Josh Hazlewood’s remarkable five wicket haul has led Australia to a stunning 159-run victory in the first Test against the West Indies in Barbados.
Travis Head (61), Beau Webster (63) and Alex Carey (65) all scored half-centuries as Australia made 310, setting the West Indies 301 to win.
However any prospect of a home victory was blown out the water by a stunning burst from Hazlewood, who took 4-5 in just 16 balls.
The West Indies were bowled out for 141 at the belated close.
Only the astonishing hitting of Shamar Joseph (40 off 19 balls) and Justin Greaves (38 off 53) threatened to deny Australia victory inside three days after counter attacking in the gloom during the extra half hour.
But two wickets in consecutive balls to Nathan Lyon ended the West Indies’ torment and secured victory ahead of the second Test in Grenada, starting on July 4.
- Scorecard: West Indies vs Australia, first Test from Kensington Oval, Barbados
- Five quick hits: Hazlewood’s rapid-fire five and Shamar’s special fireworks
The third day of what had been a very even and entertaining Test started badly for the West Indies and then got steadily worse for the hosts.
Shamar Joseph (5-87) did finally get the five wicket haul his performance in this Test deserved, but it was a wicket that got away from his namesake Alzarri Joseph in the opening hour that will haunt the West Indies most.
Head edged a ball to Justin Greaves at second slip off the bowling of Alzarri Joseph but, for the seventh time by the West Indies in the match, the opportunity was shelled and the Aussie was given a reprieve.
Head was on 21 at the time and made the most of his chance, punishing the West Indian attack as he scored his second half-century of the match as part of a century partnership with Beau Webster (63).
Shamar Joseph eventually accounted for Head just before lunch, a ball keeping devilishly low to trap the South Australian in front.
But Webster continued, playing some imperious shots before clipped a leg side delivery into the gloves of Shai Hope, the decision given by third umpire Adrian Holdstock after a spike was observed on the ultraedge.
Alex Carey then exploded, scoring 40 runs in 15 balls to reach his fastest ever Test half-century (40 balls) before he fell into a trap set by opposition captain Roston Chase, chasing a wide delivery that was skied to Justin Greaves.
Alex Carey played a sublime innings. (AP Photo: Ricardo Mazalan)
Pat Cummins (9) and Mitch Starc (16) both came and went, with Josh Hazlewood (12) the last to fall after a 19-run stand with Nathan Lyon (13 not out), handing Shamar Joseph his third five wicket haul against the Aussies in three Tests.
Facing a tough task on a rapidly deteriorating pitch, Kragg Brathwaite was caught by Sam Konstas in the very first over of the chase for 4.
Campbell and Carty survived almost 10 overs, making a 43-run partnership as the West Indies settled.
But Hazlewood, who switched ends after three wicketless overs, then ran riot with the ball.
The wickets were as much down to the wildly erratic bounce of the pitch as much as the unerring accuracy of the Aussie bowlers, a combination that few line-ups in history could have accounted for.
The New South Wales paceman took two wickets in two balls at the start of his second spell — John Campbell (23) and Brandon King (0) — in a brutal spell where he also accounted for Roston Case (2) and Keacy Carty (20) in his subsequent two overs.
Starc removed Braithwaite in the first over of the West Indies chase. (AP: Ricardo Mazalan)
Carty, fortunate to survive a rare Green mistake in the gully, was then castled by a ball right out of a horror movie, seaming in and failing to bounce as it cleaned up his off stump.
That left the West Indies reeling at 5-56 — Justin Greaves only surviving being the sixth wicket to fall after getting fractionally outside the line to a Webster delivery that cannoned into this pads.
Can’t get enough cricket from Grandstand?
Shai Hope (2) was next to fall, another victim of Australian accuracy and the pitch’s erraticity as a Cummins delivery kept low and crashed into his off stump.
To make matters worse Alzarri Joseph (0) was run out taking on the arm of substitute fielder Marnus Labuschagne, whose 40-yard direct hit at the strikers end at cover was exceptional.
Hazlewood completed his five wicket haul by having Jomel Warrican edge behind to Carey as the Aussies took the extra half hour in a bid to end the game inside two days and not risk the forecast rain on Saturday.
Justin Greaves and Shamar Joseph flashed their bats in an entertaining cameo before Joseph was dismissed, caught by Khawaja off a ricochet from Carey for a 22-ball 44 off the bowling of Lyon.
Lyon then had Jayden Seales caught at bat pad first ball to complete the win.
Look back on how all the action unfolded in our live blog.
Key Events
-
10h ago10 hours agoFri 27 Jun 2025 at 10:57pm
-
11h ago11 hours agoFri 27 Jun 2025 at 10:15pm
-
11h ago11 hours agoFri 27 Jun 2025 at 10:14pm
Show all key events19h agoFri 27 Jun 2025 at 1:59pmLive updates: WI vs AUS, first Test, day three10h agoFri 27 Jun 2025 at 10:57pmAnd that’s where we’ll leave things!
