By Jesse Hogan From The Sydney Morning Herald

Australia vs West Indies first cricket Test: Tourists crushed in one-sided Hobart encounter

Date December 12, 2015 – 6:26PM

Australia smash West Indies on day 3

James Pattinson takes a five-wicket haul as the Aussies smash a hapless Windies side to win by an innings and 212 runs on day three of the First Test in Hobart.

How it happened: Day three blog

Hobart: For the first time since Brisbane at the start of the summer Australia’s selectors are able to look to their next Test without having to worry about how to replace a key bowler.

After Perth they had to fill the gap left by Mitch Johnson’s retirement. After Adelaide they had to fill the gap left by Mitch Starc’s injury. Now they can afford to let Josh Hazlewood, Peter Siddle and James Pattinson rest for much of the next fortnight. Their only dilemma will be how much to read into Nathan Coulter-Nile’s looming return in the Big Bash League and whether to change the attack for the Boxing Day Test.

The main question to emerge after the first innings, of whether Pattinson had been brought back prematurely, was seemingly answered by his rapid five-wicket haul in the second innings.
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The Victorian did not bowl well on day two and struggled with his rhythm in overstepping five times. Captain Steve Smith’s faith in him to make amends with the new ball in the second innings was vindicated as he claimed 5-27, four victims coming when he bowled uphill from the River End.

Pattinson struck with his third delivery of the day, having Rajendra Chadrika edging to second slip for a duck. He followed this with the big wicket of Darren Bravo, who earlier in the day had reached a richly deserved century. By the time he removed Jason Holder in the 21st over, fortuitously as the West Indies captain tickled a poor delivery down leg-side, he had the fourth five-wicket haul of his career.

Because Australia needed only 70 overs to dismiss the West Indies for 223 in the first innings, which gave them a lead of 360, Smith was willing to enforce the follow on. Pattinson’s early strikes, including Bravo for the second time in the session, were pivotal to the West Indies faring even worse in their second innings. Opener Kraigg Brathwaite (94) played a lone hand as his team made only 148 in the second innings, which gave Australia victory with two and a half days to spare by an innings and 212 runs.

A bonus for Smith was that his pacemen only bowled a combined 73.3 overs for the match. That, plus the fortnight until the next Test, should mean workload will not be a factor in selection for the second Test, at the MCG.

“I think the longer break certainly helps those bowlers out,” captain Steve Smith said. “There is going to be a few games of Big Bash that the bowlers are going to miss out on but we’ll wait and see when we get to Melbourne.”

Smith did not use Pattinson at the start of day three, instead relying on Hazlewood and Siddle to take the last three wickets needed. It was not until the second innings that he called on him.

Pattinson, searching for a cause of his underwhelming return in the first innings, pored over day-two footage and decided he was not getting his wrist fully behind the ball, which was hindering his speed. In the second innings he sought to fix that, by just running in and focusing on getting his pace up.

“When we sat down two years ago about changing my action it was about trying to stay on the park and not get injured, but if I bowl like I did in the first innings I won’t be playing too many games anyway,” he told ABC Radio.

“When I do bowl my best [it is when] I just try and run in and hit the wicket hard. Once I got a few of those nerves out of the way in that first innings I just thought I’d run in hard and hit the wicket.”

Pattinson said he was hopeful he was now strong enough to no longer have to obsess about his bowling action, which was tweaked to reduce pressure on his back.

“It’s definitely reassuring. Ever since I’ve tried to change my action a bit I’ve never really got back to where I was three, four years ago. That’s been frustrating,” he said.

“It was a big change. It felt uncomfortable, but it’s something that I probably had to do through those stages. But now, hopefully my body’s got a bit older and more mature and I can just run in and not worry about it.”

With Hazlewood, who claimed seven wickets in another impressive performance, Siddle and Pattinson all rested for the start of the BBL, the only bowler who will be seen outside of training before Boxing Day is Coulter-Nile, for the Scorchers at home to Adelaide on December 21.

IMAGE: James Pattinson: his sizzling performance was his fourth five-wicket haul. Photo: Getty Images

For more on this story and video go to: http://www.smh.com.au/sport/cricket/australia-v-west-indies-tourists-crushed-by-australia-in-onesided-hobart-test-20151212-glm2qc.html#ixzz3u9BYr8j4