Australia on 67-7 against India after 17 wickets fall on opening day of 1st cricket test

PERTH, Australia (AP) — Australia was left teetering on 67-7 in reply to India’s 150 all out as the grassy and bouncy Perth Stadium pitch claimed 17 wickets on the opening day of the Border-Gavaskar series on Friday.

Skipper and fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah led the Indian attack with 4-17 and fellow fast bowler Mohamed Siraj took 2-17 on a difficult day for batting.

Left handers Alex Carey and Mitchell Starc will resume Saturday on 19 and 6 runs, respectively, as Australia trails India by 83 runs.

Unseasonal rain had the wicket covered in the week leading up to the test resulting in a lavish layer of grass to complement the traditional bounce of Perth pitches.

Bumrah ended Nathan McSweeney’s 10-ball debut by trapping the opener leg before wicket. He then returned two overs later to claim opener Usman Khawaja (8) and Steve Smith for nought off successive balls. Khawaja was caught by Virat Kohli at second slip and then Smith was trapped lbw.

Left-hander Travis Head thwarted Bumrah’s hopes of a hit trick but on 11 he played down the wrong line and was bowled off stump to give debutant fast bowler Harshit Rana his maiden test wicket.

Mitchell Marsh fell to a catch by KL Rahul at third slip off Siraj to leave Australia in a similar predicament to India in the morning when it won the toss and batted.

Labuschagne was dropped off the second ball when Kohli spilled a simple catch at second slip and then struggled to put bat to ball and made two runs off 52 balls before Siraj trapped him in front.

As the shadows lengthened Bumrah returned for his second spell and immediately removed his counterpart Cummins caught behind by wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant.

In the first two sessions, seam bowler Josh Hazlewood broke the back of the Indian batting with 4-29 helped by swing bowlers Starc (2-24), Cummins (2-67) and Marsh (2-12).

Indian had slumped to 73-6 either side of the lunch break before Pant (37) and debutant and top-scorer Nitish Kumar Reddy (41) saved face with a 48-run eighth wicket stand.

Scoring runs was not easy on a pitch that offered bounce and sideways movement to Hazlewood and Starc, who claimed 400 test wickets between them to become the first Australian new-ball pair to achieve that feat.

Reddy, 21, hammered six fours and a six off 59 balls and took the attack to offspinner Nathan Lyon as he twice hit him down the ground and reverse swept in quick succession. He then parried Cummin behind the wicketkeeper for a six before holding out to deep mid-wicket where Khawaja took a running outfield catch. Two balls before, Khawaja dropped Reddy as he skied Cummins.

Earlier, Reddy on 10 survived a catch at the wicket after the Australians failed to refer a catch down legside as the TV replay showed a spike as the ball brushed past the gloves off Starc.

Pant was uncharacteristically circumspect in the company of the junior partner and hit a six and three fours in his 78-ball innings before Cummins had him caught by Smith at second slip.

India was teetering on 51-4 at lunch as the decision to bat first backfired sensationally.

Openers Jashasvi Jaisval (0), Rahul (26), Devdutt Padikkal (0) and star batsman Kohli (5) fell before lunch as India rued its decision to bat.

Opening the batting in the absence of Rohit Sharma, Rahul on 19 completed 3,000 test runs in his 54th test match.

Starc in particular was unplayable in his opening five-over spell during which he had lefthander Jaisval caught at gully by test debutant Nathan McSweeney.

Hazlewood, who was rested after a three-over burst, returned to the attack to replace Starc and in the space of 15 balls removed Paddikal and Kohli.

Padikkal survived 23 balls as he repeatedly played and missed against Starc before Hazlewood had him caught behind by wicketkeeper Carey.

Two overs later, Kohli, having arrived at the crease to the thunderous applause from a record 31,302 opening-day crowd for a test at the Perth Stadium, was surprised by a Hazlewood delivery that bounced disconcertingly and flew off the shoulder of the bat to first slip Khawaja.

Australia and India are one-two in the World Test Championship standings.

AP cricket: https://apnews.com/hub/cricket

Australia's players celebrate the wicket of India's KL Rahul during play in the first cricket test between India and Australia in Perth, Australia, Friday, Nov. 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Trevor Collens)

Australia's Nathan Lyon fields the ball during play in the first cricket test between India and Australia in Perth, Australia, Friday, Nov. 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Trevor Collens)

Australia's Josh Hazlewood celebrates the wicket of India's Devdutt Padikkal, second left, during play in the first cricket test between India and Australia in Perth, Australia, Friday, Nov. 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Trevor Collens)

Australia's Mitchell Marsh, right, walks up to teammate Josh Hazlewood to celebrate the wicket of India's Virat Kohli during play in the first cricket test between India and Australia in Perth, Australia, Friday, Nov. 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Trevor Collens)

India's Virat Kohli warms up before the start of the first cricket test between India and Australia in Perth, Australia, Friday, Nov. 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Trevor Collens)

India's fans react to the camera as the wait for the first cricket test between India and Australia to begin in Perth, Australia, Friday, Nov. 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Trevor Collens)

Australia's Josh Hazlewood, facing the camera, celebrates with teammates the wicket of India's Devdutt Padikkal during play in the first cricket test between India and Australia in Perth, Australia, Friday, Nov. 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Trevor Collens)

