Adelaide Oval’s minefield, and the West Indies’ fearless debutants, pulled Australia into a first Test dogfight on Thursday – until Travis Head and Josh Hazlewood landed devastating counter-blows, leaving the tourists in tatters.

Australia is steamrolling towards a big win early on day three in Adelaide, but it will not tell the full story of Carribean defiance, and the moments they had their mighty rivals in trouble against the odds.

Having resumed batting at 2-59, Australia remained troubled across the first half of the day, reduced to 6-168 while Test rookies Shamar Joseph and Justin Greaves stole the show.

But having survived a number of close calls on his way to a gritty half-century, hometown hero Head found his stride and blew the West Indies out of the water with a trademark ‘Travball’ explosion late in the second session.

Head’s first 95 balls produced 66 runs until his next 39 saw him almost double his tally, ending on 119 from 134 balls which included three sixes.

Cam Green gets the wicket of Kirk McKenzie and the West Indies are 5-40!

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His seventh Test century delighted his adoring hometown fans, while guiding Australia to 283 for an imposing first innings lead of 95 runs.

Despite the West Indies losing grip on a day one of Adelaide’s own dominated, the most special moment belonged to Joseph, who finished with debut figures of 5-94.

The five-wicket haul earnt him the honour of keeping the match ball, which was proudly held aloft in front of the Adelaide Oval’s western stand.

Joseph then took a bow and soaked up one of the most heart-warming standing ovations this ground has ever seen for a visiting player.

The 24-year-old, a former logger living in the remote village of Baracara, will never forget the moment – and you sensed those who witnessed his five-wicket haul wouldn’t either.

But all the wholesome feeling would soon be washed away by a nightmare 10 overs in which the Australians mercilessly put the West Indies to the sword.

The West Indies eventually limped to stumps, surely mortally wounded at 6-73.

Hazlewood took no prisoners, snaring the outside edge of Tagenerine Chanderpaul with his first ball of the innings to set the tone for another batting car crash.

The fast bowler took wickets in each of his first three overs with Kraigg Brathwaite (1) and Alick Athanaze (0) also dismissed cheaply on the combustible surface.

Kavem Hodge (3) became Hazlewood’s fourth victim before 10 overs were even on the Adelaide Oval scoreboard, while Cameron Green dismissed Kirk McKenzie (26) to raise the prospect of a two-day Test.

Another impressive showing from Greaves, along with Joshua Da Silva, stopped the West Indies from suffering that final humiliation, but there was still to be one last blow with Nathan Lyon trapping the former LBW with the final over of the day.

Earlier, Australia’s tail was exposed before it even had the lead having lost three wickets in the day’s opening session, before Alex Carey was dismissed soon after lunch.

The Australian wobble started early when Usman Khawaja (45) slashed at a wide ball from Greaves, whose own debut saw him take 2-36 and two catches.

Joseph’s remarkable first match then took another step, as he added the wicket of Green to those of Steve Smith and Marnus Labuschagne from day one. Green was out tentatively prodding at a delivery just outside off stump that nipped away slightly.

Mitch Marsh was the last wicket to fall before lunch after falling into a carefully laid trap set by the West Indies. Captain Brathwaite had just moved Greaves into a shallow third slip seconds before he took a catch in the unorthodox position off the bowling of Kemar Roach.

Mark Waugh called it “great cricket”, while Kerry O’Keeffe pointed to the rareness of the move, saying: “You don’t often see that.”

The West Indies came within a whisker of having a fourth wicket in the session when, moments later, Head survived a DRS review for LBW on umpire’s call.

Despite Alex Carey (15) being dismissed by Greaves, that proved to be the turning point with Head barely giving the West Indies a sniff from there.

PLAYING XIs

Australia: Usman Khawaja, Steve Smith, Marnus Labuschagne, Cameron Green, Travis Head, Mitch Marsh, Alex Carey (wk), Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins (c), Nathan Lyon, Josh Hazlewood

West Indies: Kraigg Brathwaite (c), Tagenarine Chanderpaul, Kirk McKenzie, Alick Athanaze, Kavem Hodge, Justin Greaves, Joshua Da Silva (wk), Gudakesh Motie, Alzarri Joseph, Shamar Joseph, Kemar Roach