Australia had a perfect start to the ODI series against West Indies in Barbados as they defeated the hosts by 133 runs in a rain-curtailed match.
West Indies were asked to chase 257 according to the DLS method as the match was reduced to 49 overs per side, but Mitchell Starc ripped their batting lineup apart to scalp a five-wicket haul.
The hosts were reduced to 27/6 before captain Kieron Pollard and Alzarri Joseph tried to steady the ship for the team but their efforts eventually went in vain.
The two batsmen put 68 runs for the seventh wicket before Joseph departed for 17 off 33. Pollard on the other side went on to score a half-century but no other batsman looked in the groove and West Indies were bundled out for 123 in the 27th over.
While Starc picked up a fifer, Josh Hazlewood also returned with a three-for.
Earlier, Australia were without their regular skipper Aaron Finch after he had sustained a knee injury in the fifth T20I against the Caribbean side while batting. Wicket-keeper batsman Alex Carey had donned the captain’s hat in Finch’s absence.
The Aussie team batted first and started the proceedings well with openers Philippe and Ben McDermott stitching a stand of 51 runs for the first wicket but then lost some wickets at regular intervals before Carey and Turner chipped in with a 104-run partnership for the fifth wicket.
Carey struck 67 off 87 while Turner missed out on a fifty by just one run. For West Indies, it was Hayden Walsh who was the pick of the bowlers after he picked up a five-for during the course.
Carey, who was the stand-in captain for Australia in this match said that it was a”special” moment for him.
“Yeah it was (special). Not only for me but the three other guys on debut. Obviously, the two quicks up front were pretty special as well,” he said.
Pollard admitted that the failure with the bat led to the defeat against Australia.
”I think we did pretty well with the ball. Par score here is 260-270 and being able to restrict them to 250 was a fantastic effort. It is what it is (how does he assess the batting effort?). My biggest thing is I want the guys to fight. We have practiced long and hard enough. Most disappointing factor is we didn't show fight,” he said.
The two sides will now take on each other in the second clash at the same venue on Friday.