Australia has gone to stumps with a chokehold over the West Indies on day one, with in-form batsmen Marnus Labuschagne and Travis Head both posting centuries late in the piece.
Absolutely nothing has gone right for the Windies after debut paceman Marquino Mindley left the field early with a suspected hamstring injury.
It meant West Indies skipper Kraigg Brathwaite was forced to bring on the part-time spinners, just begging the in-form Aussie top order to get their eye in.
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Usman Khawaja scored a handy 62 before being pinned by a ball skidding into his pads from part-time seamer Devon Thomas. David Warner struggled to get going again before nicking one off Alzarri Joseph for 21.
Steve Smith barely got time to get going at all, scooping a well-pitched delivery from Jason Holder back into the towering quick’s hands, departing for a duck.
But Marnus Labuschagne and Travis Head were incredible, putting on an unbeaten 199-run stand to close out the day at 3/330.
Labuschagne scored his third straight hundred of the summer to finish on 120, while Head ended at 114 off 139 balls in a brilliant performance.
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10:15pm – Head brings up ton at home ground
Travis Head has brought up his century off just 125 balls late on day one, driving Alzarri Joseph down the ground after narrowly missing a shorter delivery the previous ball.
Head and Labuschagne have put on a masterclass in the final session, battering the West Indies attack around the park as the depleted line-up searched for answers.
Head has put on a show through the off side on day one, repeatedly punching the quicks through extra cover as he built his innings.
9:30pm – Labuschagne brings up 10th Test century
Marnus Labuschagne has continued his hot run of form, bringing up his third century this series with a cut shot for four.
He has expertly piled the runs on with Travis Head, with the pair amassing a 100 run partnership with ease in the final session.
8:50pm – Cummins speaks on Warner saga
Australian captain Pat Cummins says the playing group fully supports David Warner amid the latter’s latest saga with Cricket Australia.
Cummins, who is sitting out this Test with an injury, did a spell in the FOX commentary box and was probed on the issue by Adam Gilchrist.
“I haven’t heard the comments today, but I chatted to Davey today and he’s great,” Cummins said, saying Warner has been a “leader” within the group despite not holding an official title.
On the field, Marnus Labuschagne is slowly approaching his fourth hundred in a row, poking the ball around while Travis Head takes the attack on.
The Windies are finding snippets of swing under the lights, but Australia’s batsmen look set to bunker down until stumps after a commanding day in Adelaide.
7:40pm – 50 partnership up
Travis Head opened up his innings in typical fashion coming in at number five, throttling the opposition’s spinners through the off side. Marnus Labuschagne brought up his fifty in 109 balls, making it four innings in a row he has reached a milestone.
Commentator Ian Smith congratulated the Aussie pair once they brought up their 50 partnership, but admitted the visitors’ bowling attack was “poor” on day one.
The teams are now off for the tea break.
6:49pm – Smith gone for a duck
Steve Smith has been dismissed for a duck by Jason Holder, who tempted the stand-in skipper with a pitched-up delivery and prompted a mistimed drive directly back into his hands.
No. 5 Travis Head has replaced him at the crease following a 99 in Perth.
6:20pm – Khawaja out LBW
Part timer Devon Thomas snagged Usman Khawaja midway through the second session, catching the left-hander off guard with a delivery skidding into his pads.
The umpire’s finger went up, but Marnus Labuschagne at the nonstriker’s end urged Khawaja to review. DRS cameras had the ball hitting the leg stump — sending the opener to the sheds with 62.
It was Thomas’ first wicket in Tests.
The in-form Steve Smith has now joined Labuschagne at the crease.
6:20pm – Khawaja in control
The West Indies look to be already out of answers in the second session at Adelaide.
Usman Khawaja started to free his arms against the part-timers after the dinner break, as Marnus Labuschagne wore down the bowlers from the other end.
A few hot moments in the field have kept Australia from completely dominating the run rate, but it looks like the visitors need something special to make a statement on day one.
5pm – Windies blunted on day one
It’s not been a perfect start for the tourists in Adelaide. The Windies were able to snag David Warner cheaply, but from there it’s been all downhill.
With debut paceman Marquino Mindley going off early with a suspected hamstring injury, skipper Kraigg Brathwaite was forced to bring on the part time spinners, just begging the in-form Aussie top order to get their eye in.
“That’s rubbish,” former Test batsman Mark Waugh said on Fox Cricket as Roston Chase sent a half-tracker for Usman Khawaja to belt away.
“That’s not good enough. He should not be bowling now.”
Aside from a few early short balls from Alzarri Joseph, the pace attack has looked unthreatening, with veteran Jason Holder rarely putting a ball above 130km/h.
4:45pm – Khawaja continues mammoth year
Usman Khawaja has caressed his way past 1,000 runs for the year with a smooth innings to kick off the second Test. He is only the third man behind England’s Joe Root and Jonny Bairstow on the world run leaders list for 2022, hitting four centuries at 91 in nine Tests.
The West Indies’ attack have toyed with the outside edge but have been mostly subdued throughout the first session.
3:35pm – Warner out for 21
David Warner was out caught behind in the ninth over after attempting to free his hands against Alzarri Joseph and edging one behind.
The left-hander was looking solid at the crease, poking the ball around for a careful 21 alongside Usman Khawaja — who began to find his feet despite a nasty short ball to the gloves from Joseph earlier in his spell.
Marnus Labuschagne has now arrived at the crease — hours after retaking the top the ICC’s Test batting rankings following a mammoth outing in Perth last week.
Hazlewood out at 11th hour
Australia’s bowling attack will be significantly weakened after Josh Hazlewood was also ruled out just an hour before the first ball was due to bowled.
Perennial 12th man Michael Neser will replace Hazlewood in the line-up in his second Test for Australia after he made his debut in the same day night match last summer.
Cricket Australia said Hazlewood is suffering from “general soreness”.
Ashes hero Scott Boland, who famously took 6/7 at the MCG in the Boxing Day Test, returns to Australia’s XI in place of Cummins.
The second Test is scheduled to get underway at 3pm AEDT.
Warner furious over leadership ban process
The lead-up to the Test has been overshadowed by David Warner’s furious letter in which he declared he will not be appealing his leadership ban because he does not want to drag his family through another media circus.
The Australian opening batsman has regularly come under fire even after serving a one-year ban over the sandpaper saga that brought the Baggy Green into disrepute in 2018.
His position as vice-captain was scrapped, forced to serve the ban alongside former skipper Steve Smith. However, Smith has been given the opportunity to lead his country again despite his involvement in the Newlands ball tampering saga.
The same privilege was not extended to Warner, who will never hold a leadership position in Australian cricket ever again.
The opening batsman’s wife Candice doubled down on Thursday, speaking about the painful review process husband David was expected to endure in order to return to leadership positions within cricket.
