Australia has one hand on the Frank Worrell Trophy after Travis Head’s century and Josh Hazlewood’s golden spell put the hosts within touching distance of victory at Adelaide Oval.
Head blasted 119 in front of friends and family on day two of the series opener as the West Indies bowled out Australia for 283, with debutant Shamar Joseph taking a five-wicket haul.
However, the tourists lost six wickets before stumps as Hazlewood ripped the heart out of the West Indies top order, claiming 4-18 from eight overs.
The West Indies are 6-73 at stumps, still trailing by 22 runs, with wicketkeeper Joshua Da Silva unbeaten overnight on 17.
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Hazlewood on FIRE with wild early haul! | 01:36
‘REMARKABLE STORY’: HEAD ONCE AGAIN THE ‘GAME-CHANGER’
This hasn’t been Travis Head’s finest summer in Australian whites.
The South Australian struggled against Pakistan during the Benaud-Qadir Trophy, compiling 81 runs at 16.20 across the three Tests, which compared to his remarkable feats from last summer was bitterly underwhelming.
Australia toppled Pakistan in a 3-0 series whitewash, so Head’s lack of runs wasn’t cause for concern, but the left-hander had gone 16 consecutive Test knocks without reaching triple figures.
However, Head broke the drought in front of friends and family at his home ground on Thursday, rescuing the Australians with a gritty 119 (134) that featured 12 boundaries and three sixes. Nobody else in the Australian side reached fifty.
The World Cup champion has developed a reputation for scoring runs in tricky conditions — most notably during the 2022 Tests in Hobart and Brisbane — and Tuesday’s knock was no exception.
Head looked scrappy when he walked to the middle, resting on his back foot and wafting outside off without any weight distribution. He nearly chopped back onto his stumps on several occasions, struggling to adapt to the two-paced surface.
“I’m just nudging away, the inside edge is cooked,” Head laughed during the drinks break.
“It’s been challenging. I’m just trying to hang in, it’s ugly at times.
“I’m battling away at the minute … not the best I’ve ever batted.”
Yet, despite lacking any rhythm or execution, Head survived. He prodded at length balls and nudged into gaps, occasionally slapping full deliveries through the covers but rarely down the ground.
“He’s looked a bit rusty,” former Australian batter Mark Waugh said on Fox Cricket commentary.
“It’s not pretty, but it’s effective … he’s somehow found a way.”
Following Alex Carey’s dismissal in the 55th over, Head changed gears and launched into one of his trademark counter-attacks. He switched into white-ball mode, combining with Mitchell Starc for a 54-run partnership for the seventh wicket to ensure Australia secured a first-innings lead.
Head, who targeted the picturesque venue’s short square boundaries, raced from fifty to triple figures in just 45 deliveries, becoming the second South Australian to notch multiple Test hundreds at Adelaide Oval, alongside the legendary Ian Chappell.
Lara’s Adelaide Oval batting masterclass | 07:38
After celebrating his century in front of adoring fans, Head clobbered back-to-back sixes against debutant Shamar Joseph into the Western Stand with a pair of pull shots.
West Indies quick Alzarri Joseph ended Head’s demolition in the 74th over, with Kavem Hodge holding onto a superb catch at deep mid-wicket — but the damage had already been done.
“He’s a wonderful game-changer,” former England captain Michael Vaughan told foxsports.com.au.
“He did it in the World Cup final and he’s done it in Test cricket a number of times now.
“He’s gone out there with such positivity. If you don’t get him, you know he’s going to hurt you.
“He hurts you in a way that wins his team the game. There’s not many batters who can say they change the momentum of the game and put their team so far in front inside a couple of hours of batting.
“He’s now doing it consistently in all formats of the game. It really is a remarkable story, his comeback into Test cricket in the last two years.”
‘SIGNS OF NERVES’: LEGEND’S ADVICE FOR GREEN
Cameron Green could’ve been forgiven if he was feeling the pressure early on day two.
