse only further highlighted their woes as a batting unit outside the T20 game.
It’s not that the visitors found it too easy to get going with the bat either. They began quite nicely but lost their way in the middle for a while. Opening batsmen Josh Philippe (39), Ben McDermott (28) and No.3 Marsh (20) got starts, but none of them carried on to play an innings of substance.
That innings, thankfully for the Aussies, came from stand-in captain Alex Carey, who made a well-compiled 67 off 87 balls and, in partnership with Ashton Turner (49) ensured the tourists reach past 200 without any further hiccup.
But just when it seemed that Australia now hold a firm grip on the contest, they suffered a collapse, going from 218/5 to 229/8 before some useful lower-order runs, including Zampa’s 12 off 7 balls, took them to 252/9.
The late-order collapse that the Aussies endured was triggered by leg-spinner Walsh, who ended up taking his maiden ODI five-wicket haul. Left-arm spinner Akeal Hosein (2/50) and pacer Alzarri Joseph (2/40) also bagged a couple of wickets each.
The hosts would’ve had their hopes raised at the halfway mark, but some high-class bowling from Hazlewood, Starc and their own persisting issues with the bat meant they had nothing but despair to settle with.
Brief scores
Australia 252/9 in 49 overs (Alex Carey 67, Ashton Turner 49; Hayden Walsh Jr 5/39, Alzarri Joseph 2/40) beat West Indies 123 in 26.2 overs (Kieron Pollard 56, Hayden Walsh 20; Mitchell Starc 5/48, Josh Hazlewood 3/11) by 133 runs (DLS method)
