Josh Hazlewood blitz sends Australia to victory inside three days in West Indies
It was an extraordinary final session to end the first Test in Barbados in the long shadows of the third evening.After two days of wobbles, a portion of Australia’s batting got its act together, with the lower-middle-order trio of Travis Head, Beau Webster, and Alex Carey making half centuries to lift Australia’s second innings to 310.That left West Indies needing 301 to win the first Test in Barbados, always unlikely on a Kensington Oval pitch that already had balls keeping low.Josh Hazlewood made sure of it with a withering burst of 4-4 in 16 balls, later upping that to 5-23, as West Indies crashed humiliatingly to 141 all out, losing by 159 runs.Hazlewood has been the subject of some public attention of late, given his injury absences and how well Scott Boland has performed during each one.
But the first-choice option has 288 Test wickets, took 35 of them at 13 last calendar year, and has nine at 18 in the two matches he has managed in 2025.His career against West Indies is worth 43 at 15, and over two tours to this part of the world he has 19 wickets at nine.His match-defining spell was built around his ability to keep putting the ball on exactly the right spot.After an unusually expensive first three overs went for 18, Hazlewood had a brief break and returned for the 11th.West Indies were going brightly at 47-1.
Former captain Kraigg Brathwaite had flicked a catch from Mitchell Starc to square leg, but John Campbell and Keacy Carty were scoring freely,Facing a line around the wicket, the left-handed Campbell gave up a gift, a kneeling lap shot that lobbed to Carey behind the stumps,The very next ball, Hazlewood’s suffocating line got an inside edge on to pad from Brandon King, lobbing to slip, a golden duck to complete a grim debut for the man who dropped three catches in the first innings,The hat-trick didn’t follow, captain Roston Chase able to leave just outside off, but Hazlewood got him next over, more seam movement and another inside edge to short leg,Then even more jag an over later, and a touch of low bounce, as he knocked Carty’s stumps awry.
He had four wickets for 23, West Indies were 65-6, and the match was all but done.Pat Cummins followed Hazlewood’s spell with another lawnmower delivery into Shai Hope’s stumps, but hope had already gone.Alzarri Joseph got a promotion after his late tonk in the first innings, but ran himself out with a slow response to a call from Justin Greaves, Marnus Labuschagne as a sub fielder hitting the stumps direct.Hazlewood returned from a brief break for his fifth thanks to Jomel Warrican, who survived an lbw thanks to umpire’s call then nicked the next, making it 86-8 as extra time began.It was a subsidence, but one in the expected direction after Australia’s score.
In a match dominated by pace, Head and Webster were able to use it to their advantage, scoring almost entirely square of the wicket on the off side, left-hander and right-hander alternating cover drives and back-foot punches to opposite sides of the ground,West Indies frustration mounted as the partnership reached 102, and it took a devilish moment from the pitch to cut off Head for 61, lbw to a ball that almost went underground to hit his pad from around the wicket,That was the first of seven overs from Shamar Joseph either side of lunch, with the other end of his spell getting Webster nicking down the leg-side on review for 63,Carey immediately hit the nitro, smacking Jayden Seales straight for four and six before pulling another four in the same over,A second six followed from Greaves, as the Australian keeper raised 50 in 40 balls.
With Cummins having skied a catch, Joseph returned to bowl Starc off the inside edge.Fatigue was telling, with a rash of no-balls including a wide beamer, as the tail smacked a few runs.His next break lasted all of four overs, until Chase got Carey out smartly with a wide slow off break lashed to long off.With Joseph on four wickets as he had been in the first innings, he had one last chance to take five, and as at the Gabba 18 months ago, he finished an Australian innings by castling Hazlewood, this time off a flailed bottom edge.The bowler sank to his knees, pounding the pitch with one hand.
In three Tests against Australia he has 22 wickets at 16.Sign up to The SpinSubscribe to our cricket newsletter for our writers' thoughts on the biggest stories and a review of the week’s actionafter newsletter promotionStill, with their outmatched batting, West Indies had given away far more than they had a credible chance to chase.Not that Shamar Joseph would have expected to follow his five-for by having to go out and bat before the end of the day, with the umpires extending beyond the extra half hour because the required overs hadn’t been bowled.He let out some frustration, lashing 44 from 22 balls, and while aiming for a half-century in one blow, edged Nathan Lyon to slip.That left three balls in the day, and Lyon only needed one.
In gathering Friday dusk, it was an hour and 13 minutes after the scheduled close when Seales was caught by Sam Konstas at bat-pad – a chastening end for West Indies, and a dramatic turnaround for Australia.West Indies authorities were desperate for this match to reach the weekend to get some crowds into the party stand.Instead, everyone will hit the beach.
