In scenes reminiscent of the West Indies’ golden era of fearsome fast bowling, Jayden Seales and Shamar Joseph delivered a stirring performance to dismantle Australia for a paltry 180 on the opening day of the first Test at Kensington Oval.
Seales claimed a magnificent five-wicket haul, while Joseph bowled with searing pace to rip through Australia’s top order, who were left floundering on a lively Bridgetown pitch. By stumps, the West Indies were 57 for 4 in reply, trailing by 123 runs in what is already shaping up to be a gripping contest.
Australia, missing the injured Steve Smith and having dropped Marnus Labuschagne, endured a disastrous start, slipping to 22 for 3 in the morning session. Joseph struck early, trapping teenage debutant Sam Konstas lbw in the fourth over following a successful review. He followed up with a thunderbolt that Cameron Green could only edge to Justin Greaves in the slips.
Seales then joined the assault, drawing a top edge from Josh Inglis to leave Australia in dire straits. “This one was pretty special for me,” said the 22-year-old Trinidadian. “To play against them and get five on the first day was pretty special.”
He explained the team’s tactical approach: “With the new ball, the plan was to bowl fuller. We knew the batters would come hard if we gave them width. It was a little slower than what the Australians expected, which made them play a lot more.”
Seales also praised Joseph’s efforts: “Shamar was special today. He has a love for Australia. He got through the top order and made it easy for us in the middle and at the end.”
A brief fightback came via Usman Khawaja and Travis Head, who stitched together an 89-run stand, but Joseph again delivered at the crucial moment, removing Khawaja for 47 just as he was beginning to anchor the innings. Head went on to top-score with 59 before falling to Greaves, caught behind.
Australia’s middle order crumbled, with Beau Webster (11) and Alex Carey (8) offering little. Captain Pat Cummins (28) provided a flicker of resistance before Seales mopped up the tail to complete his five-wicket masterclass.
The West Indies, buoyed by their bowling display, found themselves quickly pegged back as Mitchell Starc struck twice in his opening burst, removing Kraigg Brathwaite and John Campbell. Cummins then dismissed Keacy Carty for 20, while Hazlewood cleaned up nightwatchman Jomel Warrican for a duck as the shadows lengthened in Barbados.
With 14 wickets falling on a frenetic first day, the match is delicately poised – a thrilling reminder of what Test cricket can be when pace and purpose collide.