Five wickets in 15 balls! Mitchell Starc bags fastest five-wicket haul in West Indies demolition

It was a day to forget for West Indies after the hosts were bowled out for a below-par score of 27 in the second innings of the third Test match against Australia on Monday (July 14). And one of the major reasons for the destruction was Aussie speedster Mitchell Starc, who bagged the fastest five-wicket haul in Test cricket while playing at Sabina Park in Jamaica. Starc also added another feather to his hat, completing 400 wickets in Test cricket.

Starc demolished West Indies batting attack

Playing in his milestone 100th Test match, Starc and Co were tasked to defend 204 runs to win the match when the onslaught started. He scalped John Campbell first ball, the fourth time in his career he had struck with the opening delivery of an innings to begin on an excellent note. Four balls later, debutant Kevlon Anderson shoulder arms as the ball swung back to strike his shin in front of the middle stump, yet he reviewed the plumbest of lbws.

On the last ball of the first over Brandon King became Starc’s prey as he added three wickets in the opening over and West Indies were left at 0/3, the third such instance in Test cricket. Mikyle Louis survived the hat-trick ball at the start of Starc's second over, but fittingly his 400th wicket came with another trademark inswinger as he trapped Louis lbw, becoming the fourth Australian bowler to the landmark after Shane Warne, Glenn McGrath and Nathan Lyon.

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Starc would then complete his five-wicket haul in the third over when he got the better of Shai Hope lbw to round off a perfect day. He would return later to strike again and restrict West Indies to the second-lowest total in Test cricket at 27 as Starc got the better Jayden Seales.

With the 176-run defeat, West Indies lost the series 3-0 to start the latest World Test Championship (WTC) cycle on a poor note.