West Indies' Jayden Seales, left, celebrates with teammates after dismissing Australia's Josh Inglis during day one of the first Test match in Barbados. AP
West Indies' Jayden Seales, left, celebrates with teammates after dismissing Australia's Josh Inglis during day one of the first Test match in Barbados. AP
West Indies' Jayden Seales, left, celebrates with teammates after dismissing Australia's Josh Inglis during day one of the first Test match in Barbados. AP
West Indies' Jayden Seales, left, celebrates with teammates after dismissing Australia's Josh Inglis during day one of the first Test match in Barbados. AP

Australia rattled by West Indies pacers in Barbados Test


  • English
  • Arabic

World Test Championship finalists Australia were given a wake-up call by West Indies fast bowlers on the opening day of the Barbados Test as they were shot out for 180.

Pacers Jayden Seales and Shamar Joseph tore through Australia's line-up on a lively surface at the Kensington Oval.

Aussie batters looked all at sea against the Windies quicks and could have been dismissed for an even lower score had the hosts held all their chances.

Opening batter Usman Khawaja was dropped early in the slip cordon by captain Roston Chase. Khawaja was the second highest scorer after Travis Head, who scored a quick fifty.

Khawaja battled to 47 before eventually falling to Joseph, featuring in an important 89-run fourth-wicket stand with Head after the Australians had slumped to 22-3 in the morning following Pat Cummins' decision to bat first upon winning the toss.

Head's top score of 59 was highlighted, as usual, by flamboyant drives and pulls, the left-hander counting nine boundaries in his 78-ball innings.

While Aussies fearsome pace attack of Mitchell Starc, captain Cummins, and Josh Hazlewood saved them the blushes, taking four wickets between them to send the West Indies in at stumps at 57-4, the Caribbean team gave the Aussies a glimpse of what awaits them in the three-match series.

Seales claimed a brilliant 5-60 and Joseph was equally impressive with 4-46. Joseph was particularly difficult to handle as he mixed high pace with late movement and consistent lines.

Australia's middle order offered little resistance, with Beau Webster (11) and Alex Carey (8) falling cheaply before seamer Justin Greaves claimed the prize scalp of Head for 59, caught behind.

Captain Cummins (28) provided the only lower-order resistance before Seales returned to sweep through the tail, completing his five-wicket masterclass and leaving Australia to contemplate the wreckage of their innings.

West Indies would have fancied their chances at that point, but Starc had other plans, snapping up the wickets of Kraigg Brathwaite and John Campbell in an action-packed opening spell.

Cummins then had Keacy Carty caught behind on 20 before Hazlewood bowled nightwatchman Jomel Warrican out for a duck.

"This one was pretty special for me," Seales said. "I have played against (Australia) once, and was injured. To play against them and get five on the first day was pretty special.

"With the new ball, the plan was to bowl fuller. We knew the batters would come hard if we gave them width, and the plan was to bowl full and as much at the stumps as possible.

"A little slower than what the Australians would have expected, and that made them play a lot more.

"Shamar was special today. He has a love for Australia. He got through the top order and made it easy for us in the middle and at the end."

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Duminy's Test career in numbers

Tests 46; Runs 2,103; Best 166; Average 32.85; 100s 6; 50s 8; Wickets 42; Best 4-47

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Why it pays to compare

A comparison of sending Dh20,000 from the UAE using two different routes at the same time - the first direct from a UAE bank to a bank in Germany, and the second from the same UAE bank via an online platform to Germany - found key differences in cost and speed. The transfers were both initiated on January 30.

Route 1: bank transfer

The UAE bank charged Dh152.25 for the Dh20,000 transfer. On top of that, their exchange rate margin added a difference of around Dh415, compared with the mid-market rate.

Total cost: Dh567.25 - around 2.9 per cent of the total amount

Total received: €4,670.30 

Route 2: online platform

The UAE bank’s charge for sending Dh20,000 to a UK dirham-denominated account was Dh2.10. The exchange rate margin cost was Dh60, plus a Dh12 fee.

Total cost: Dh74.10, around 0.4 per cent of the transaction

Total received: €4,756

The UAE bank transfer was far quicker – around two to three working days, while the online platform took around four to five days, but was considerably cheaper. In the online platform transfer, the funds were also exposed to currency risk during the period it took for them to arrive.

RESULTS

Welterweight

Tohir Zhuraev (TJK) beat Mostafa Radi (PAL)

(Unanimous points decision)

Catchweight 75kg

Anas Siraj Mounir (MAR) beat Leandro Martins (BRA)

(Second round knockout)

Flyweight (female)

Manon Fiorot (FRA) beat Corinne Laframboise (CAN)

(RSC in third round)

Featherweight

Bogdan Kirilenko (UZB) beat Ahmed Al Darmaki

(Disqualification)

Lightweight

Izzedine Al Derabani (JOR) beat Rey Nacionales (PHI)

(Unanimous points)

Featherweight

Yousef Al Housani (UAE) beat Mohamed Fargan (IND)

(TKO first round)

Catchweight 69kg

Jung Han-gook (KOR) beat Max Lima (BRA)

(First round submission by foot-lock)

Catchweight 71kg

Usman Nurmogamedov (RUS) beat Jerry Kvarnstrom (FIN)

(TKO round 1).

Featherweight title (5 rounds)

Lee Do-gyeom (KOR) v Alexandru Chitoran (ROU)

(TKO round 1).

Lightweight title (5 rounds)

Bruno Machado (BRA) beat Mike Santiago (USA)

(RSC round 2).

Pharaoh's curse

British aristocrat Lord Carnarvon, who funded the expedition to find the Tutankhamun tomb, died in a Cairo hotel four months after the crypt was opened.
He had been in poor health for many years after a car crash, and a mosquito bite made worse by a shaving cut led to blood poisoning and pneumonia.
Reports at the time said Lord Carnarvon suffered from “pain as the inflammation affected the nasal passages and eyes”.
Decades later, scientists contended he had died of aspergillosis after inhaling spores of the fungus aspergillus in the tomb, which can lie dormant for months. The fact several others who entered were also found dead withiin a short time led to the myth of the curse.

Updated: June 26, 2025, 5:53 AM