Australia claimed a nine-wicket win in the first Test against the West Indies, coasting to victory with more than two days to spare.
The tourists took six wickets for just 27 runs in the opening 90 minutes of the day’s final session to dismiss the hosts for 216 in their second innings. That left Australia needing 47 runs to win and they knocked them off in five overs, only losing opener David Warner. Steve Smith hit the winning run late in the day to avoid having to return on Saturday morning. The second match in the two-Test series will be played in Jamaica next week.
Apart from a fourth-wicket stand of 144 between Shane Dowrich (70) and Marlon Samuels (74), the second innings saw another wretched batting display by the home team, who made 148 in their first knock.
Having started their second innings already 170 behind, West Indies ended the second day in Dominica on 25 for two, with Darren Bravo falling quickly on the resumption to leave the hosts on 37 for three. Dowrich and Samuels steadied the ship, but the partnership was eventually broken when Josh Hazelwood had Dowrich caught by Shane Watson.
Nevertheless, at tea West Indies were 189 for four and looking ready to set Australia a reasonably challenging target. But they had added just 11 more runs when Jermaine Blackwood was out for 12, stumped by Brad Haddin off the bowling of Nathan Lyon, and Samuels followed three balls later, attempting to hook Mitchell Johnson and top-edging to deep backward square-leg.
The last four wickets fell for just 18 more runs, with Nathan Lyon bowling Denesh Ramdin – his 141st Test wicket, equalling Hugh Trumble as the all-time most successful off-spinner in Australian history – and Starc polishing off the tail to record the pick of the Australian bowling figures with four for 28.
