Tags:
Journalism of Courage
SYDNEY, JAN 2: Australian leg-spinner Stuart MacGill took seven for 92 as West Indies collapsed to 256 for nine on the first day of the fifth and final Test at the Sydney Cricket Ground on Tuesday.
MacGill tormented the fragile West Indian batting lineup to finish with his second best return in Test cricket, as the tourists crumbled from 147-0 after making their best start to a match this series.
Vice-captain Sherwin Campbell and Wavell Hinds had batted through the entire first session and then went on to score half centuries after lunch to give West Indies a perfect platform to build on after they won the toss and batted on a flat Sydney pitch.
They produced a record opening stand by West Indies in Australia before they fell in quick succession to trigger another catastrophic collapse that has become a trademark of their summer.
MacGill made the breakthrough when he deceived Campbell with a dipping leg-spinner and took a straightforward catch off his own bowling. Campbell had batted for more than three hours and hit nine fours to reach 79 — 25 more than his aggregate from his previous eight innings in the series.
Hinds, promoted to opener after Daren Ganga pulled out with a hamstring problem, had batted solidly but departed soon after Campbell left, falling for 70 when he dragged a wide delivery from MacGill back on to his stumps. West Indian captain Jimmy Adams continued his miserable run of form when Glenn McGrath trapped him lbw for 10 as the tourists, trying to avoid a 5-0 series whitewash, went to tea at 180-3.
With the wicket offering little encouragement to Australia’s fast bowlers, West Indies still looked to be heading towards a reasonable first innings total when play resumed only to suddenly fall in a heap. Brian Lara and Marlon Samuels added 36 for the fourth wicket before Lara went for 35 with the total on 210 when MacGill found the edge and Mark Waugh held a difficult low catch at slip.
MacGill got Ramnaresh Sarwan in the same over lbw for a duck then picked up Samuels for 28 to claim his fourth five-wicket haul in Tests and his third in Sydney.
MacGill was disappointed to be dropped for the fourth Test in Melbourne after bowling poorly in the previous match in Adelaide and was clearly determined to make his point. He had wicketkeeper Ridley Jacobs stumped for 12 when he tempted him down the wicket and beat him in flight and then got Nixon McLean with the next ball.
McLean’s first ball dismissal was the tourists 27th duck this series — a World record for zeros they would have preferred not to get.
MacGill missed out on a hat-trick and was unlucky not to get at least one more scalp as off-spinner Colin Miller claimed Mahendra Nagamootoo before stumps and Colin Stuart and Courtney Walsh survived to the close.
With Australia chasing an historic 5-0 series clean sweep, officials were forced to put up the full-house sign after the opening day’s play was sold out on a bright and sunny day.
The Australian players were presented with special caps before the match to commemorate the country’s centenary of federation. (Reuters)
Scoreboard
WEST INDIES: (1st Innings)
Sherwin Campbell c & b MacGill 79
Wavell Hinds b MacGill 70
Jimmy Adams lbw McGrath 10
Brian Lara c M Waugh b MacGill 35
Marlon Samuels c Langer b MacGill 28
Ramnaresh Sarwan lbw MacGill 0
Ridley Jacobs st Gilchrist b MacGill 12
Mahendra Nagamootoo c Slater b Miller 12
Nixon McLean lbw MacGill 0
Colin Stuart Not Out 0
Courtney Walsh Not Out 0
Extras: (b-4, lb-4, nb-2) 10
TOTAL: (for nine wickets, 98 overs) 256
Fall of wickets: 1-147, 2-152, 3-174, 4-210, 5-210, 6-235, 7-240, 8-240, 9-252
Bowling: McGrath 19-7-43-1, Gillespie 16-4-44-0 (nb-2), MacGill 35-11-92-7, Miller 28-7-69-1
