Australia v West Indies - First Test

The Woolloongabba, Brisbane

AUS: WM Woodfull, AR Morris, SJ McCabe, GS Chappell, AR Border, *R Benaud, +IA Healy, AK Davidson, RR Lindwall, WJ O'Reilly, WA Johnston.
WI: CG Greenidge, DL Haynes, RB Kanhai, EdeC Weekes, IVA Richards, *GStA Sobers, +PJL Dujon, MD Marshall, CEL Ambrose, CEH Croft, LR Gibbs.

Debuts: Nil
Umpires: AR Crafter & PJ McConnell

The opening Test of this long-awaited series certainly lived up to expectations, with both sides combining to produce a match that left nails bitten and nerves jangled. Australia entered the game without Bradman and Lillee, both of whom were still recovering from the injuries they picked up in South Africa, but replacements Stan McCabe and Bill O'Reilly were at the centre of the action as ball dominated bat over the course of the first two innings.

West Indies won the toss and batted, but they were bowled out inside a day as O'Reilly ran through the lower order to claim 6-39 and thus become the first player to reach 200 ATG wickets. Only Richards, with a typically punishing 78, offered any resistance, and once he was gone the last five wickets melted away for just 13 runs to leave the tourists 193 all out.

West Indies struck back in fine style though, and by tea on day two Australia had been bundled out for 208, with Lance Gibbs emulating O'Reilly by claiming five wickets of his own. Had it not been for Stan McCabe then Australia's plight would have been far worse, and his maiden ATG hundred dominated an innings where the next highest score was Lindwall's unbeaten 27. If McCabe's five hour effort was the high point for Australia, the low point certainly came when new skipper Richie Benaud was forced to retire hurt with a broken middle finger on his right hand courtesy of Malcolm Marshall, and his reign as captain looks as though it will be a brief one, at least for the time being.

Nonetheless, Australia led by 15 runs at the halfway stage, and West Indies' second innings got off to the worst possible start when non-striker Des Haynes was run out without facing a ball when Greenidge called him through for an impossible single off Lindwall's very first delivery. Davidson's throw from mid on was unerring, and the tourists were eventually three down before their first innings deficit was erased. Weekes and Richards rallied with 54 and 34 respectively, but Weekes was hampered by an ankle injury and Richards was forced to retire on the second evening after receiving a nasty blow to the side of his head from a Lindwall bumper. He returned briefly on the third morning, but it was left to Dujon (67) to guide the score to respectability, and a 66 run seventh wicket partnership with Marshall helped take the total to 197, setting Australia a target of 183.

Having not even reached the tea interval on day three, time was never going to be a factor for the hosts, and stand-in captain Bill Woodfull set out his stall to play a typically obdurate and, hopefully for Australia, match-winning innings. At 51-3 and 107-4 the result could have still gone either way, but a dashing, undefeated 50 from Ian Healy gave Woodfull the support he needed, and he was able to stroke the winning boundary half an hour before lunch on day four to finish unbeaten on 81 and to put Australia 1-0 up in the series.

This had been a cathartic victory for Australia after their recent run of results, but a new captain is now needed for the second Test and possibly the remainder of the series; Bradman should be fit enough to play in Perth, but whether he will come back as skipper is a matter for renewed debate. West Indies were again on the receiving end of some poor umpiring decisions here in Brisbane, but just as in the warm-up game in Adelaide their batting was simply not up to the mark, and it needs to improve before the teams travel across country for the second Test at the WACA.

Scores
WI 1st Inns 193 (Richards 78; O'Reilly 6-39)
AUS 1st Inns 208 (McCabe 103; Gibbs 5-61)
WI 2nd Inns 197 (Dujon 67, Weekes 54)
AUS 2nd Inns 183-4 (Woodfull 81*, Healy 50*)

AUSTRALIA WON BY 6 WICKETS

Man of the Match: SJ McCabe