Starc reality

PERTH – Wobbly West Indies were bowled out for their lowest ever One-Day International score against Australia, as they made a calamitous start to their five-match series with an embarrassing nine-wicket defeat here yesterday.
Winning the toss and strangely opting to bat first at the WACA Ground, the tourists were rolled over in seamer friendly conditions for 70 off 23.5 overs, their third lowest score in ODIs.
Captain Darren Sammy topscored with 16 to be one of only three batsmen to make double figures; Darren Bravo and Kieran Powell both made 11.
Ramnaresh Sarwan, Dwayne Bravo and Kieron Pollard were all removed without scoring by left-arm seamer Mitchell Starc, who destroyed the innings with five for 20.
He was supported by right-arm pacer Clint McKay who picked up three for 10 and debutant left-arm seamer James Faulkner who finished with two for 14.
In reply, Glenn Maxwell blasted 51 not out with nine fours and two sixes off 35 balls as Australia raced to their target off just 9.2 overs, to snatch a 1-0 lead in the series.
There were ominous signs from the outset when left-handed openers Powell and Chris Gayle both struggled against prodigious movement generated by the new ball pair of Starc and McKay.
Gayle was first to fall with the score on 14 in the fifth over, edging one that bounced from Mckay and moved away, for Aaron Finch to take an acrobatic catch diving in front of captain Michael Clarke at first slip.
Despite unleashing two lovely cover driven boundaries, Powell was also tentative and eventually succumbed to a catch at first slip by Clarke, prodding outside off-stump at Starc.
Sarwan’s first international innings in over a year-and-a-half lasted just three balls as Starc bowled him through the gate with a big in-swinging full length delivery in the same over at 19 for three, and with no runs added an over later, Dwayne Bravo fell to a catch at forward short leg.
Pollard survived a massive shout for lbw off the first ball he faced and though he was vindicated by a television review, he then dragged the next ball onto his leg-stump, as West Indies lost four wickets for one run in the space of 13 balls.
When Devon Thomas steered the fifth ball of Faulkner’s first over to Clarke at first slip and Darren Bravo fell to the same combination an over later, West Indies were slumping at 39 for seven in the 13th over and quickly heading towards their lowest ever score in ODIs.
But Sammy and Sunil Narine (0) put on 26 for the eighth wicket, the best partnership of the innings, to steer the Caribbean side away from ignominy. The right-handed Sammy had a torrid 37-ball stay at the crease before he found himself in a tangle off the first ball of McKay’s second spell, and spooned a simple catch to George Bailey at 65 for eight in the 21st over.
The end came swiftly as McKay accounted for Narine and Starc bowled debutant Jason Holder to bag his second career five-wicket haul and best figures in ODIs.
In reply, Holder claimed his first international wicket when he had Finch caught behind on review, cutting at a short delivery but there was absolutely no doubt about the result. (CMC)