The first day of the Test summer was all about Australian golden boy Marnus Labuschagne, who brought up his eighth Test century at Perth Stadium on Wednesday afternoon.
Australia was 2/293 at stumps on day one of the series opener against the West Indies, seemingly cruising towards a mammoth first-innings total at Perth Stadium.
Steve Smith and Usman Khawaja contributed half-centuries in the one-sided contest, while veteran opener David Warner was the only Australian to fail with the bat.
It will take something special from the West Indies to save this Test match.
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Magic Marnus’ elite Day 1! | 03:14
NO JUNK RUNS FOR MARNUS
There’s no stopping Marnus Labuschagne.
The Queenslander was unbeaten on 154 at stumps on day one, and will be eyeing a second Test double century on Thursday.
It continues a stunning run of form for Labuschagne at Test level. Since the 2019 Ashes series, Labuschagne has averaged 84.40 in the first match of a Test series.
“He’s such a good player,” former Australian batter Mark Waugh told foxsports.com.au.
“He’s been probably the find of Australian cricket the last two or three years really.
“He came on the scene with a modest first-class record and he’s just kept improving.
“He’s so hungry to score runs – you can see it in his eyes when he gets out there.
“He’s just got such application in his hunger for runs.
“He’s had to work pretty hard … the pitch wasn’t that easy to bat on.
“I think Marnus would rate this hundred really highly because he hasn’t had a very good start to the red ball season with Queensland.”
Labuschagne currently averages 69.28 in Tests on Australian soil, a figure bettered only by Sir Donald Bradman.
The Queenslander is unstoppable at Perth Stadium — he scored 143 and 50 during his only other Test match at the newly-developed venue in December 2019.
Previously, the only blemish on Labuschagne’s record was his lack of away Test centuries, but he finally managed the feat against Sri Lanka earlier this year.
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FLAT WINDIES UNABLE TO BREAK THROUGH
The West Indies didn’t bowl terribly on Wednesday, but they lacked ferocity.
It’s unfair to compare their current pace attack to the legends of the 1980s, but considering only one of their bowlers regularly exceeded 130km/h in Perth, the fear factor is undeniably gone.
At times, the West Indies seemed flat — their seamers bowled impeccably in the morning session, but it was smooth sailing for Australia’s batters once the ball stopped swinging.
“I think they’ve bowled reasonably well, but haven’t had a lot of luck,” Waugh said.
“I wouldn’t say they’ve bowled poorly, but they’ve given away a few too many boundaries at times when they had to keep the pressure on.
“They’ve bowled better than what the scoreboard shows … they’ve just lacked a bit of quality.”
Nothing exemplified the team’s discouraging body language more than when Labuschagne had to collect the ball following a wayward throw from the boundary, with the West Indies players watching on.
“This is not a good sign here,” Australian cricket legend Adam Gilchrist said on Fox Cricket.
“The throw’s come back in from that boundary, and look who fields it … not one West Indies fielder moves there.
“They all just watched it and allowed the opposition to do it. That’s not good signs.”
West Indies strike spinner Roston Chase was particularly uninspiring, conceding 0/63 from his 15 overs.
The legendary Brian Lara also questioned the team’s field placement and bowling rotation, arguing that part-timer Kyle Mayers should have rolled the arm over more often.
Hopefully the visitors show some fight on Thursday, otherwise Australia could be lifting the Frank-Worrell Trophy in a matter of days.
UGLY ISSUES FLARE UP FOR WARNER
David Warner boasts a remarkable batting record in the West Australian capital, but the veteran opener didn’t last long at the crease on Wednesday.
In the fourth over of the day, West Indies seamer Jayden Seales dished up a full delivery outside the off stump, and Warner’s eyes lit up.
The left-hander threw his arms at the ball, only for the Kookaburra to ricochet off the inside edge back onto his stumps.
No timing. No footwork. No balance.
It was an ugly dismissal for Warner, who is still searching for his first Test century since January 2020.
“The false stroke from David Warner and he could only drag it into his stumps — it’s a big blow,” former Australian wicketkeeper Adam Gilchrist said on Fox Cricket.
“The feet were just nowhere there. It was all attempted hand-eye coordination, and it was just too much of a reach. A real stretch.”
The 36-year-old is currently averaging 20.84 in Test cricket in 2022, making it comfortably the worst calendar year of his career.
His most recent Test scores in Australia are 5, 0, 0 and 3, marking the first time he has failed to reach double figures in four consecutive knocks on home soil.
“It hasn’t been his best 12 months,” Waugh said.
“He would have been very keen to keep up his good record in Australia … but I think he would have been frustrated because I feel like he is batting really well.
“I guess he got a little bit loose, he hit the four the previous ball and I think just lacked a bit of patience, so he’d be disappointed because he would have loved to have got off to a good start.
“It’s just one of those things – a little bit unlucky. On another day that would have missed the stumps.”
Warner has previously hinted his retirement from Test cricket could come in the next 12 months, and this summer could therefore serve as a farewell tour for the veteran.
When questioned about his future plans on Monday, Warner told reporters: “You’ve got to keep scoring runs otherwise you people will start talking about retirement.”
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KHAWAJA’S SOLID START AS HE CONTINUES TO BUILD
He couldn’t get to triple figures, but Usman Khawaja’s home summer got off to a promising start on Wednesday.
The left-hander weathered the storm and posted 65 at Perth Stadium to continue his impressive calendar year in Australian whites.
Khawaja was patient during the first hour, leaving anything outside off and clipping wayward deliveries on the pads through square leg.
It was an old-fashioned knock from the Queenslander, who only scored one boundary during his first 26 overs at the crease, a refreshing change of pace after two months of T20 cricket.
Khawaja released the shackles once spin was introduced, slapping West Indies tweaker Roston Chase over the cover boundary for six just before the lunch break.
Runs started flowing more frequently in the afternoon session once the pitch had settled and the Kookaburra lost its shine, with Khawaja and Labuschagne combining for a 142-run partnership before the former departed in the 53rd over to part-timer Kyle Mayers, edging a length delivery through to the wicketkeeper.
Khawaja currently averages 95.30 in Test cricket this year, with four fifties and four centuries in eight matches to date.
It’s bizarre to think that he probably would not have played Test cricket this year if not for Travis Head’s Covid-19 scare last summer.
Khawaja is seemingly in his prime, benefiting from being a one-format cricketer — unlike his opening partner.
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SMITH BACK AND LOOKS NEAR HIS BEST
We could be watching a lot of Steve Smith this summer.
The former Australian captain brought up his 37th Test fifty on Wednesday, reaching the milestone in just 75 deliveries.
Smith took advantage of the fatigued West Indies bowlers, repeatedly carving their seamers through the covers with ease.
The right-hander combined with Marnus Labuschagne for an unbeaten partnership of 142 off 229 balls, ending the day together at the crease.
Last week, Smith warned his most prolific Test summer could be ahead of him following a minor change to his unique batting technique.
The 33-year-old has gradually adjusted his trademark back-and-across movement over the past 12 months, reverting to a more orthodox stance during the recent ODI series against England.
He is noticeably much stiller at the crease after tinkering with his action. Movement is less exaggerated, allowing his feet, hands and torso to synchronise more effectively, particularly when on the back foot.
“I’ve started to get rhythm in my batting, something I’ve lacked for a while now,” Smith told reporters in Perth on Sunday.
“I feel like I’m in a good place … I’m excited to hopefully spend a lot of time in the middle this summer.”
If Wednesday’s knock was anything to go by, the West Indies and South Africa could be chasing plenty of leather this summer.
