Published: Jan 07, 2016, 04:11 PM (IST)
Edited: Jan 07, 2016, 04:11 PM (IST)
The one-sided Test series between Australia and West Indies ended with the third and the final match ending in a draw at Sydney on Thursday. The third and fourth days were washed out due to heavy rain and hence West Indies resumed their first innings on the final day. Batting first, the visitors were bowled out for 330 before Australia declared at 176 for 2, bringing an end to probably the most lifeless series in the recent times. The Australians thoroughly dominated their opponents in all departments, leaving West Indies with no reply to their aggressive approach of cricket. Be it the batsmen, fast bowlers or spinners, the attack from the Australian camp eventually became excessive pressure for them to handle. We rate Australia’s players on the scale from 1 to 10 based on their individual performances in the 3-Test series. FULL SCORECARD: Australia vs West Indies 2015-16, 3rd Test at Sydney, Day 5
Adam Voges (9/10): Voges, 38, made his debut in June ensured to make his first year in Test cricket was a memorable. He had a great series against New Zealand where he had a century and a fifty from three Tests. He actually improved on his run into Frank Worrell Trophy when West Indies landed Down Under. Voges was on fire at Hobart in the opening Test: Australia batted only once, and he remained unbeaten at 269 from a mere 285 deliveries. He tore apart the West Indies attack with 33 fours. A century in the Boxing Day Test was the icing on the cake. Voges also created history when he touched a 1,000 calendar runs in debut year in the same match. He was a third cricketer to reach that feat after Mark Taylor (1219 runs in 1989) and Alastair Cook (1013 in 2006). He batted twice in the series, scored 375 runs at a strike rate of 83.1, and did not get out.
Nathan Lyon (8.5/10): After claiming 3 wickets in the first Test, Lyon managed to seal the next game to his name. Australia posted a mammoth score of 551 before bundling out their opponents for 271 in 100.3 overs, courtesy Lyon and James Pattinson who bagged 4 wickets each in that innings. Lyon won the race for the Player of the Match when he dismissed another 3 West Indies batsmen in the final innings, therefore leading Australia to a series win. Lyon had 13 wickets to his name from 3 Tests at 25.46; also significant was his economy rate of 2.73.
James Pattinson (8.5/10): Going wicketless in the first innings of the opening Test at Hobart, Pattinson struck hard at the West Indian camp with a 5-wicket haul. The next Test witnessed another brilliant spell when he claimed a 4-wicket haul along with Lyon in the first innings. That was followed by an addition of another 2 scalps. He had a better average (22.46) which pushed him above Lyon in the bowling charts (both men claimed 13 wickets). The series was marked as a comeback for him; he was playing Test cricket after over a year since he picked up an injury in March 2014.
David Warner (8/10): Warner ended the series on a high, smashing his career 16th Test century. He remained unbeaten on 122 off 103 deliveries which earned him the Man of the Match in the final Test at Sydney. He had a poor second Test at Melbourne with 23 and 17. The responsibility of vice-captaincy of the Test side was not too heavy one him: he started with a 61-ball 64 in the first Test at Hobart. He finished the series as the fourth highest run-scorer with 226 runs in 3 Tests behind Voges, Dwayne Bravo and Kraigg Brathwaite.
Steven Smith (7.5/10): Smith failed at Hobart Test, but struck back with 134* and 70* in the second Test. The bowling attack ensured a victory by a huge margin for the hosts. In the final Test, he did not bat and chose to give Mitchell Marsh and Peter Nevill batting practice. Smith scored 214 in the series, getting out once. READ: Australia vs West Indies 2015-16: Marks out of 10 for the visitors
Josh Hazlewood (7.5/10): Although he did not have as many wickets as Lyon and Pattinson, Hazlewood was Australia’s most economical bowler of the series. He held one end up, which helped the others peg away at the West Indians throughout the series. The 24-year-old had 8 wickets in 3 matches at a fantastic economy rate of 2.46. He began the series well with 4 wickets in the first innings and 3 in the next, but failed to repeat that spell in the rest of the series.
Shaun Marsh (7.5): Marsh was the unluckiest of the lot for getting only one Test in the 3-match series — that, too, after scoring 182. His 449-run stand with Voges in the opening Test made as many as three records. It was the highest ever fourth-wicket partnership in Tests, sixth-highest partnership in all Tests and second-highest partnership for Australia in Tests.
Joe Burns (7/10): After an average start to the series with 33 runs in the first Test, Burns struck retaliated with a superb knock of 128 in the Boxing Day Test. However, he failed to maintain the same momentum and was dismissed for 5 in the next innings. Even in the third Test at Sydney, with Warner on fire at the other end, Burns struggled on a batting-friendly pitch. Burns had a total of 192 runs from 4 innings — numbers do not reflect the full potential of the man. READ: David Warner remains unbeaten as Australia vs West Indies, 3rd Test at Sydney ends in draw
Usman Khawaja (6.5): Khawaja made a comeback after a couple of months of injuries, and justified his inclusion over Shaun Marsh, who had scored 182 in his previous innings. An excellent 144 in the first innings which was followed by a 79-ball 56 in the next innings ensured his spot in the third Test. Batting just twice, Khawaja made his way well ahead of the batsmen who batted more. He finished the series with 200 runs averaging 100 at a strike rate of 69.44.
Peter Nevill (6/10): Just like the other middle-order Australian batsmen, Nevill did not get lot of time on the crease. In fact, it was only because Smith promoted him at No. 4 at Sydney that he got 20 minutes worth of batting. However, he had a decent time behind the wickets, with 8 catches and not many occasions of dropping a catch.
Mitchell Marsh (4/10): The junior Marsh, considered one of the best emerging all-rounders in contemporary cricket, failed to create that impact for Australia. Marsh played all 3 Tests, but managed to bag just 5 wickets. With bat he got a chance only when the need was for quick runs, and can hardly be blamed. If Marsh fails to do justice to the all-rounders’ tag with the ball, he may find his place in the side in danger.
Peter Siddle (4/10): The most experienced man of the pack, Siddle bagged just 5 wickets and was dropped at Sydney, and looked out of place as Lyon, Pattinson and Hazlewood kept denting the West Indians. The only spell which the West Indies side will remember for a while was in the second Test. His removed Denesh Ramdin and Jason Holder in consecutive deliveries but failed to convert that into a hat-trick. Siddle probably had one impactful moment in the series.
(Sakshi Gupta, a reporter with CricketCountry, is a sports fanatic whose mantra in life is “do only what you enjoy.” Her Twitter handle is @sakshi2929)
