Hobart : Recalled paceman James Pattinson claimed five wickets as the West Indies succumbed to a dispiriting innings and 212-run loss to Australia on the third day of the first Test in Hobart on Saturday. Pattinson, playing in his first Test since March last year after recovering from chronic back and hamstring issues, spearheaded the Australian assault to rip apart the threadbare Windies batting. The hapless Caribbean tourists were sent back in by Australia skipper Steve Smith after being dismissed for 223 in the first innings to trail the home side by 360 runs. The West Indies went into freefall in their second innings, confirming fears about their competitiveness ahead of the remaining Melbourne and Sydney Tests. It was a triumph for Pattinson, who returned to the Australian side for injured pace spearhead Mitchell Starc and justified his recall after going wicketless for 68 bowling in the West Indies first innings. The West Indies have now won just four of their last 21 Tests and went into the first Hobart Test on the back of a humbling 10-wicket loss in their only warm-up game to a modest Cricket Australia XI.
The once-great West Indies are ranked above only Bangladesh and Zimbabwe and last won a Test in Australia in 1997. Only opening batsman Kraigg Brathwaite showed any resolve in the second innings shambles, finishing with 94 out of the paltry 148 total. Pattinson triggered the rot by having Rajendra Chandrika caught by Smith in the slips for a duck. First-innings centurion Darren Bravo fell for just four when his middle stump was uprooted by Pattinson. Marlon Samuels came and went for three, caught off the bat’s handle by David Warner, and Jermaine Blackwood completed a pair of ducks when he was out the next ball, bowled by Pattinson. Wicketkeeper Denesh Ramdin gave Warner his second catch of the innings off Mitchell Marsh for four. Skipper Jason Holder was caught down the leg-side off Pattinson for 17, Kemar Roach gloved Josh Hazlewood to Peter Nevill for three, and Jerome Taylor fell to a catch in the deep off Hazlewood for 12.
Brathwaite was the last man out, bowled by Hazlewood six runs short of his century. The tourists were earlier dismissed for 223 with Hazlewood missing a hat-trick after dismissing Roach and Taylor with successive balls to finish with four for 45. Hazlewood, bowling with great shape, was unlucky not to snare Jomel Warrican who gloved just over Joe Burns’ head at short leg to see off the hat-trick attempt. Bravo, on 94 overnight, was the last man out for 108 after raising his seventh Test century. Bravo’s defiant innings came to an anti-climactic finish when he dollied a catch off Peter Siddle to Nathan Lyon at point. He faced 177 balls for his hundred with 20 fours. The West Indies innings finished on the ninth wicket down with injured fast bowler Shannon Gabriel unable to bat because of a stressed left ankle injury.
Crushing defeat, but not a step backward for Windies yet Hobart The West Indies have won just four of their last 21 Tests and are ranked above only Bangladesh and Zimbabwe. They last won a Test in Australia in 1997. But Holder, who has the unenviable task of facing the media to explain the latest West Indies loss, was putting on a brave face against the continuing Windies underachievement. “I wouldn’t say it’s a step backwards, obviously in the past we’ve shown that we can compete,” Holder told reporters. “We had a really good series against Eng where we competed really well and then the Australians came in after that and we fell back a little bit. “But in a sense the spirit in the dressing room is still there, we had a few one-day series and then we had first-class cricket back home where players from here did well. “So it’s just a case where we need to put together a collective effort for longer periods in the game. “I just felt we have too many good spurts of cricket we’re not continuing on through the duration of the game. We need to do the good things longer.”
Aus 1st innings 583/4
Windies 1st innings
K Brathwaite lbw b Hazlewood…….2
R Chandrika c Smith b Lyon……….25
D Bravo c Lyon b Siddle……………108
M Samuels c and b Lyon……………..9
J Blackwood c Burns b Lyon…………0
D Ramdin b Hazlewood………………8
J Holder lbw b Siddle………………..15
K Roach c Nevill b Hazlewood…….31
J Taylor b Hazlewood………………….0
J Warrican not out………………………2
Extras: (b7, lb10, w1, nb5)……….23
Total: (9 wickets)…………………..223
FoW: 1-17, 2-58, 3-78, 4-78, 5-89, 6-116, 7-215, 8-215, 9-223
Bowling: Hazlewood 18-5-45-4, Pattinson 15-0-68-0, Siddle 15-5-36-2, Lyon 19-6-43-3, M Marsh 3-1-14-0
Windies 2nd innings
K Brathwaite b Hazlewood…………94
R Chandrika c Smith b Pattinson…..0
D Bravo b Pattinson……………………4
M Samuels c Warner b Pattinson….3
J Blackwood b Pattinson……………..0
D Ramdin c Warner b M Marsh…….4
J Holder c Nevill b Pattinson………17
K Roach c Nevill b Hazlewood………3
Taylor c Pattinson b Hazlewood….12
J Warrican not out………………………6
Extras: (lb1, w1, nb3)………………..5
Total: (9 wickets; 36.3 overs)…..148
FoW: 1-2, 2-20, 3-24, 4-24, 5-30, 6-60, 7-91, 8-117, 9-148
Bowling: Hazlewood 10.3-3-33-3, Pattinson 8-2-27-5, Siddle 7-1-34-0, M Marsh 7-0-36-1, Lyon 4-0-17-0.
