Stand-in skipper Alex Carey has starred with the bat and his opening bowlers with the ball, as Australia charged to a 133-run win over the West Indies in the first ODI in Barbados.
Australia scored 9-252, but the home side’s target was revised to 257 off 49 overs after three rain delays.
Carey (67 off 87 balls) and Ashton Turner (49 off 45) combined for a fifth-wicket stand of 104 in just under 19 overs.
The West Indies’ chase was effectively over after just 7.4 overs as they crashed to 6-27.
Alex Carey.
Mitchell Starc (5-48 off 8 overs) and Josh Hazlewood (3-11 off 6) each claimed three wickets, with the latter conceding just five runs in his first five overs.
“I probably haven’t seen a powerplay like that before, but when they get it right we know how damaging they are,” Carey said of Starc and Hazlewood.
The hosts were dismissed for 123 in just 26.2 overs.
With Carey captaining the side for the first time in place of the injured Aaron Finch and three ODI debutants in opening batsmen Josh Philippe and Ben McDermott and pace bowler Wes Agar, it was a new look Australian team.
“It was (special) not only for me, but for three other boys, to make their debuts and to get a win,” Carey said.
Starc struck with the first ball off the innings and again with the opening delivery of his second over.
He took a return catch off a leading edge to dismiss Evin Lewis and sent Jason Mohammed’s off stump cartwheeling out of the ground.
Hazlewood took a return catch in his left hand to dismiss Shimron Hetmyer and Starc trapped Nicholas Pooran in front.
Hazlewood continued the collapse having Darren Bravo caught at cover and Jason Holder at fine leg.
West Indies skipper Kieron Pollard (56 off 57 balls), who missed the five-match T20 series with a hamstring injury, salvaged some pride for his side.
He dominated a face-saving stand of 68 with Alzarri Joseph who was bowled by Mitchell Marsh.
Pollard clouted three sixes off legspinner Adam Zampa (1-39 off 3.2 overs), who had two unsuccessful lbw reviews and dropped a return catch.
His resistance ended when he edged the third ball of Starc’s second spell to slip and the left-arm quick trapped Akeal Hosein in front later in the over.
Earlier, Josh Philippe (39 off 42 balls) and McDermott (28 off 48), put on 51 from the first 11 overs.
In-form Marsh (20 off 22) again started fluently, but wickets continued to fall at regular intervals before Carey and Turner gave the innings substance and momentum.
However, both men fell in the 45th over to legspinner Hayden Walsh Jr, the Australian’s nemesis in the recently completed T20 series.
Walsh (5-39 off 10 overs) had Starc and Matthew Wade caught off successive balls in his next over as Australia lost 4-11.
He completed his career best ODI figures by having Agar stumped in the final over of the innings.
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