10h agoFri 27 Jun 2025 at 10:57pmAnd that’s where we’ll leave things!What a way to end a really absorbing Test.
That mammoth, three-hour plus final session of cricket had it all.
Australia took 10 wickets, West Indies number 10 Shamar Joseph came within one shot of scoring the fastest Test 50 of all time and a pigeon invaded the pitch just as Nathan Lyon was shaping to bowl the final over of the day.
(AP)
The extra half hour had already come and gone, and with the Windies still eight down, we looked destined to return for a fourth day.
However, Lyon removed Shamar and then number 11 Jayden Seales in consecutive deliveries to hand Australia a 159-run victory in the first Test.
Simon Smale and I have had an absolute ball bringing you every ball from Barbados.
We’ll see you next week for Test match number two.
Until then, go well!
11h agoFri 27 Jun 2025 at 10:48pm
‘Heartbroken’ Chase is biting his tongue
It’s now West Indies captain Roston Chase’s turn to talk to Badree and ESPN
“The result is a bit heartbreaking,” Chase says.
“I thought we started the match well in terms of the bowling performance and bowling them out on the first day.”
But from there, he says the game got away from them a bit.
Badree is asking about his side’s firs innings, in which they were only able to eek out a 10 run lead.
Of course, that’s something of a leading question – that innings was derailed by a series of DRS howlers that went against the West Indies.
(AP)
And Chase is clearly biting his tongue as he recounts what happened to him and Shai Hope – the pair to cop the two most egregious decisions.
“Me and Shai Hope we were having a good partnership and then, obviously a few other way calls set us back a bit,” Chase says.
“I still thought we did well to get the lead, but we couldn’t put any batting innings together.”
A disappointing end to a really promising Windies performance.
11h agoFri 27 Jun 2025 at 10:38pm
Travis Head named player-of-the-match
Thanks to that pair of half centuries, Travis Head has been named player-of-the-match.
And that’s just about fair I reckon – considering how much the rest of the batters struggled throughout the game.
He’s talking to Samuel Badree on ESPN post-game.
Badree is asking him how he managed to “conquer the conditions” at Kensington Oval.
“I would have like to have conquered them a little more,” Head says.
“I feel like I left a couple out there, but it turned out to be a challenging wicket.
“On day one, I guess you go out and try and form a plan and a blueprint and communicate as much as you can.
“It was pretty tricky out there and that looked like the trend for the whole game.
“So nice to contribute, nice to get to a score and I thought we batted exceptionally well today to get to 300.”
(AP)
Badree is asking him about the uncharacteristically sluggish start to his second innings.
“Last night, I was desperate just to make sure I was able to get through to stumps…it was on a tightrope the whole game and nice to get in there with Beau at the end of last night and then to start again,” Head says.
“It was probably a little bit of a slower innings for me in the second but it was what was required so I was happy to take my time.”
(AP)
11h agoFri 27 Jun 2025 at 10:25pm
Hazlewood with the understatement of the year
Australia’s five wicket hero, Josh Hazlewood, is speaking to ESPN post game and he’s being asked about a wicket that jagged back and fourth and bounced unevenly for much of the three days of this test.
(AP)
“I think there was enough in the wicket,” Hazlewood says.
“It was starting to get a bit of tired, up and down movement from a length,”
“So, it was just about hitting that area time and time again and trying to be patient.”
Yeah, a bit in it I reckon Josh.
Either way, he was simply outstanding this evening, breaking the game open with those two wickets in consecutive balls before continuing to make a mess of the Windies lineup.
“I’ve just been enjoying cricket at the moment, enjoying test cricket, enjoying the group,” he says.
“We’ve got fantastic staff, players, really good environment at the moment.
“It’s good fun and we keep putting in the performances at the moment.”
11h agoFri 27 Jun 2025 at 10:15pmAustralia wins by 159 runs
(AP)
What a bizarre last session of play.
That Nathan Lyon over was the final of the day, and needing two wickets, we looked destined to be back here tomorrow.
However, Shamar Joseph – with, somehow, the fastest ever test 50 in reach – got an edge on one that ballooned off Carey to a diving Usman Khawaja.
Lyon had three balls to get the job done – and he did it in one.
Jayden Seales came forward to defend but could only find Sam Konstas at bad pad.
The West Indies recover from 8/86 to make their way to 141 all out.
11h agoFri 27 Jun 2025 at 10:14pmSEALES IS OUT FOR A GOLDEN! AUSTRALIA WINS!
Seales was forward and defending his first ball, but could only get an edge onto his pad, and the Australians are up and about as Sam Konstas takes a sharp catch at bat pad.
11h agoFri 27 Jun 2025 at 10:13pm
34th over continued: Lyon has three balls to win the game tonight11h agoFri 27 Jun 2025 at 10:12pmShamar is out!
