The West Indies suffered a humiliating defeat, being bowled out for just 27 runs in their second innings against Australia in the Jamaica Test the second-lowest total in Test history. Chasing a target of 204, the Caribbean side was dismantled in just 14.3 overs, as Australian pacers Mitchell Starc and Scott Boland delivered record-breaking performances.
Mitchell Starc’s Career Milestones
- Mitchell Starc took 6 wickets for just 9 runs, the best figures ever by a bowler in their 100th Test match, surpassing Muttiah Muralitharan’s previous record.
- He reached 400 Test wickets, doing so in just 19,062 deliveries, the second-fastest in terms of balls bowled behind only Dale Steyn (16,634).
- Mitchell Starc also became the fastest to take a five-wicket haul in Tests (5 wickets in 15 balls), breaking the previous record of 19 deliveries jointly held by Arnie Toshack (1947), Stuart Broad (2015), and Boland (2021).
- Remarkably, Starc took three wickets in the very first over of West Indies’ second innings the first such instance in 19 years, since Irfan Pathan’s hat-trick in 2006.
Scott Boland’s Hat-Trick Heroics
- Boland picked up 3 wickets for just 2 runs, including a hat-trick, becoming the 10th Australian to achieve the feat in Tests.
- This was Australia’s 12th hat-trick in Test cricket, trailing only England (15 hat-tricks).
Historic Batting Collapse for West Indies
- West Indies became only the sixth team in Test history to lose 3 wickets for 0 runs.
- Seven batsmen were dismissed for ducks, the most ever in a single Test innings.
- Their 27-run innings lasted just 14.3 overs, the third shortest completed innings in Tests:
- South Africa (12.3 overs vs England, 1924)
- Sri Lanka (13.5 overs vs South Africa, 2023)
- The lowest ever Test total remains New Zealand’s 26 against England in 1955.
This crushing defeat completed a 3-0 series whitewash by Australia, who thoroughly outclassed the hosts. While Mitchell Starc reached new heights in his 100th Test, the West Indies’ abysmal performance has raised serious concerns about the state of their red-ball cricket.
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