Australia 180 & 310 (Carey 65, Webster 63, Head 61, S Joseph 5-87) beat West Indies 190 & 141 (S Joseph 44, Hazlewood 5-43) by 159 runs
Josh Hazlewood led Australia's surge to a 159-run victory in Barbados as West Indies lost all ten wickets in the final session of the third day, the final two falling in consecutive deliveries to Nathan Lyon in what would have been the last over of the day.
Australia claimed the extra half-hour with West Indies seven down but with Shamar Joseph throwing the bat, having been dropped in the deep by Sam Konstas, and Justin Greaves playing solidly, it appeared Australia would be forced to return on the fourth day. However, Shamar edged to slip before Jayden Seales was caught at short leg to end the match. It completed a performance where familiar Australia strengths came to the fore amid continued questions about the top order, but they were confronted by challenging conditions.
Travis Head, who was the beneficiary of West Indies' seventh dropped catch of the match, Beau Webster and Alex Carey all played with the proactiveness needed on this surface. Head was named Player of the Match for his twin half-centuries on a tricky surface. Carey's superb strokeplay gave Australia plenty of buffer zone when it came to defending the target, meaning a repeat of what happened in the World Test Championship final was always unlikely on a surface that remained devilish at times, especially with the harder ball.
Mitchell Starc struck in the first over of the chase when former captain Kraigg Brathwaite clipped loosely to backward square0leg where Konstas held a low catch. However, that was followed by some adventurous strokeplay by John Campbell, including a sweep against Hazlewood, as he and Keacy Carty made encouraging process.
But innovation brought Campbell's downfall when he attempted to lap-sweep Hazlewood again, and this time could only glove the ball to Carey. Next ball, Brandon King got an inside edge into his pads which flew high towards gully where Cameron Green, who had earlier given Carty a life on 1, used all his height to cling on. Sadly for Hazlewood, he did not make Roston Chase play at the hat-trick delivery as a packed ring of catchers awaited.
Not that he was delayed long when, two overs later, Chase got an inside edge that looped to short leg before spearing one through Carty. This was Hazlewood at his very best: hammering away at a back-of-a-length and giving the surface every chance to play some tricks.
Pat Cummins was then the beneficiary of those tricks when Shai Hope was cleaned up by a wicked delivery that scuttled under his bat. The run-scoring of Australia's middle order against an older ball felt a long time ago. The only question was whether the visitors could get the job done in the evening.
Marnus Labuschagne, on as a sub, produced a direct hit to remove Alzarri Joseph and Hazlewood removed Jomel Warrican for his fifth wicket. Shamar Joseph launched two balls out of the stadium and some frustration was growing for Australia before Lyon sealed the job in fading light.
The game was in the balance at the start of the day, Australia ahead by 82, with plenty of eyes on how the surface would play. There was an early grubber to Head, which fortunately for him wasn't straight, and he responded by flaying the next delivery through the off side. As Head would later find out there was always something lurking, but with a touch of fortune, runs were there to be made when intent was shown.
West Indies, though, were their own worst enemy again. On 21, Head was given a life when Greaves spilled a chance at second slip. It was the seventh they had put down for the game and had come after coach Daren Sammy had overseen the morning slips catching practice where nothing had been spilled. Head went to his second fifty of the match from 77 balls.
Webster, meanwhile, built an excellent innings, the third of his brief Test career, which has come on a challenging surface following the debut half-century against India at the SCG. He used his reach to good effect to get to the ball but was especially eye-catching off the back foot through the off side.
The stand of 102 was broken when Head received a brute of a delivery from Shamar Joseph that barely bounced, the only success for West Indies in the morning session when they would have hoped to knock over most of the remaining Australia batting.
After the break, Webster brought up his fifty from 100 balls with a thick edge along the ground through gully before glancing Shamar Joseph down the leg side to Hope. An on-field not-out decision was overturned by third umpire Adrian Holdstock without any of the drama of the previous day.
By then Carey was into his stride after having started positively but went up a gear in the over following Webster's departure when he took 14 off Seales including the shot of the match: a skip down the pitch and perfectly executed lofted straight drive into the sightscreen. He went on to repeat the stroke against the lesser pace of Greaves, sending him over the stands at long-off, to motor to a 40-ball half-century as the game sped away from West Indies.
When joined by Lyon and Hazlewood, he started to farm the strike as West Indies set their entire field back to him before lofting Chase into the deep. Shamar Joseph, who bowled the most overs in a match of his brief Test career, removed Hazlewood to claim the five-wicket haul which eluded him in the first innings.
