Scott Boland hat-trick, Mitchell Starc's devastating spell tear apart record-low West Indies

Kieran Francis

Scott Boland hat-trick, Mitchell Starc's devastating spell tear apart record-low West Indies image

The West Indies have been bowled out for 27 - the second-lowest Test total in history - as Scott Boland's hat-trick and Mitchell Starc's incredible spell earned Australia a 3-0 clean-sweep of the series.

Set a modest 204 to win and with nearly three days to chase down that tally, the Windies were ripped apart by Starc's 6/9 in 7.3 overs, while Boland's hat-trick helped clean up the tail.

While the hosts just avoided equalling the record low Test innings total of 26 set by New Zealand in 1955, they failed to reach their previous lowest Test score of 47 set versus England in 2004.

Starc started the rampage on the first ball of the day having John Campbell caught behind for a duck, before he ramped it up at the end of his first over.

The Aussie left-armer trapped Kevlon Anderson LBW with his fifth ball before knocking over Brandon King's stumps on the last ball of the over to have the Windies reeling at 3/0 - and earn a hat-trick chance in his next over.

Mikyle Louis managed to survive the hat-trick ball in the second over, but Starc still nabbed him LBW in the fourth over for four, securing his 400th Test wicket, putting the hosts at 4/5 after 4.1 overs.

Two balls later, Starc scored his third LBW of the innings by trapping Shai Hope for two and the Winders were 5/7 with the Aussie fast bowler snaring all five wickets.

Josh Hazlewood briefly interrupted the Starc show to have Roston Chase caught behind for a duck at 6/11 before eight overs followed without a wicket.

The Windies crawled to 26 runs before Boland took his hat-trick with the first three balls of his second over, claiming Justin Greaves caught in slip, Shamar Joseph LBW and finally Jomel Warrican bowled.

After Alzarri Josepth added a single run to move the West Indies past the New Zealand's lowest-ever Test total, Starc snared his sixth wicket by bowling Jayden Seales, wrapping up the innings and series clean-sweep.

Despite Boland's hat-trick heroics, Starc won player of the match for his devastating spell that was the fastest five-wicket haul in Test history.

Kieran Francis

Kieran Francis is a senior editor at The Sporting News based in Melbourne, Australia. He started at Sportal.com.au before being a part of the transition to Sporting News in 2015. Just prior to the 2018 World Cup, he was appointed chief editor of Goal.com in Australia. He has now returned to The Sporting News where his passions lay in football, AFL, poker and cricket - when he is not on holiday.