When Steve Smith was a toddler, a one-day international between Australia and West Indies at the MCG would have been the hottest ticket in town.
On Friday, a sparse crowd of 16,342 that could have fit inside the venue even if socially distanced saw Smith lead the undermanned world champions to a humdrum victory against an even more depleted former world power in a game void of context and any real meaning.
The crowd comfortably bettered the record-low turnout of 10,406 in November 2022 but even with the conspiring factors of school having resumed and a workday fixture, the attendance was disappointing and well below the 20,000-plus Cricket Australia had privately been hoping.
The floodlights had barely taken effect when Josh Inglis, who had tested positive to COVID-19 on Thursday, broke the back of a modest run chase with a whirlwind 65 off 43 balls before Smith and Cameron Green finished what they could not a few days earlier at the Gabba.
Steve Smith powers a shot on the on side.Credit: Getty Images
There has been much optimism in West Indies cricket after their epic Test win, but performances like this – an eight-wicket defeat with 69 balls to spare – this is a sobering reminder of how much ground the Calypso Kings must make up.
Though the hosts fielded just five players from the XI that won the World Cup final, including the first-choice pace trio of Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood, but such is their depth they found a 25-year-old debutant, Xavier Bartlett, who produced a performance that required the history books for perspective.
Bartlett’s 4-17, off nine overs, was the second-best return by an Australian male on ODI debut, bettered only by paceman turned selector Tony Dodemaide, who claimed 5-21 against Sri Lanka 36 years ago during the 50-over format’s heyday.
Dodemaide, incidentally, was the person who told Bartlett earlier this week he would become Australia’s 244th male ODI player.
“It’s a dream come true, I’m just stoked to be out on the MCG playing cricket for Australia,” Bartlett told Fox Cricket. “That first ball swung and clipped the top of off-stump – pretty amazing.”
Australia also had the luxury of calling a player of Green’s ability off the bench. The all-rounder, who is good enough to be in the starting XI of almost every other international team, backed up his 2-40 with 77 off 104 balls, in an encouraging sign leading into the Test tour of New Zealand.
Cameron Green hits out.Credit: AP
Green and Smith, who struck a fluent run-a-ball 79, denied each other the chance to make a hundred while putting on an unbeaten 149 for the third wicket.
The Windies may have plucked Shamar Joseph from obscurity, but it’s the talent they cannot keep in the maroon which is holding them back.
The regional team, which failed to qualify for last year’s World Cup, was missing at least six, perhaps seven, of their best XI, including Joseph, Nicholas Pooran, Jason Holder and Kyle Mayers – the latter three unavailable due to commitments on the T20 circuit.
Their innings was hamstrung by Bartlett, who struck with just his third delivery amid a game-setting opening spell of 3-10 from six overs.
Their best period came during a 110-run partnership for the fifth wicket between all-rounder Roston Chase and Keacy Carty.
Carty left a maiden international ton on the table, or rather had it taken from him, when he was sacrificed by Hayden Walsh, who called him through for an impossible single only for Sean Abbott to hit the stumps with the Windies batter so far out he did not even bother to dive.
The run-out during the West Indies innings.