It’s hard to remember a bigger player-led selection in recent times than that of Green, who returned to the XI after David Warner’s departure.
Selectors and teammates have since consistently told reporters that Green is within the top six best batters in the country.
And while that’s widely believed to be true, there will come a time when Green will have to prove it in the form of big runs.
His first game back on a tricky batting deck was far from a true litmus test for Green at No. 4 in Test cricket – but it was clear that the nerves were showing.
It certainly showed when he tentatively prodded at a probing delivery from Shamar Joseph early in the day, which he tickled through to the keeper to be out for 14.
Before play, Brendon Julian told Fox Sports that Green would “feel the pressure” on the day, given the circumstances of his recall.
Vaughan backed Green to prove his immense quality soon, but also noted that worry from Green was indeed on display.
“I see signs of class. I see signs of nerves as well,” Vaughan told foxsports.com.au of Green.
“It’s never easy if you have a player who has anxiety or worries about performance. But he’s got them so he’s got to deal with that kind of mental side.”
He added: “In terms of the game that he has, no doubt he will be a success.”
The all-rounder had a mixed start to Test life at No. 6 where he averaged 34.96 from 28 innings.
That number will need to increase for Green to become a rock solid No. 4, but Vaughan urged Green to not change anything about his technical approach.
“Just play, enjoy it. He’s a young kid, go out there and give it a whack,” he sad.
“Don’t think because you’re playing at No. 4 you have to play more defensively.
“I think the game has moved on. I think the game is in a position now that you need players who can get on the front foot and attack. I don’t think he needs to change anything.”
‘NEVER FORGET’: WEST INDIES DEBUTANT’S 61-YEAR FIRST
It’s been a while since Australia witnessed a touring player’s Test debut as remarkable as Shamar Joseph’s.
The Guyana bowler, who knocked over Australian opener Steve Smith with his first delivery in Test cricket, finished the innings with 5-94 from 20 overs, giving Kraigg Brathwaite’s men something to celebrate after a tough start to their Frank Worrell Trophy campaign.
Joseph, who made his first-class debut less than 12 months ago, started day two by dismissing Cameron Green in his first over, with the Australian all-rounder feathering a delivery through to wicketkeeper Joshua Da Silva. In doing so, he became the first West Indies debutant to take the opening three wickets of their maiden Test innings since 1962.
The 24-year-old returned in the afternoon session to help clean up the Australian tail, bouncing out Mitchell Starc before bowling Nathan Lyon through the gate. He was the eleventh West Indies cricketer to take a five-wicket haul on Test debut and the second to achieve the feat on Australian soil.
Joseph led his teammates off the ground at the change of innings, removing his cap and giving the West Indies badge a lengthy kiss. He raised the Kookaburra at the Adelaide crowd, which had risen to its feet, bowing towards the Western Stand for an added flourish.
Earlier that day, the president of Guyana, Irfaan Ali, had posted a tribute to Joseph on his official Facebook page.
“It’s an amazing feeling right now,” Joseph told Fox Cricket during the innings break.
“Taking a five-wicket haul against Australia means a lot to me.
“I can’t explain how emotional I am right now.”
Joseph is far from the finished product, leaking 4.7 runs per over across the innings while overstepping the popping crease on five occasions.
However, Joseph and Pakistan’s Aamir Jamal have breathed life into the 2023/24 Test summer, which threatened to be a dull affair if not for their heroics.
“You could say he belongs in this arena,” West Indies legend Brian Lara said on commentary.
“But to me, it looks like he’s been in this arena for years.”
Joseph grew up in a region of Guyana that can only be accessed by boat, a 225km journey up the Canje River known to take two days due to vegetation strangling the waterways.
He didn’t have access to a telephone network or internet coverage growing up but fell in love with cricket at an early age — as a child, he occasionally used fruits, such as guavas and lemons, for impromptu games with friends and family.
