McGrath puts Windies to the sword
Glenn McGrath ripped through the brittle West Indies batting to condemn the Caribbean tourists to their fifth sub-hundred total in two years in an ominous start to the five-Test series at the Gabba here Thursday.
The feisty strike bowler snared 6-17 as Australia routed the West Indies for 82 and had sauntered to 107 for one in reply by the close of the opening day's play.
Pre-match predictions of an abbreviated three-or-four-day Test look on the mark.
The tourists' anxieties were realised when their batting succumbed in 49.1 overs to leave them with a mountain to climb just to salvage the Test, let alone win it.
McGrath seized the initiative for Steve Waugh's unofficial world champions removing Brian Lara on the way to leapfrogging Craig McDermott to become the third all-time highest Australian wicket-taker with 294.
Acclaimed as the best fast bowler in contemporary cricket, 30-year-old McGrath has the impressive average per wicket of 22.02 in his 63rd Test, superior to Australia's top wicket-takers, Shane Warne (366 wickets at 25.97) and Dennis Lillee (355/23.92).
McGrath snared Lara's prized wicket with his first delivery making it 11 times in their 14 Test encounters.
Lara, with so much dependent on him, lasted just four deliveries when he failed to move his feet and edged to wicketkeeper Adam Gilchrist.
McGrath was on two hattricks during the course of his demolition job, but was denied both times by an element of good fortune for the nonplussed West Indian batsmen. His impressive figures were 20-12-17-6.
At stumps, Australia, bidding to equal the West Indies' 16-year record of 11 consecutive Test wins, had coasted to a 25-run lead with Michael Slater not out 54 and nightwatchman Andy Bichel on four.
Openers, Slater and Matthew Hayden wiped out the deficit off 29.1 overs with 11 overs remaining in the day. Hayden was run out for 44 going for a second run by Ramnaresh Sarwan.
The latest capitulation continued a dire period for West Indian cricket.
The one-time Calypso Kings were skittled for 54 and 61 against England earlier this year and last year were rolled for 51 by Australia in Trinidad and 97 against New Zealand in Hamilton.
The West Indies have lost 13 of their last 15 overseas Tests.
In what's becoming a regular occurrence with the West Indies team, the senior players again failed to deliver the leadership for the younger ones.
Vice-captain and opener Sherwin Campbell lasted an hour for 10, Lara occupied the crease for four balls, Shivnarine Chanderpaul was there for an hour for 18 and captain Jimmy Adams remained unbeaten on 16 in 76 minutes.
Only 21-year-old Trinidad opener Darren Ganga showed the requisite application, putting his head down for his 20 in 143 minutes before his dismissal at 59 for four triggered a collapse.
On a slow-paced pitch that held no great fears after Waugh won the toss and sent the tourists into bat, the West Indies lost 37 for eight after going to lunch fighting for every run at 45 for two.
The most senseless dismissal was that of 20-year-old Guyana right-handed batsman Sarwan.
He was well out of his crease when he attempted a suicidal second run on Ricky Ponting's pinpoint throw from deep behind the wicket and was run out for a fifth-ball duck.
The West Indies' innings was studded with five ducks: Lara, Sarwan, Nixon McLean, Mervyn Dillon and debutant Marlon Black.
Mail Cricket Editor