What a wonderful innings.
44 from 22 deliveries in the dying light in Barbados.
He went for another massive swing, got an edge, it deflected of Carey, and Usman Khawaja dived to take the catch.
11h agoFri 27 Jun 2025 at 10:11pm
34th over: Shamar is on for the fastest test 50 of all time!
He needs 10 from two balls.
And he smashes the first for four!
Six required from this for a ridiculous piece of history.
It’s a dot.
No record today.
There’s a pigeon on the pitch.
11h agoFri 27 Jun 2025 at 10:05pm
33rd over: Hazlewood to run in again
Greaves is behind one and flicking to the on-side for no run.
And he’s behind and defending the next one.
There could be a fourth day in this match yet…
There was a single on offer there, but Greaves declines to take it.
A short one here from Hazlewood has Greaves ducking.
And then defending.
11h agoFri 27 Jun 2025 at 10:00pm
32nd over: Lyon to bowl another
And Shamar Joseph is on strike.
The first spins and bounces and Joseph is swinging but not getting anywhere near it. It’s through to Carey.
Joseph runs down the wicket to the next one and smashes one through cow corner for four! Not the most attractive of shots, but effective none the less.
Massive! Down on one knee, Joseph absolutely pummels Lyon over deep midwicket for six! He’s raced to 34 from 17.
Shamar is swinging and missing the over’s penultimate ball.
Six again! He smashes that one straight back over Lyon’s head and that’s another massive six.
11h agoFri 27 Jun 2025 at 9:58pmHazlewood has wicket overturned on DRS
Full and straight and Hazlewood is celebrating rather than appealing on his follow through.
It’s given out and it looks it.
Greaves sends it upstairs and….
Not out!
It was doing too much and the ball is missing leg stump.
Greaves survives.
11h agoFri 27 Jun 2025 at 9:54pm
31st over: Lights are coming on in Bridgetown
It’s looking pretty dark out there.
I wouldn’t want to be facing the Aussie quicks at the moment. However, I’m both a terrible cricketer and vision impaired so that’s not saying much.
The ball has lost its shape and the umpires are finding a replacement.
Which is eventually found.
Shamar Joseph is cut in half by one that jags back at him off the turf.
Dropped! Shamar absolutely leathers one out into deep midwicket. It finds Konstas like a tracer bullet. The fielder is down, the ball is in, and then it’s out again. The batters run a single.
11h agoFri 27 Jun 2025 at 9:50pm
30th over: Nathan Lyon gets his first go of the innings
Greaves is coming down the track straight away and jamming one into his pad.
The next one is nudged towards mid-on and it’s no run.
Same again.
Greaves is back and defending the next – a slightly quicker one.
Greaves is watchful and we’re one ball away from a maiden over.
Another dot rounds out the 30th.
12h agoFri 27 Jun 2025 at 9:46pm
29th over: Hazlewood bowls to the swinging Joseph
Shamar Joseph is violently swinging at absolutely everything here.
And that’s massive! It’s a golf swing from Shamar, who smashes Hazlewood straight back over his head and over the fence for a maximum.
The next one is short and Shamar is swinging but can’t make contact.
A few words are being exchanged here in the dying Bridgetown light.
Shamar takes a single to bring Greaves on strike, who proceeds to thread through another lovely strike through the covers for three.
That’s over.
12h agoFri 27 Jun 2025 at 9:40pm
28th over: Starc looking to finish things off
And he’s bowling to Shamar.
Six! What a lovely shot. It’s full and straight and Shamar just flicks it forward of square. He times it perfectly and it’s over the fence in a flash.
Four! The next one is a full toss and S. Joseph heaves it to the on-side for another boundary.
Another one! Through midwicket once again, Joseph makes the most of the second full toss in succession.
Starc fires the next one in short and Joseph is doing his best to make some sort of contact with it, which he does. The batters run a single.
Starc comes back over the wicket to Greaves, who works one square for a dot ball.
A yorker to end the over is kept out by Greaves.
12h agoFri 27 Jun 2025 at 9:39pm
26th over: Hazlewood has three to come after wicket
And S. Joseph is out to the middle.
He’s off the mark straightaway with a single through the off-side.
Justin Greaves, who, in all fairness, has looked sensational out there this evening, faces up.
Crunched! Greaves stands up to a short one and pulls it in front of square for a boundary.
That’s over.
12h agoFri 27 Jun 2025 at 9:35pmHAZLEWOOD HAS FIVE!
Back of a length and on off-stump, Warrican is dangling his bat at one and gets a thick outside edge.
It flies to slip and is taken comfortably.
Australia two wickets away.
12h agoFri 27 Jun 2025 at 9:33pm
27th over: Hazlewood to bowl as extra half hour is triggered
Big shout! It looks very good, but given not out live.
Cummins sends it upstairs.
No bat involved.
This will be close.
Red…red…amber.
Show more posts