WEST INDIES’ ‘ONE-DIMENSIONAL’ STRATEGY A ‘MISTAKE’
Australia was in a spot of bother at 3-67 when Travis Head walked to the middle on Thursday morning. The Adelaide Oval pitch was offering a bit of nibble for the seamers and Cameron Green had just nicked behind cheaply — yet the West Indies immediately turned towards a short-pitched barrage.
Head has been susceptible to bouncers over the past 12 months, dismissed by bumpers on seven occasions in Tests during that period. The West Indies had identified the weakness, placing two boundary riders at deep square leg along with a leg gully while encouraging the quicks to drop short.
However, the Australian vice-captain weathered the storm, at one stage pumping debutant Justin Greaves over square leg for a mighty six. A couple of hours later, he reached triple figures.
“They went straight to the short-ball theory,” former England captain Michael Vaughan said on Fox Cricket commentary.
“I thought it was a mistake from the West Indies.
“On this kind of pitch, when there’s nip, just bowling that fourth stump full length.”
Waugh agreed: “It looked a bit one-dimensional.”
Head looked vulnerable when the West Indies seamers bowled slightly fuller than a good length, particularly during the morning session. The South Australian was anticipating the short balls, positioning himself for bumpers and hardly using any footwork when driving through the off-side.
Speaking to foxsports.com.au, Vaughan pointed out the bouncer barrage successfully restricted Head’s scoring, but argued the West Indies got their tactics wrong.
“That short-ball theory that the West Indies went to for the first 30 balls, it reduced his scoring rate, but they weren’t getting him out,” Vaughan said.
“On a pitch that was seaming, I think the best way to get him out is to bowl fourth stump, fuller length and get him driving. There’s not many players in the history of the game who can drive on the up from ball one, and he’ll try it.”
England employed a similar strategy when bowling to Head during last year’s Ashes series, with mixed success.
“We’ve seen it in a few series gone by,” Head told Fox Cricket when asked about the short-ball ploy.
“They’ve come with a plan … but I’ve prepared enough and seen enough in different series.”
NEW LOOK ADELAIDE PITCH ‘HASN’T WORKED OUT’
Out of its traditional spot early in the international summer, and back in the day time, the Adelaide Test was already looking different this week.
But changes to the wicket, which has produced chaos for the batters across two days, has made the event look like nothing from recent history.
The Adelaide Oval has long produced a great wicket for Test cricket, with something on offer for the bowlers early, before great batting conditions across days two, three and four. If a Test has reached day five, it has often brought the spinners into play, as shown during 2018’s thrilling final day showdown between India and Australia.
But new ‘legend’ grass on the centre wicket, and the fact it was prepared for a Test in January – which is typically drier in the South Australian capital than December – meant big changes for the look of this Test.
The wicket has proven to be bone dry underneath, with a layer of thatchy grass on top that has been compared to hay.
The result has been two days of considerable seam movement, and a number of balls staying low, producing a whopping 26 wickets in just two days.
Marsh outsmarted by Windies tactics | 01:06
England legend Michael Vaughan believes that the bowler-friendly conditions brought the two teams “closer together” than they would’ve been in a normal Adelaide Test.
“It’s certainly not an Australian, Adelaide pitch that I’ve known,” Vaughan told foxsports.com.au.
“Seam movement is the hardest delivery to face, and I think that’s been proven with more seaming than we’ve seen here.”
He added: “I think they’ll (Adelaide Oval groundskeepers) be the first to admit that they’ve tried a new grass that hasn’t worked out.
“It’s very dry underneath … the ingredients here at the Adelaide Oval have been good for many, many years. They’ve probably changed them and not quite got it right.
“Pitches in Australia have always been fast and bouncy. On these kinds of wickets, I think it brings the opposition back into the game.”
Indeed, this Test might’ve been a different story if not for Travis Head’s gritty century, as well as West Indies’ collapse late on day two.