The AUS vs WI Test at Kingston has gone into the record books for all the wrong reasons, particularly for West Indies. Mitchell Starc produced a once-in-a-lifetime bowling display, while West Indies achieved their lowest-ever Test score. In one of the shortest and most sensational games of modern cricket history, stats fell like dominoes.
West Indies Collapse for 27: Second-Lowest in Test History
West Indies were dismissed for only 27 runs in their second innings, the second-lowest team total in Test cricket history. Only New Zealand’s 26 all out in 1955 is below them. It was the West Indies’ lowest-ever Test total as well, surpassing their previous mark of 47 (also at Kingston in 2004 against England).
Mitchell Starc Makes History with Fastest Five-Wicket Haul
Starc was unstoppable. He tore through the West Indies batting line-up, claiming five wickets in a mere 15 deliveries the quickest five-for in men’s Test cricket history. He shattered the previous record of 19 deliveries, shared by Ernie Toshack, Stuart Broad, and Scott Boland.
His figures of 6 for 9 in the match are now the highest ever by a player on his 100th Test, breaking Muthiah Muralidaran’s 6 for 54.
Record-Breaking Collapse: Ducks, Overs, and Batting Woes
The collapse did not stop at running alone. West Indies’ second innings had:
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7 ducks, the first time in Test cricket that seven batsmen fell for zero in one innings.
14.3 overs batted – the third-shortest all-out innings in Test history.
A combined 170 runs for both innings, their lowest in a Test match in which they were bowled twice.
6 runs from the top six batsmen, the lowest ever for a top-six team in men’s Test history.
AUS vs WI: A Match of Firsts and Lows
The combined total of 516 runs by the two teams is the seventh-lowest in a finished men’s Test match. It was not since 1910 that there has been a Test with totals as low as this. As few as 1,045 balls were bowled through all four innings, the lowest since 1910 and the fourth-lowest ever in any four-innings Test.
This was also the third-shortest Test match in the West Indies to be won, not drawn.
Starc Begins with a Bang: 3 Wickets in First Over
Starc started the final innings with an appalling over, claiming three wickets before West Indies scored their first run, a once-in-a-blue-moon achievement only matched by Irfan Pathan (Karachi Test, 2006) in the 21st century. It was the sixth occasion that a team has been left on 0 for 3 in Test cricket.
Starc is the only bowler since 2002 to have taken two or more wickets in the opening over of a Test innings twice, the last one having been at Kingston in 2015 as well.
Boland Joins Elite Hat-Trick Club
Scott Boland contributed to Australia’s dominance with a hat-trick, making him just the tenth Australian to accomplish the feat in Tests. He joins an elite group that has names such as Peter Siddle and Jimmy Matthews, bringing Australia’s total men’s Test hat-trick count to 12, behind only England’s 15.
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Smith Tops Scoring Charts in a Batter’s Graveyard
In a bowler-dominated game, Steven Smith’s 48 in the first innings was the top individual score. The Kingston Test was only the 16th men’s Test match in history wherein no batter scored fifty, an unusual thing last seen in Nagpur in 2015 (India vs South Africa).
Starc’s 400 Wicket Milestone
Amid all the mayhem, Mitchell Starc achieved 400 Test wickets as the second-quickest in terms of balls bowled (19,062), only behind Dale Steyn (16,634 balls). It is a great milestone in his illustrious career.
AUS vs WI Delivers Test Cricket’s Darkest Day for Windies
The AUS vs WI clash at Kingston was unforgettable for the wrong reasons, especially for the West Indies. Mitchell Starc’s unrelenting pace and accuracy decimated the hosts, while Boland and Woakes added to the misery. For Australia, it was a match of records and dominance. For the West Indies, it was a performance they’ll want to forget but one that the history books certainly won’t.
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