Pattinson spearheads Australia to crushing innings win over Windies

AFP: Recalled paceman James Pattinson claimed five wickets as the West Indies succumbed to a dispiriting innings and 212-run loss to Australia on the third day of the first Test in Hobart on Saturday.

Pattinson, playing in his first Test since March last year after recovering from back and hamstring issues, spearheaded the Australian assault to rip apart the threadbare Windies batting.

The hapless Caribbean tourists were sent back in by Australia skipper Steve Smith after being dismissed for 223 in the first innings to trail the home side by 360 runs.

The West Indies went into freefall in their second innings, confirming fears about their competitiveness ahead of the remaining Melbourne and Sydney Tests.

It was a triumph for Pattinson, who returned to the Australian side for injured pace spearhead Mitchell Starc and justified his recall after going wicketless for 68 bowling in the West Indies first innings.

“It was a clinical performance,” Smith said. “It was 121-3 at one point and the game was in the balance and we were able to put on a big partnership between Adam Voges and Shaun Marsh that really changed the course of the match.

“I thought the bowlers bowled terrific. In the first innings Nathan Lyon and Josh Hazlewood stepped up again and in the second innings it was nice to see James Pattinson back to his best and bowling fast.”

The West Indies have won just four of their last 21 Tests and went into the first Hobart Test on the back of a humbling 10-wicket loss in their only warm-up game to a modest Cricket Australia XI.

The once-great West Indies are ranked above only Bangladesh and Zimbabwe and last won a Test in Australia in 1997.

Only opening batsman Kraigg Brathwaite showed any resolve in the second innings shambles, finishing with 94 out of the paltry 148 total.

“We need to look at the inspired performances by Darren Bravo and Kraigg Brathwaite, probably need to look at performances where we’ve done well in the past and try to re-live those moments and bring it into this Test series,” skipper Jason Holder said.

“We obviously weren’t good enough on the first day, we didn’t bowl well and we didn’t string enough good balls together long enough and as a result they were scoring pretty rapidly from the get go.”

A total attendance of 15,342 over the three days may also spell trouble for Hobart as a Test venue with pressure for the national capital Canberra to host one of the six Tests next summer season.