Australia wins first Test after stunning batting collapse from India
It is the collapse that needed to be seen to be believed. This is how Australia mercilessly destroyed India to win the first Test.
Josh Hazlewood and Pat Cummins produced one of history’s greatest bowling performances to make India’s highly rated batting order look like terrified park cricketers in a win for the ages at Adelaide Oval.
The dynamic duo mercilessly destroyed India with a mesmerising spell to dismiss Virat Kohli’s shell shocked side for just 36 – the fourth lowest total ever in 143 years of Test cricket.
Australia made quick work of a measly 90-run target, with Joe Burns (51 not out) smashing a six to bring up his 50 and the winning runs in the same blow. It was a fitting way to cap off a commanding eight-wicket win and consign Kohli’s team to the history books as ‘The Adelaide 36ers.’
Hazlewood finished with stunning figures of 5-8 – bringing up his 200-wicket milestone in the process – after Cummins started the rot and sent Kohli packing for the rest of the series by claiming his prized wicket for the fifth time in his Test career.
The 72 minutes and 92 balls of carnage was just the second time in Test history that all batsmen have been dismissed for single figures, and the embarrassing performance was India’s lowest ever Test score and the worst of any Test team since 1955.
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They were scenes of disbelief reminiscent of when Australia capitulated to be all out for 47 in Cape Town back in 2011 and 60 at Trent Bridge in 2015.
The most extraordinary thing about the Hazlewood and Cummins destruction derby was it came completely against the run of play, as India walked out to bat in bright sunshine to start day three 62 runs ahead and with first Test honours at their mercy.
Instead, Australia found themselves chasing a target of sub 100, and India are nursing all sorts of dramas, including an arm injury to key fast bowler Mohammed Shami, who had to retire hurt following a blow to his arm from Cummins which meant the tourists had to surrender their innings nine down.
Burns copped his own brutal blow to the arm early in his innings but soldiered on.
Hazlewood finished with the almost unbelievable figures of 5-8 off five overs.
“They’re the sort of figures you see in the under 12s on a Saturday morning,” said Simon Katich on Channel 7.
Cummins took 4-21 from 10.2 before Shami had to pull out and stop him taking his own five-for.
It’s not until the lights come on that the pink ball is meant to sparkle in day-night Test cricket, but in the blink of an eye India lost 5-4 in 5.5 overs in the heart of the collapse.
“I can’t recall a performance like that by the Australians,” said former Test quick, Damien Fleming.
Cummins produced the two most critical moments, as he knocked down ‘The Wall’ by edging out India’s unmovable object Cheteshwar Pujara for a duck.
When Kohli was at the crease Australia were still vulnerable to an Indian revival, but Cummins put paid to that – with debutant Cameron Green holding onto a memorable catch in the gully which he only just managed to snatch as it bobbled up his arm as his body hit the dirt.
Teammates swarmed around Green to celebrate his big moment – but the afternoon belonged to Hazlewood and Cummins; best mates and two of the greatest fast bowlers Australia has ever seen.
Indian Godfather Sunil Gavaskar said his countrymen didn’t do a whole lot wrong, and were simply powerless to stop the Hazlewood and Cummins onslaught.
“It’s been splendid bowling by the Australians – much fuller length, mixed up with the odd short delivery,” said Gavaskar.
“The Indian batsmen have been just that little bit tentative, but the bowling has been tremendous.”
Hazlewood said it’s never come out better in his entire career.
“I don’t think so, no. Everything went to plan. The way Patty started was unbelievable. He knocked over the two big wickets and set the tone,” Hazlewood said on Fox Cricket.
“And I just followed suit.
“It is good fun. We’re really good mates and we’ve played a lot of cricket together now. It’s just awesome to come out and take wickets with them every game.”
Hazlewood now has eight five-wicket hauls in his career as he joined the rare 200-club while Cummins’ rout got him past his 150-wicket milestone.
WHY THE ADELAIDE DECK WAS A WINNER
Josh Hazlewood had no sympathy for the batsmen who were blown apart on a controversial Adelaide wicket, adamant cricket doesn’t need to launch an investigation any time bowlers dominate.
Fifteen wickets fell on day two and 10 on day three to finish the first Test in a pink ball flurry of carnage.
Hazlewood was relishing in one of the most magical days of his career, with his stunning 5-8 helping to inspire a historical collapse which marked India’s worst batting performance in over 100 years of Test cricket.
The ‘Bendemeer Bullet’ joined the likes of Ernie Toshack (5-2), Bert Ironmonger (5-6), and Tim May (5-9) with one of the most clinical five-wicket hauls ever by an Australian.
But Hazlewood was having none of claims that the Adelaide curators got the pitch wrong, declaring the performances of Virat Kohli, Marnus Labuschagne, Tim Paine and Joe Burns throughout the Test showed the pitch was playable.
In an era where big bats, short boundaries and switch-hits often conspire against bowlers, Hazlewood said cricket should embrace results like the Adelaide stunner rather than question them.
“I certainly agree with that last bit. I think the wicket was probably a little too flat last year,” Hazlewood said.
“It all depends on when you get the new ball to be honest. If you’re bowling plenty of overs with the new ball at night things can happen really quickly or on an overcast day, if it gets a little bit of swing.
“The last two or three years during the day time with a relatively old ball has been hard work.
“I’ll never say no to more grass that’s for sure. I think I was happy with this year. A few guys scrapped to 60s and 70s and the guys who went out there with a bit more intent and played their shots probably got rewarded to a degree.”
The height of Australia’s bowlers was a key factor in why they were frightening while the Indians were not in Adelaide.
Wickets of variable bounce favour taller bowlers because they accentuate the difference between balls that bounce and balls that don’t. The Indians, by contrast, have a skiddier style.
It seemed every dangerous ball got an edge and every edge went to hand and every set of hands held true. Nothing was dropped. It was as close to perfection as a team could reasonably hope for.
Australia bowled full and straight. There are times when every ball seemed to be preceded down the wicket by waves of intent.
Hazlewood is one of the world’s most underrated bowlers, but he joined the 200-wicket club on Saturday as a star of rare class.
He said Saturday was the closest thing to magic that he can remember other than last year’s Ashes when England were bowled out for 67 at Headingley – although with a different result.
“When I looked up and it was 6-20 or something and Cummo (Pat Cummins) had Pujara and Kohli both out and we just had the tail to come. I think around that time you know you've got something special going,” Hazlewood said.
“I just felt like if we kept bowling in those areas that nicks were going to keep coming.
"We just didn’t let up really.
'It was just one of those days when everything went to plan, we kept putting it in on that spot and the nicks kept coming.
"It happened so quickly, it was over before we knew it.
“We were a bit stunned.”
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