Jayden Seales Shines with Five-Wicket Haul Against Australia in First Test
Seales' Stellar Performance on Opening Day
Bridgetown [Barbados], June 26: West Indies fast bowler Jayden Seales has declared his five-wicket haul against Australia on the first day of the Test match in Barbados as the highlight of his career thus far, according to the ICC's official website.
Alongside fellow pacer Shamar Joseph, Seales dismantled the formidable Australian batting lineup, restricting them to a mere 180 runs. However, the Australians retaliated, leaving the West Indies struggling at 57/4 by the end of the day in this thrilling ICC World Test Championship clash at Kensington Oval.
Seales concluded the day with impressive figures of 5/60 from 15.5 overs, while Joseph contributed with 4/46 in 16 overs.
This marked the third occasion in Seales' burgeoning international career where he achieved a five-wicket haul, and at just 23 years old, he expressed that this performance was his favorite to date.
“This is probably my best five-wicket haul because it wasn’t my best day, and I didn’t feel at my best at any point during the day,” Seales remarked, as cited by the ICC.
“There were moments I felt good, but during some spells, I didn’t feel in complete control of my execution or nailing my lengths and lines consistently, so this one is probably the most special for me,” he added.
Joseph initiated the early breakthroughs for the West Indies, dismissing Sam Konstas and Cameron Green in a fiery opening spell that left Australia at 22/3. It took a resilient 89-run partnership between Travis Head and Usman Khawaja to regain some momentum for the visitors.
“I think that’s what opened the game right up for us,” Seales commented on Joseph’s impactful early spell.
“Taking out the top order is crucial in cricket, and that made it much easier for us in the middle and towards the end of the innings, so he did a fantastic job for us today,” he noted.
Head, who was the top scorer for Australia with 59 runs and the only player to exceed 50 on the day, praised the West Indies bowling attack.
“I thought Jayden bowled exceptionally well,” Head stated after the match.
“Alzarri (Joseph) is always around the wickets, and Shamar again placed the ball in the right areas and posed challenges,” he added.
“There were no surprises in what they were able to extract from the wicket, but we managed to do the same during the final session, which sets up an important couple of hours for tomorrow,” he concluded.