Josh Hazlewood took five wickets with outstanding bowling, but it was Travis Head’s twin fifties in both innings that earned him the Man of the Match award in a game dominated by bowlers.
The final over of the day was packed with excitement. There was no doubt about the match result; the question was whether the game would stretch into the next day. On the third ball of the over, Nathan Lyon dismissed Shamar Joseph to raise the drama. The very next ball saw the last batsman, Jaden Seales, caught at short leg. Australia erupted in celebration, winning the match within three days.
In the Barbados Test, Australia defeated West Indies by 159 runs, taking a 1-0 lead in the three-match series.
The first two days saw both teams fairly evenly matched. But on the third day, Pat Cummins’ side dominated with bat and ball to secure a convincing victory. These back-to-back ICC Test Championship finalists started the new season with a win.
Travis Head, Beau Webster, and Alex Carey all scored fifties in Australia’s second innings, helping set a target of 301 for West Indies, who had a slender 10-run lead after the first innings. However, the Caribbean side collapsed for 141.
Josh Hazlewood claimed his 13th five-wicket haul in Tests.
Australia began Friday at 92 for 4. The two unbeaten batsmen, Travis Head and Beau Webster, pushed the score forward, adding 102 runs for the fifth wicket—the only century partnership of the match.
Shamar Joseph dismissed both batsmen, with Head scoring a patient 61 off 95 balls and Webster making 63 off 120, marking his third fifty in Test cricket.
Alex Carey’s aggressive batting, scoring a 40-ball fifty, helped Australia surpass 300 runs on a pitch favorable to bowlers.
Carey, the wicketkeeper-batsman, contributed 65 runs. Australia’s tailenders chipped in with small contributions.
Shamar Joseph, who took four wickets in the first innings, claimed five more in the second. This was his fourth five-wicket haul in just nine Tests, with three of those against Australia.
Chasing 301 on a bowler-friendly pitch proved too tough for West Indies, who struggled to make an impact.
Mitchell Starc struck early, removing experienced Craig Brathwaite in the first over. Although John Campbell and Kasey Carr tried to counterattack, Hazlewood came back strongly, taking four wickets in his second spell of just three overs.
At the 10-over mark, West Indies were 47 for 1 but collapsed by losing seven wickets for 39 runs.
Facing the prospect of being bowled out under 100, Shamar Joseph offered some resistance with the bat, supported by Justin Greaves. The duo forged the only fifty-plus partnership of the innings.
It seemed the match might continue the next day, but consecutive wickets fell in the late afternoon, ending the contest. Joseph, who took nine wickets in the match, played his career-best innings of 44 runs off 22 balls.
In a match dominated by bowlers, Travis Head’s twin fifties in both innings earned him the Man of the Match award.
The next Test begins Thursday in Grenada.
Brief Score
Australia 1st innings: 180
West Indies 1st innings: 190
Australia 2nd innings: 310 (Head 61, Webster 63, Carey 65)
West Indies 2nd innings (target 301): 141 all out
Result: Australia won by 159 runs.
Series: Australia leads 1–0 in the three-match series.
Man of the Match: Travis Head.
