Mitchell Starc has produced one of the all-time great bowling spells and Scott Boland taken a hat-trick as Australia bowled West Indies out for 27 to win the third Test.
On a historic day in Jamaica, Australia’s quicks ran riot to wrap up a 176-run victory and claim a 3-0 series sweep of the Frank Worrell Trophy.
Chasing 204 for victory, West Indies’ fourth innings lasted just 14.3 overs and only marginally eclipsed the lowest-ever Test total of 26 by New Zealand in 1955.
The score marked Australia’s best-ever bowling display in a Test, while West Indies’ 27 was the lowest total of any team in the past 70 years.
Boland became just the 10th Australian to claim a Test hat-trick, but it was Starc who ripped the heart out of the hosts with figures of 6 for 9.
The left-arm pacer took three wickets in the first over of West Indies’ second innings and claimed five in 15 balls to, at one stage, have the hosts 7 for 5.
Playing in his 100th Test, Starc also became the fourth Australian to reach the 400-wicket milestone, joining greats Shane Warne, Glenn McGrath and Nathan Lyon.
“When you talk about 100 Tests you talk about resilience, skill and fitness,” captain Pat Cummins said. “But today he showed the real Mitchell Starc, what he can bring to a team which is out of nowhere tearing an opposition apart and can win a game for you.
“He does it consistently in any format and I feel very lucky he is on our team.”
Starc’s 15-ball five-wicket haul marked the fastest by any bowler in Test history, eclipsing the previous record of 19 from Ernie Toshack, Stuart Broad and Boland.
The 35-year-old also became the second man to take three wickets in the opening over of an innings, striking when he had John Campbell caught behind first ball.
He then trapped Kevlon Anderson when the right hander left a ball that tailed in at him, before bowling Brandon King with the last delivery of the over.
Starc’s assault carried into his third over, claiming his 400th Test scalp with another ball that swung into Mikyle Louis’ back pad. Shai Hope followed two balls later, again trapped lbw.
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At that point Starc had figures of 5 for 2, with the only runs off him coming via the outside edge of Hope’s bat and through the slips.
Starc could have had a sixth victim, had Sam Konstas not grassed two chances at third slip to remove Alzarri Joseph either side of tea. But that opened the door for Boland’s hat-trick.
Called in for Nathan Lyon, the Victorian edged off Justin Greaves, had Shamar Joseph lbw and bowled Jomel Warrican in consecutive balls.
The hat-trick marked Australia’s first in a Test since Peter Siddle in the 2010-11 Ashes.
“I was a bit nervous bowling that last ball,” Boland admitted. “It’s an amazing feeling. Starcy set us up there, and I have never been involved in a game where we bowled a team out for 27.”
In all, four of West Indies’ top five were dismissed for ducks, while they only avoided being all out for 26 via a misfield from Konstas at the end.
Australia’s record showing came after they appeared in danger of dropping the Test, when bowled out for 121 in their second innings courtesy of 5-27 from Alzarri Joseph.
“It’s heartbreaking to be in a position like that, where we could have won the game and come out and have that poor batting display,” West Indies captain Roston Chase said.