Windies call in batting greats after 'deeply hurtful' 27 all out

West Indies will convene an emergency meeting of former batting greats as they pick up the pieces from being whitewashed at home for the first time in a series of three Tests or more.

Cricket West Indies president Kishore Shallow has extended invitations to Windies batting royalty Clive Lloyd, Viv Richards and Brian Lara to help dissect their humiliating 3-0 defeat to Australia.

The series culminated in one of the most spectacular collapses in Test history in the third match in Jamaica, West Indies capitulating to 27 all out in just 14.3 overs to record the second lowest total ever after New Zealand's 26 against England in 1955.

Mitchell Starc took a career-best 6-9, including the fastest five-wicket haul in Test cricket from just 15 balls, while Scott Boland claimed 3-2, including a hat-trick.

But it was far from an outlier throughout a series where they collectively averaged their second lowest with the bat of any bilateral Test campaign they've played, having slumped to 8-86 in Barbados and 8-103 in Grenada until some lower order hitting restored some respectability to the score.

Brandon King's 75 in the second Test in Grenada was the only half-century by a West Indies batter across the three Tests compared to Australia's eight, with their seven ducks in the second innings in Jamaica a record for a Test innings.

Their team batting average of 14.13 for the three Tests was only spared a spot in the record books by the 13.28 they averaged against South Africa in two matches in 2021, but only once did West Indies manage a total greater than 200 against Australia, bowled out for scores of 190, 141, 253, 143, 143 before their debacle 27 all out.

The carnage at Sabina Park prompted the governing body to summon an emergency meeting of the Cricket Strategy and Officiating Committee, enlisting three of the Caribbean's greatest batters to give their thoughts after Monday's chastening defeat.

"To strengthen the discussions, I have extended invitations to three of our greatest batsmen ever: Sir Clive Lloyd, Sir Vivian Richards, and Brian Lara," Shallow said in a statement on Tuesday.

The trio, who plundered a combined 27,967 Test runs in their careers, will join former players Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Desmond Haynes and Ian Bradshaw who already serve on the committee.

"This engagement is not ceremonial. These are men who helped define our golden eras," Shallow added.

"Their perspectives will be invaluable as we shape the next phase of our cricket development. We intend for this gathering to result in tangible, actionable recommendations."

Shallow acknowledged that the series result and especially the final match would lead to many "sleepless nights ahead" for fans and players but urged patience as they continue to rebuild the team.

"While disappointment is natural, we must not allow this moment to define our journey," he said.

"We are in a rebuilding phase, steadily investing in the next generation, and reigniting the spirit that has long made West Indies cricket a force in the world.

"The road ahead will test us, but I have faith in the talent and commitment of our players when they apply themselves.

"We have already seen encouraging signs, particularly with the ball. Our batters are keen but now must be even more deliberate as they work to improve."

West Indies had completely overhauled their Test team for the series against Australia under new red-ball coach Daren Sammy and captain Roston Chase as they target a mid-table finish in the 2025-27 World Test Championship, bringing in white-ball stars King and wicketkeeper Shai Hope in an attempt to up their scoring rate, which was the lowest of all nine teams in the previous two-year cycle.

Only three players made the cut from their previous Test in January, while they also dropped veteran opener Kraigg Brathwaite for the third Test in Kingston after celebrating his 100th Test cap in the game prior, as they pivoted to young batters Mikyle Louis and debutant Kevlon Anderson, both 24, at the top of the order.

– with Reuters

Qantas Tour of the West Indies

First Test: Australia won by 159 runs

Second Test: Australia won by 133 runs

Third Test: Australia won by 176 runs

Australia Test squad: Pat Cummins (c), Sean Abbott, Scott Boland, Alex Carey, Cameron Green, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Usman Khawaja, Sam Konstas, Matt Kuhnemann, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Beau Webster

West Indies Test squad: Roston Chase (c), Jomel Warrican (vc), Kevlon Anderson, Kraigg Brathwaite, John Campbell, Keacy Carty, Justin Greaves, Shai Hope, Tevin Imlach, Alzarri Joseph, Shamar Joseph, Brandon King, Johann Layne, Mikyle Louis, Anderson Phillip, Jayden Seales

First T20I: July 20, Kingston, Jamaica (July 21, 10am AEST)

Second T20I: July 22, Kingston, Jamaica (July 23, 10am AEST)

Third T20I: July 25, Basseterre, St Kitts (July 26, 9am AEST)

Fourth T20I: July 26, Basseterre, St Kitts (July 27, 9am AEST)

Fifth T20I: July 28, Basseterre, St Kitts (July 29, 9am AEST)

West Indies T20 squad: TBC

Australia's T20 squad: Mitchell Marsh (c), Sean Abbott, Xavier Bartlett, Cooper Connolly, Tim David, Ben Dwarshius, Nathan Ellis, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Cameron Green, Aaron Hardie, Josh Inglis, Matt Kuhnemann, Glenn Maxwell, Mitch Owen, Matthew Short, Adam Zampa