TALKING POINTS
Follow UsHazle-god’s perfect spell floors the Windies
Some numbers just don’t make sense. Like the figures you’re about to see below.
32-12-78-12
These are Josh Hazlewood’s figures across his last 3 innings, where he’s bagged a four-fer in each of the three innings. After a rather lean run in which he did not pick up more than 1 wicket across six innings, Hazlewood picked up four in the second innings in Sydney. And he’s not been able to stop since then.
Everything he’s touched has turned into gold.
If West Indies thought they’d seen a great Hazlewood spell on Day 1, they were in for a horrific, unwanted surprise. For in the final session on Day 2, the big right-armer bowled arguably his best spell in Tests since that morning in Adelaide against India in 2020.
Hazlewood struck on his first ball of the second innings, removing Tagenarine Chanderpaul, and did not look back.
He hit those unplayable lengths ball after ball, and at one point, his figures read 4-4-0-3. Every single ball, he looked like he was going to take a wicket and the Windies batters had no answers to the questions he posed.
At Tea, Australia would surely not have entertained thoughts of wrapping up the contest on the same day, but Hazlewood’s burst almost made it possible. Eventually, the West Indies showed just enough resistance to drag it to the third day.
Cameron Green squanders first chance at No.4 after promising start
Steve Smith’s maiden innings as an opener came to an abrupt end late on Day 1 after he nicked one off debutant Shamar Joseph, but from an Australian perspective, there was still scope for the rejigged batting order to work, with Cameron Green still being in the middle at stumps on Day 1.
And Green, usually a nervy starter, got off to a very bright start early on Day 2, smashing back-to-back boundaries off Joseph. At this point, one started to entertain thoughts of a statement knock at No.4 from Green, who admitted prior to the game that he’d felt ‘rushed’ batting at No.6.
However, before the aforementioned thought could be processed, young Joseph sent him packing immediately after getting hit for consecutive fours. Joseph adjusted his line ever so slightly, nailed the length and that was enough to take the outside edge of Green, who prodded at the ball and paid the price for it.
Green was distraught, visibly disappointed, and understandably so. The stage was set for him to make a real mark but he failed to seize the opportunity.
READ: Hometown hero Travis Head plays a game-changing hand — yet again
Justin Greaves arrives at the big stage — rather unexpectedly with the ball
Picked in the squad on the back of a stellar List A season (403 runs @ 80.6 in 2023), Justin Greaves sealed his spot in the starting XI on the back of his impressive showing in the warm-up game against Cricket Australia XI, where he posted 65 & 41*.
So going by current form, it isn’t surprising that Greaves has made a bright impression on debut. Except it’s with the ball that the 29-year-old has made his presence known, taking Australia aback with some Trent Copeland-esque bowling.
Some 12 overs into Australia’s innings late on Day 1, Kerry O’Keefe, on air, called for the visitors to introduce Greaves into the attack, and bowl him alongside the on-fire Joseph. O’Keefe spoke about the bounce Greaves generated in the warm-up match (where he picked two wickets) and claimed that he’d be a handful on a surface like this, where the carry and bounce was inconsistent.
O’Keefe’s words proved to be prophetic as on Day 2, with the backing of his skipper, Greaves bowled two super impressive spells, across which he got the prized scalps of Usman Khawaja and Alex Carey.
READ: Usman Khawaja has developed a bad habit — getting out in the 40s
A tall man (of the Trent Copeland mould), Greaves is not pacy (mid-120s at best), but he is someone who keeps hitting that nagging length outside off and troubles batters with the extra bounce he generates through his height.
His first wicket, that of Khawaja, came off a rather ordinary delivery, but he bowled a ridiculously high number of very good balls (for a batting all-rounder). He kept hitting those ideal lengths, even after being targeted by Travis Head, and he eventually got Carey with a peach.
That wasn’t his only contribution on the day, as he also took a stunning catch to dismiss Mitchell Marsh, diving low with the lid on at an unconventional third slip position. It was his second catch of the game - late on Day 1, he plucked Smith's catch.
He then started off well with the bat in the second innings (24 off 37) before being trapped LBW by Nathan Lyon on the final ball of the day.
A batting all-rounder who can bowl long spells with the ball while being a reliable slip fielder? West Indies might just have found the successor to Jason Holder!
Windies get it wrong with the Gudakesh Motie selection
Despite off-spinner Kevin Sinclair impressing with the ball in the warm-up match against CA XI, West Indies opted to go in with the left-arm spin of Gudakesh Motie against an Australian side with four left-handers in the top eight.
In hindsight, it proved to be an incorrect call.
Not only did Motie not remotely threaten the Australian batters, he also did not contain well, going at 3.50 runs per over. He proved to be more expensive than Kemar Roach, Alzarri Joseph and Justin Greaves, all of whom had a heavier workload.
Sinclair’s inclusion might not have made a huge difference, but he might have proven to be a better bet against this Australian line-up, especially with Sajid Khan and Agha Salman both enjoying a bit of occasional success in the previous series.
Alternatively, the visitors could also have opted to play a specialist batter instead of Motie, who ended up bowling only 12 overs anyway.
