Starc strikes once after Australia bowled out for 225

West Indies have some injury worries.

Coach Darren Sammy says young opener Mikyle Louis’ knee, jarred when he dived in the field, is their biggest concern, but he is hopeful that Alzarri Joseph will be fine to bowl in the rest of the match after spending time off the field on day one.

Opener John Campbell is just a bit sore after being hit on the collar bone by a Smith sweep shot while fielding at short leg.

Nevertheless, Sammy sounded happy with where his side was at after the first day/night in Jamaica.

That’s it from me today, our coverage will continue on day two. Good afternoon.

To lose 7-68 in the evening session was at least partly to do with Australia wanting a bowl before stumps. Even so, a tally of 225 is not much to bowl at.

Justin Greaves celebrates taking the wicket of Alex Carey.Credit: AP

As Tom Decent writes from Sabina Park:

A 100-minute spell of pink-ball carnage under lights has breathed life into the third and final Test, giving West Indies fans something to cheer about after a dismal series to date.

The decision to pick Scott Boland over Nathan Lyon dominated early headlines but quickly faded when Australia, after winning the toss and batting, crumbled on a lively Sabina Park pitch.

Read the rest of Tom’s report here.

STUMPS

Australia 225, West Indies 1-16

West Indies handled that tricky session about as well as they could have hoped to, losing just the one wicket and absorbing the issues with injured top order players. It has definitely been the home side’s day.

Brandon King and captain Roston Chase now have hope of reeling in Australia’s decidedly mediocre first innings on day two.

While the ball has moved around all day, the pitch is of much less capricious character than those for the first two games.

Sam Konstas, Usman Khawaja, Cameron Green and Steve Smith will all be annoyed at themselves for spending considerable time in the middle without any of them getting to the kind of big scores that Australia would have wanted.

“Every pitch has been tough. It’s a bit of a grind and a lot of learnings,” Cameron Green says of conditions in the Caribbean. “I’m about two or three months away [from bowling].

“We just wanted to give them a tricky last 45 minutes, to get the one down was crucial, we’ll wait and see what happens tomorrow.”

Australia 225, West Indies 1-11

That was just a matter of time and geometry.

Starc is swinging the new ball late and Anderson is finally beaten by one that bends unerringly into the stumps.

In his 100th Test, Starc jogs down the pitch with his arm raised in triumph. He earlier joined Allan Border among players with a duck in their 100th Test, but Starc is now making the sort of impact he wanted to.

Mitchell Starc bowled a hostile first spell. Credit: AP

Australia 225, West Indies 0-5

Starc’s first over features plenty of swing with the new ball, and a couple of speculative lbw appeals against the West Indies’ makeshift openers Brandon King and Kevlon Anderson.

The nominated openers, Mikyle Louis and John Campbell, are apparently both away in hospital getting medical treatment for injuries they picked up in the field.

Australia 225 all out (Smith 48, Green 46, Shamar Joseph 4-33)

Cummins cracks consecutive sixes off Seales - an up and under hook shot over fine leg and then a heave over long on, before perishing when he doesn’t quite get all of another big hit and is taken at long on.

That makes it six wickets for the session, with a little under an hour of play still to go. Josh Hazlewood skies a catch after sneaking a few more runs with Boland, and Australia are rounded up for 225.

The value of that score will be made known in the final 40 minutes of play, as an injury-hit West Indian top order faces up to Starc, Cummins, Hazlewood and Boland with the new ball.

Australia 8-210

Starc lasts just four balls in his 100th Test, bowled by a hooping in-ducker from Seales.

Seales then has the temerity to give Starc a send-off, which may not have been the smartest idea for the West Indies top order.

Scott Boland comes to the middle, and Cummins flicks one over the leg side to take the tourists past 200. Cummins takes another big swing and skies it so high the ball might bring down rain - but none of the West Indies fielders can get their bearings underneath it.

Australia 7-198

Carey had looked good but can’t avoid a thin inside edge behind when he leans forward to drive Greaves. Given some injury worries for Alzarri Joseph, among others, Greaves’ seam bowling has been particularly useful for the hosts.

That wicket brings Mitchell Starc to the middle, and the 100-Test man will be thinking about how many overs he might end up bowling tonight in helpful conditions. His first ball flies up to hit him on the gloves. That will make Starc think too.

Cummins will want a first innings tally of around 250, but with around 75 minutes of play to go, will want to get there or get out fairly soon.

Australia 6-198

Head never looked like he found his timing during a 53-ball stay, and another miscue towards mid-off gives Anderson Philip the chance to dive for the second remarkable catch taken by the West Indies today.

Philip’s catch is superb, although there is some query over whether he grounded the ball while using it to haul himself up from the ground. Remember Mitchell Starc at Lord’s in 2023?

No matter, the umpires have cleared it and Pat Cummins joins Carey in the middle, and promptly cracks Warrican for six over long-off.

Australia 5-184

Carey is not inclined to hang around, and he has just clouted Greaves over cover for a magnificent six - the first of the Test match.

In that shot, you can see a lot of why Australia have persisted with Carey. His power and wristwork are in the very top drawer, and he’s a huge threat to any bowling attack provided he carries that positive attitude to the middle and dictates terms.

Alzarri Joseph is back on the field for the West Indies after a back complaint.

Warrican replaces Joseph and elicits a half-chance from Head to short leg, before the Australian vice-captain clumps him over cover for four.