Labuschagne, Head hundreds sink hamstrung West Indies

Marnus Labuschagne and Travis Head scored imperious hundreds as Australia racked up 330 runs on the opening day of the pink-ball Test against a hamstrung West Indies side that copped another injury blow less than a quarter into the day’s play in Adelaide. Labuschagne and Head did not go easy on them, the former racking up his third straight ton of the series and the latter completing his first century at home. By Stumps, Australia’s fourth-wicket pair had put on 199 runs with the visitors’ misery having no foreseeable end.

The teams were welcomed by a rather flat Adelaide surface, belied by the generous covering of grass. There were injury issues on both sides. Australia were already without Pat Cummins and then lost Josh Hazlewood to a side strain on the morning of the game. But they could welcome into the side a bowler with a Test average of 9.55 (Scott Boland) and another in the middle of a fine run in domestic cricket (Michael Neser). West Indies had far-reaching problems through the length of their squad. The fast-bowling pair of Kemar Roach and Jayden Seales were ruled out, joining injured teammates Kyle Mayers and Nkrumah Bonner on the treatment table. In came two debutants Marquino Mindley and Devon Thomas while Anderson Phillip came in for his second Test match.

As it turned out, the visitors lost the toss and braced themselves for a long day of toil against an in-form batting line-up. To add to their problems, West Indies were a fast bowler down 15 overs into the game with Mindley suffering hamstring discomfort and having to leave the venue for scans. It was an ominous beginning for the visitors despite dismissing David Warner cheaply once more. The left-hander was pushed back in his crease by Alzarri Joseph and then in the following over teased into a drive away from the body which he edged to the ‘keeper.

Labuschagne and Usman Khawaja then took full toll on the West Indies bowlers, who found to their displeasure that the short ball wasn’t climbing up as steeply as it did in Perth and Khawaja in particular was able to easily swivel into pull shots past mid-on for boundary. West Indies introduced the spin of Roston Chase inside the 10th over with no success. Khawaja quickly moved into 40s before West Indies finally strung together a sequence of three maidens. They enjoyed their best phase of the first session just before the break but weren’t rewarded for the pressure.

The second session was West Indies’ best of the day, encapsulated by the two wickets they did manage. The breakthrough arrived from an unlikely source. Devon Thomas, originally picked as a reserve ‘keeper in the squad, ended the 95-run Labuschagne-Khawaja stand by getting the latter LBW on 62. After angling two deliveries across the left-hander from over the wicket, he switched angles and bent one back into Khawaja, who wore it on his pads and wasn’t reprieved by DRS either. Steve Smith walked in and straight back out after being dismissed for an eight-ball duck when Jason Holder completed a smart return catch.

West Indies’ joy, however, was short lived for Smith’s dismissal brought the pair of Head and Labuschagne together. The former was remorseless with his off-side play, hitting gaps with elan. At the other end, Labuschagne chipped away with a boundary here and there interspersed by a glut of strike turnovers. Labuschagne reached his century with a thrilling square drive for four and his partner joined him in the feat with a pristinely driven off-drive. West Indies turned to the second new ball as soon as it was available, but even under lights the shiny pink ball refused to do their bidding. They walked off having lost a player, with 330 runs against them on the board and with no easy solutions to come over the remainder of the Test match.

Brief scores:

Australia 330/3 (Marnus Labuschagne 120*, Travis Head 114*, Usman Khawaja 62; Jason Holder 1-42) vs West Indies.

(Cricbuzz)