England fall to heaviest T20 defeat as Mandhana century sparks India rout
England’s one-sided series against West Indies last month was merely a dress rehearsal: India was always going to be the main show. And so the curtain finally went up on the Charlotte Edwards-Nat Sciver-Brunt era for a Trent Bridge Saturday matinee.The audience, though, went home disappointed after witnessing an England performance akin to The Play That Goes Wrong, bowled out for 113 inside 15 overs, to hand India a 97-run win, England’s heaviest T20 defeat in terms of runs.Edwards’s calling-card has been about transforming England into a side that plays smart cricket and find ways to win. With the honourable exception of Sciver-Brunt – whose 66 from 42 balls was the only contribution of note – this performance failed on both counts
F1: Lando Norris on pole for Austrian GP with Max Verstappen down in seventh – as it happened
Well deserved! The McLaren driver has been dominant all weekend and finishes in style – half a second faster than Leclerc with a time of 1:03.971. It is his first pole in Austria!Giles Richards was at the Red Bull Ring and here is his verdict:For Norris this was just the result he required after his title hopes took a battering when he made the misjudged move against Piastri in Montreal, dropping him to 22 points behind the Australian.At the Red Bull Ring this weekend Norris had insisted his error in Canada had ultimately resulted in a positive outcome, that he and the team emerged stronger now the seemingly unavoidable clash had finally happened.Certainly Norris looked enormously comfortable in qualifying, which has been his achilles heel this season
Lando Norris storms to Austrian F1 GP pole as angry Verstappen slumps to seventh
Lando Norris enjoyed the stirring satisfaction of proving he still has skin in the game in the most emphatic fashion, taking pole position for the Austrian Grand Prix by more than half a second here on Saturday. His show of reinvigorated strength could not have sat in starker contrast than with the frustration and disappointment of Max Verstappen, whose seventh place in what he called an “undriveable” car will only have fuelled speculation about the defending world champion leaving Red Bull.That was addressed by the Red Bull team principal, Christian Horner, after qualifying. “It’s a lot of noise, I think Max gets quite annoyed by it,” he said. “We’re very clear with the contract that we have with Max until 2028
Tomos Williams injury leaves Farrell’s Lions facing race to fill scrum-half slot
The British & Irish Lions are weighing up their scrum-half options after an injury to Tomos Williams that threatens to sideline the Welshman at the busiest stage of the squad’s Australian tour.The head coach, Andy Farrell, said a decision on calling up a replacement would be made on Sunday, with Scotland’s Ben White among the leading contenders to replace Williams at No 9.Williams contributed two tries in a fine all-round performance as the Lions eased to a 54-7 victory over Western Force but tweaked his left hamstring while diving over the line for his second score. It leaves the Lions with only two fit scrum-halves, one of whom – Jamison Gibson-Park – has been managing a strained glute muscle.Farrell said Gibson-Park would be fit to face the Queensland Reds on Wednesday but the Lions will need some cover if Williams is ruled out even for a short period, with Alex Mitchell as the only available option in the position
Western Force 7-54 British & Irish Lions: rugby union – as it happened
Robert Kitson’s match report in PerthThanks for your company, join us again later in the week for the next Lions fixture v Queensland RedsRobert Kitson’s match report in PerthAndy Farrell has some reflections“In some respects the intensity went up, but this is still a newish team and our discipline in first half was an issue. Second half our defence intensity increased and discipline improved. The Force took it to us, they played a tough high percentage game and we kept them in a good position through our poor discipline so made it tough for ourselves.“This was a lot of the lads’ first game, so we’re up and running and we’ll keep pushing it forward. There were some fantastic tries, but the play of the day was Mack Hansen going up and down the field [to set up Mitchell try]
Lions cut loose with eight-try win over Western Force for solid start in Australia
A convincing first tour win for the British & Irish Lions in Australia and plenty for the management to ponder. There was much to admire in the way the Lions unzipped a gallant but outgunned Western Force side, not least the playmaking vision of their fly-half Finn Russell and the youthful energy of Henry Pollock, but this eight-try triumph did come with one uncomfortable caveat.The scrum-half Tomos Williams, one of only two Welshmen on the tour, contributed a pair of tries but was left clutching his left hamstring after completing a brilliant team score in the right corner. With the Lions facing a hectic series of fixtures in the coming fortnight, they may well have to whistle up some emergency cover.The first-half penalty count was also too high but, for the most part, this performance will have alerted the Wallabies to the Lions’ counterattacking potential and collective depth
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