ADELAIDE (Reuters) – Australia captain Pat Cummins and fast bowling colleague Josh Hazlewood combined to bundle out West Indies for 188 in a little over two sessions on day one of the opening Test in Adelaide on Wednesday.
Number three batter Kirk McKenzie (50) and debutant Shamar Joseph (36) offered some resistance but West Indies batters looked lost against the quality fast bowling by world test and 50-overs champions Australia.
For the hosts, Cummins (4-41) led by example with the ball, while Hazlewood (4-44) was equally impressive.
ESPNcricinfo adds: The opening day in Adelaide took shape as most thought it would with Hazlewood cutting through West Indies' middle order to follow the early inroads from Cummins, but there was a late twist to the second session.
Left-hander Kirk McKenzie, playing his second Test, offered some encouragement for the inexperienced visiting team with a well-constructed maiden fifty, but he was among the afternoon-session slide against Hazlewood as West Indies lost 6 for 35 and eyes were quickly turning to Steven Smith in his new opening role.
However, there was unexpected resistance from the final-wicket pair of Kemar Roach and debutant Shamar Jospeh as they added 44 to delay tea. Joseph, who has just five first-class matches under his belt, was given a tough welcome to Test cricket when cracked on the helmet by Mitchell Starc but took on the quicks including mowing Hazlewood for six over the leg side. The pair were even able to negotiate the extra 30 minutes added to the session. However, his scalp was claimed by Lyon soon after for 36.
Until those frustrations, Australia had been excellent with Hazlewood to the fore. His first wicket of the day, when Alick Athanaze shouldered arms and lost off stump, was his 250th in Tests and meant all four of Australia's frontline quicks had hit that mark - the first such instance in history of a quartet playing together with that tally.
Cummins, meanwhile, added four more wickets to recent prolific form. He removed both West Indies' openers, Kraigg Brathwaite and Tagenarine Chanderpaul after going against convention by bowling first on a well-grassed surface - just the second captain since 1992 to send a side in at Adelaide Oval, which this year is hosting a day Test rather than a pink-ball encounter.
On a cool, overcast morning, Australia applied early pressure against at almost static West Indies opening pair, whose early boundaries were an edge over the slips and another past the stumps, and the quicks strung together five maidens in a row.
Chanderpaul's attempts at a rare attacking stroke in Cummins' opening over gave Australia their first breakthrough when the recalled Cameron Green leapt high in the gully to add to his list of outstanding takes in that position.
Two overs later and Cummins completed a working over of Brathwaite when he straightened one off the seam to take off stump, the delivery after a rare misdirection of an attempting inswinger had produced a wild four byes down the leg side.
Athanaze and McKenzie steadied the innings for a period which included an early spell for Nathan Lyon and Mitchell Marsh being used ahead of Green. Both left-handers played some pleasing drives, but Athanaze was left to rue a significant misjudgment when Hazlewood brought one back.
There was encouraging progress made after lunch as McKenzie and debutant Kavem Hodge forged a promising stand for the fourth wicket, led by McKenzie who grew in confidence. Interestingly, Green was in action straight after the break, meaning six bowlers had been used within 30 overs and he nudged the speed gun over 140kph.
It was the return of Hazlewood who broke the back of the innings. Hodge was drawn into a drive with Green snaffling another sharp chance at gully, McKenzie edged a rising delivery behind shortly after bringing up his half-century and another debutant, Justin Greaves, drove carelessly to mid-off.
Hometown hero Travis Head took an excellent catch at deep square from Joshua Da Silva's top-edged pull as the collapse gathered what appeared unstoppable momentum, only for Australia to be stopped in their tracks.
When the teams were confirmed at the toss, Australia had 700 Test caps in their XI compared to 246 in West Indies' of which two players, Brathwaite and Kemar Roach, held 168.
The second and final Test is scheduled in Brisbane next week.