Australia batsman Adam Voges produced a Man of the Match performance as they emphatically beat West Indies by nine wickets in the first Test in Dominica on Friday.
Voges, 35, became the oldest player to score a century on hisTest debut when he made 130 not out in the first innings to set up Australia's victory.
West Indies had looked capable of setting the tourists a tricky target when they reached 181 for three in their second innings, only to lose their final seven wickets for 35 runs on the slow Windsor Park pitch.
That left Australia needing 47 runs to win and they knocked them off in 20/20 style in five overs, losing only opener David Warner (28), who blasted two towering sixes before departing.
“It's been a perfect three days,” Voges said at the victory presentation. “To get my chance to debut for Australia is very special and then to get a hundred, I'm extremely happy.
“The tail stuck around with me and we posted a really good total.”
Australia captain Michael Clarke heaped praise on Voges, who forced his way into the team by averaging 104 in the recently-concluded Australian domestic season.
“He certainly has deserved his opportunity,” Clarke said. “Over the years he's put runs on the board for long periods in all forms of the game back in Australia. With that maturity and experience, he's grabbed his chance with both hands.”
Among the few West Indies bright spots were the performances of test debutant Shane Dowrich, who made a classy 70 in the second innings, and leg-spinner Devendra Bishoo, who took a career-best six-wicket haul for 80 runs in the first innings.
Bishoo bamboozled Australia at times but did not get to bowl in the second innings.
Worryingly for West Indies, a cut on the fourth finger on his right hand might not heal completely in time for the second test that starts in Kingston, Jamaica, on Thursday.
“He was fantastic. He kept bowling magical deliveries,” captain Denesh Ramdin said of Bishoo.
Ramdin also praised the newest member of his team: “Young Dowrich showed the character everyone should have shown,” he said.
Australia's Nathan Lyon reached a milestone, on a pitch that turned from day one, when he collected his 141st Twicket, matching Hugh Trumble as the most successful off-spinner in Australian history.
Next week's match will be Australia's final Test before the Ashes series in England. – Reuters