Debutant Joseph gives West Indies some hope

ADELAIDE: Debutant Shamar Joseph gave the West Indies some hope after taking two top-order wickets during Australia’s reply to the visitors’ first innings total of 188 in the opening Test in Adelaide Wednesday.

Australia were 59-2 at stumps, with Usman Khawaja not out 30 and Cameron Green on six. Australia were only 129 runs behind, but with key batsmen Steve Smith and Marnus Labuschagne back in the pavilion.

Earlier, Australian captain Pat Cummins won the toss and sent the West Indies in to bat on a cool and overcast morning, a decision that proved fruitful when the visitors were reduced to 133-9.

But Joseph, playing only his sixth first class match, gave the score some respectability with a breezy 36 off only 41 balls. The best was still to come for the 24-year-old, who came on as first change and had Smith caught at third slip with his first ball in Test cricket.

Joseph was not done, following the Smith wicket with that of Labuschagne, caught on the hook by Gudakesh Motie at deep fine leg to leave Australia 45-2. Things could have been even better for the Windies had wicketkeeper Josh Da Silva not dropped Khawaja on one, a catch he should have taken.

Earlier, Josh Hazlewood took 4-44, including his 250th Test wicket, and Cummins 4-41 as Australia ran through the West Indies batting line-up. Australia had gone into the Test making only one change from the team that beat Pakistan 3-0 earlier in the summer, bringing in Cameron Green for the retired Warner.

West Indies gave debuts to Joseph and all-rounders Kavem Hodge and Justin Greaves. Openers Kraigg Brathwaite and Tagenarine Chanderpaul began sedately. Cummins brought himself on in the 10th over with immediate results, a fuller ball enticing Chanderpaul into an expansive drive, only to slice the ball to gully where Green used all his height to take a comfortable catch.

Cummins then removed Brathwaite with a beautiful ball that was angled in, then straightened and took the top of off stump to leave the West Indies 27-2 after the first hour. Alick Athanaze and Kirk McKenzie then steadied the ship and looked to take the West Indies to lunch at two down, but with the score on 52, Athanaze opted to leave a Hazlewood delivery only to see the ball cannon into his off stump. It was Hazlewood’s 250th wicket in Test cricket.

Hazlewood continued after lunch with the wickets of Hodge (12), McKenzie (50) and Greaves (5) to leave the West Indies reeling at 108-6. That became 132-7 when Cummins had Da Silva caught at deep square leg for six, before one run later they lost both Motie and Alzarri Joseph.

Australia won the toss

West Indies 1st Innings

Kraigg Brathwaite (c) b Cummins 13

Chanderpaul c Green b Cummins 6

McKenzie c †Carey b Hazlewood 50

Alick Athanaze b Hazlewood 13

Hodge c Green b Hazlewood 12

Justin c Labuschagne b Hazlewood 5

Joshua † c Head b Cummins 6

Alzarri Joseph c Smith b Cummins 14

Gudakesh Motie c Lyon b Starc 1

Kemar Roach not out 17

Shamar Joseph lbw b Lyon 36

Extras: (b 12, lb 1, w 2) 15

Total: 62.1 Overs (RR: 3.02) 188

Fall: 1-14, 2-27, 3-52, 4-98, 5-107, 6-108, 7-132, 8-133, 9-133, 10-188

Bowling: Mitchell Starc 12-5-37-1; Josh Hazlewood 15-6-44-4; Pat Cummins 17-5-41-4; Nathan Lyon 12.1-2-36-1; Mitchell Marsh 2-1-5-0; Cameron Green 4-1-12-0

Australia 1st Innings

Smith c Greaves b S Joseph 12

Usman Khawaja not out 30

Labuschagne c Motie b S Joseph 10

Cameron Green not out 6

Extras: (nb 1) 1

Total: 21 Overs (RR: 2.80) 59/2

Yet to bat: Travis Head, Mitchell Marsh, Alex Carey †, Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins (c), Nathan Lyon, Josh Hazlewood

Fall: 1-25, 2-45

Bowling: Kemar Roach 7-2-21-0; Alzarri Joseph 7-0-19-0; Shamar Joseph 6-1-18-2; Gudakesh Motie 1-0-1-0