West Indies vs Australia 2025: Australia pacers bowled West Indies out for 27 runs in Kingston: Why they are the best in the business?
West Indies’ Alzarri Joseph celebrated his five-wicket haul in around an hour of the third afternoon session during the third Jamaica Test between the West Indies and Australia. The target of 203 runs was set for the home side to chase in the fourth innings.
Joseph perhaps thought of a quick finish of the game in the evening before celebrating it with the teammates. He hardly had any idea of walking out to bat just 40 minutes after he put his bowling shoes off. It took Australia, or more specifically Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, and Scott Boland, 14.3 overs to blow away the Caribbean batting line-up.
Overall, it took them only 10 days of play to seal the Frank Worrell Trophy 2025 by a 3-0 margin. It continues their unbeaten run against the Roston Chase-led side since 1995-96.
Australia’s experienced pacers wreaked havoc on West Indies in Jamaica
Three bowlers, Starc, Hazlewood, and Shamar Joseph, ended the series with an average of under 15, having taken over 10 wickets. That proves how hard batting was in the three encounters. But to get bundled out for 27, the second lowest total in Tests, was ‘embarrassing’ as Chase mentioned.
It started from the very first ball of the fourth innings. Mitchell Starc went for a fourth-stump delivery on a length that shaped away after pitching. John Campbell’s feet hardly moved as he went for the forward defence and got an outside edge. Three balls later, Kevlon Anderson left an anticipated out swinging delivery. However, it jagged back to trap him before the stumps.
Brandon King went for a booming drive on his very first ball. The in-swinging delivery went through the gap between bat and pad to destroy the stumps. Mikyle Louis and Shai Hope were also trapped leg before the stumps. Meanwhile, Scott Boland’s hat-trick cleaned up the tail for 27 runs in 14.3 overs. That was the third-shortest all-out innings in Test cricket, after 12.3 and 13.5 overs by South Africa and Sri Lanka, respectively.
The left-arm pacer from New South Wales celebrated his five-wicket haul in just 15 balls. His record in day-night Tests is exceptional. With the pink ball, he has grabbed 35 wickets in 12 innings at an average of under 15.
Australia may have multiple issues in the batting department before the Ashes 2025/26. However, their bowling has the all-around skill to carry the spirit and energy whenever they fail to put runs on the board.
Read More: WTC 25 Final, SA vs AUS, Day 4: SA create history, win first ICC title in 27 years
Experience and skill- the secret of Australia’s bowling success
Undoubtedly, all three pacers of the current side, Starc, Hazlewood, and Pat Cummins, are experienced campaigners. But the key to their success is that all of them should be shouldering different skills. Starc has the pace and a firing yorker, while Josh Hazlewood can keep on bowling on the same line and length for the entire day. Cummins shows his smartness in using different tactics and coming wide of the crease.
Since the start of 2021, among pacers, Australia’s red-ball captain is the joint leading wicket taker (139) with Kagiso Rabada. Starc is fourth on the list with 115 wickets at 31.35. Hazlewood is also among the top ten, thanks to 85 red-ball scalps in 21 games at an average of 22.04.
Whether it’s the pace and bounce at home, or the swinging conditions in England, or the dry surfaces in the subcontinent, they have the skills to fire in all aspects. Scott Boland also came as a perfect replacement fast bowler for this side. In the same period, the Victoria pacer has picked up 44 wickets in 10 encounters.
It was a huge decision from the management to leave out their lone spinner, Nathan Lyon, for the fixture. Whenever the pacers feel a bit tired, the off-spinner always comes to the rescue by breaking a partnership. But the 2023-25 WTC runners-up could do that because of their back-up options. Boland was as good as anyone with the pink ball under the artificial lights. And the ball nipped around in the air during the second evening session of the fixture at Sabina Park.
However, all of the ‘big three’ are over 32 years old. There is no guarantee of injuries. It can happen anytime, and that could bring curtains down on their career instantly. But till then, they will continue wreaking havoc on the opposition with their experience and different skills.
Here's the word class bowling of Mitchell Starc against West Indies. 5 WICKETS IN 15 BALLS. TEST CRICKET YOU BEAUTY 😍😍 pic.twitter.com/iVyHESVW8O
— Shehryar Sajid Khan (@Sskwrites) July 15, 2025
Read More: AUS vs IND, 2nd Test: Starc’s pink-ball heroics skittles India to 180
