AUS vs WI, 1st Test: Nathan Lyon grabs a 6-fer as Australia thrash West Indies
Lyon produced a match-winning spell [Source: Twitter]
West Indies showed grit, determination and great character, but despite that Australia showed their class and won the first Test match by 164 runs, and took a 1-0 lead in the series.
The Aussies were one bowler short as skipper Pat Cummins missed the second innings due to a muscle soreness and the Windies tried to take advantage of it. But you can't keep a top team down for long as the home side overcame all the hurdles and eventually won the game comfortably.
How the chase panned out
West Indies needed something special, chasing a mammoth 498, and the openers laid a strong foundation for the middle order batters to capitalise on.
Tagenarine Chanderpaul continued the dream start to his Test career and stitched a 116-run partnership for the first wicket alongside skipper Kraigg Brathwaite. The Windies skipper was at his imperial best as he was calm and composed and was not afraid to put away the bad deliveries past the boundary ropes.
Chanderpaul departed soon after reaching the 50-run mark and Shamarh Brook followed the debutant back to the pavilion.
But Brathwaite hung in and kept the scoreboard ticking. Till the time he was out there, West Indies had their hopes alive of a famous chase. Under tough circumstances, Brathwaite notched up his 10th Test century to keep the visitors in the contest.
But once Nathan Lyon knocked over the stumps of Brathwaite, the middle order fell like a pack of cards and Aussies could smell an easy win.
But as they have said, cricket is a game of great uncertainty. The unexpected duo of Roston Chase and Alzarri Joseph took the attack to the opposition and garnered a 82-run partnership and certainly gave a mini-heart attack to the Aussies.
However, the target was too big to capture as West Indies' resistance was broken and they were dismissed for 333.
Nathan Lyon was the star with the ball in second innings, picking up 6 for 128.
Brief Scores (2nd innings)
Australia (2nd innings): 182-2 (37)
Marnus Labuschagne 104 (110), David Warner 48 (71)
Kemar Roach 1-30 (7), Roston Chase 1-31 (6)
West Indies (2nd innings): 333-10 (110.5)
Kraigg Brathwaite 110 (188), Roston Chase 55 (85)
Nathan Lyon 6-128 (42.5), Travis Head 2-25 (8)
Australia win by 164 runs and take a 1-0 lead
Also Read: AUS vs WI, 1st Test, Day 4: Labuschagne pummels West Indies, Brathwaite retaliates
 "Anurag Dasgupta")
