Ten days in the Caribbean: WI batters hit new lows, questions remain around Australia's top three
West Indies batters couldn’t support their bowlers’ efforts, while Starc had a fairytale 100th Test
Shubh Agarwal15-Jul-2025
Scott Boland takes the plaudits after sealing his hat-trick•AFP/Getty Images
Well, that finished quickly. It took only ten days of play for Australia to seal the 2025 Frank Worrell Trophy 3-0, continuing their unbeaten run against West Indies since 1995-96.When West Indies set out to chase 204 in the third Test, their lowest target in the series, Ian Bishop in the commentary box pleaded for the West Indian batters to support their bowlers’ efforts. But what unfolded was a quick submission.Mitchell Starc, in his 100th Test, started with a triple-wicket maiden over and the hosts were soon shot down for 27 in 14.3 overs, their lowest Test total and the least number of balls they have faced in a completed innings.Related
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In 14 Tests since 2024, West Indies have gone past the 200-run mark in their second innings only three times. Australia, on the other hand, came to the Caribbean with a few questions to answer in the batting department, especially around their top three.The batters from both sides averaged only 17.68 runs per wicket. It is the lowest batting average in a series of three Tests or more in the 21st century.They averaged a mere 14.13 in the series, again the lowest in a three-Test series. Their previous worst was 16.10 against England back in 1928, which was also their first Test series ever. West Indies’ highest run-scorer in this series, Brandon King, averaged only 21.50.Konstas, in his second series, had a tour to forget. He managed only 50 runs across the three Tests, averaging 8.33, the lowest by an Australian opener in a series in the 21st century (minimum three Tests played). Overall, he averages 16.30 in the five Tests of his brief career thus far.!function(){“use strict”;window.addEventListener(“message”,function(a){if(void 0!==a.data[“datawrapper-height”]){var e=document.querySelectorAll(“iframe”);for(var t in a.data[“datawrapper-height”])for(var r,i=0;r=e[i];i++)if(r.contentWindow===a.source){var d=a.data[“datawrapper-height”][t]+”px”;r.style.height=d}}})}();
His struggles at the top coupled with the poor form of Khawaja meant that Australian openers averaged only 13.91, the second-lowest in a series for them in the 21st century after the 2019 Ashes where both David Warner and Marcus Harris struggled to get to double digits.Overall, the series was a deathbed for batters. Shamar Joseph picked up 22 wickets averaging 14.95, exactly as much as Australia’s whole attack in the series. Alzarri Joseph bagged his career-best of 5 for 27 in the second innings in Jamaica. But all that mattered little with the batters crashing on both sides, and the West Indies batters simply surrendering in the testing home conditions.Mitchell Starc couldn’t have picked a better series for a fairytale 100th Test – a pink-ball fixture, a flailing batting line-up, the milestone of 400 Test wickets, a record five-wicket haul and a career-best of six wickets for nine runs.