India's Dhruv Jurel bats during play in the first cricket test between India and Australia in Perth, Australia, Friday, Nov. 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Trevor Collens)

Australia's Mitchell Starc prepares to bowl during play in the first cricket test between India and Australia in Perth, Australia, Friday, Nov. 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Trevor Collens)

Australia's players celebrate the wicket of India's Virat Kohli during play in the first cricket test between India and Australia in Perth, Australia, Friday, Nov. 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Trevor Collens)

India's Virat Kohli bats during play in the first cricket test between India and Australia in Perth, Australia, Friday, Nov. 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Trevor Collens)

Australia's Josh Hazlewood celebrates with teammates the wicket of India's Virat Kohli during play in the first cricket test between India and Australia in Perth, Australia, Friday, Nov. 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Trevor Collens)

Australia's Josh Hazlewood collects the ball as he prepares to bowl during play in the first cricket test between India and Australia in Perth, Australia, Friday, Nov. 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Trevor Collens)

India's Yashasvi Jaiswal leaves the field after losing his wicket to Australia's Mitchell Starc during play in the first cricket test between India and Australia in Perth, Australia, Friday, Nov. 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Trevor Collens)

VANG VIENG, Laos (AP) — A second Australian teenager who fell critically ill after drinking tainted alcohol in Laos has died in a hospital in Bangkok, her family said Friday, bringing the death toll in the mass poisoning of foreign tourists to six.

Holly Bowles, 19, had been in critical condition on life support following the poisoning in Laos more than a week ago.

“We are so sad to say that our beautiful girl Holly is now at peace," her family said in a statement sent to Australian Network 10 and other Australian media. “We find comfort and solace in knowing that Holly brought so much joy and happiness to so many people.”

An officer at Vang Vieng's Tourism Police office, who refused to give his name, told The Associated Press on Friday that a “number of people” had been detained in the case but that no charges have yet been filed. Staff at the Nana Backpacker Hostel, which was still operating but not accepting new guests, confirmed that the manager and owner were among those taken in for questioning.

Tourist police offices are common in Southeast Asia and are set up specifically to help with incidents involving tourists and other foreigners.

The U.S. State Department on Friday issued a health alert for citizens traveling in Laos, warning of “suspected methanol poisoning in Vang Vieng, possibly through the consumption of methanol-laced alcoholic drinks," following similar alerts from other countries whose citizens were involved.

Australia's prime minister announced Thursday that a 19-year-old citizen, Bianca Jones, had died in a Thai hospital where she had been evacuated for emergency treatment, and that her friend — Bowles — remained in a hospital "fighting for her life." A 28-year-old British woman, Simone White, also died from suspected methanol poisoning in Laos, the British Foreign Office said.

An American and two Danish tourists also died, though specifics about the causes of death have not been released.

New Zealand’s Foreign Ministry said one of its citizens was sickened in Laos and was a possible victim of methanol poisoning.

Laos is a one-party communist state with no organized opposition and the government keeps a tight lid on information. In this case, officials have released almost no details.

The Foreign Ministry has refused to comment, and in Vang Vieng the small hospital where some of the victims are believed to have been treated initially referred all questions to the town's health office on the hospital grounds. The town health officials refused to comment, saying they lacked proper permission.

Methanol is sometimes added to mixed drinks at disreputable bars as a cheaper alternative to ethanol, but can cause severe poisoning or death. It is also a byproduct of poorly distilled homebrew liquor, and could have found its way into bar drinks inadvertently.

Landlocked Laos is one of Southeast Asia’s poorest nations and a popular tourist destination. Vang Vieng is particularly popular among backpackers seeking partying and adventure sports.

Neil Farmiloe, a New Zealander who owns the Kiwi Kitchen restaurant in town, said a lot of his customers were very worried about the incident.

“I think it’s never happened before, so it is hopefully just a one-off incident," said Farmiloe, who has lived in Vang Vieng for 20 years. "It’s very sad all around. I’m sure nobody intended to cause injury, but it’s happened.”

The two 19-year-old Australian women who have both now died fell ill on Nov. 13 following a night out drinking with a group.

They failed to check out from the Nana Backpacker Hostel as planned and were found sick in their room and then taken to Thailand for emergency treatment.

Thai authorities confirmed that Jones had died by “brain swelling due to high levels of methanol found in her system.”

Duong Duc Toan, the manager of the Nana Backpacker Hostel, told the AP the day before he was detained that the two women had joined other guests for free shots of Laotian vodka before heading elsewhere and returning in the early hours of the morning.

Rising reported from Bangkok.

A doctor comes out of the hospital where poisoned foreign tourists were admitted in Vang Vieng, Laos, Friday, Nov. 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Anupam Nath)

A woman cleans near the emergency section of a hospital where poisoned foreign tourists admitted in Vang Vieng, Laos, Friday, Nov. 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Anupam Nath)

Health officials leave Nana Backpackers hostel after investigation in Vang Vieng, Laos, Friday, Nov. 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Anupam Nath)

The Nana Backpackers hostel wearing a deserted look in Vang Vieng, Laos, Friday, Nov. 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Anupam Nath)

This photo shows the exterior of Bangkok Hospital, in Bangkok, Thailand, Friday, Nov. 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)

A foreign tourist rests near a swimming pool at Nana Backpackers hostel in Vang Vieng, Laos, Friday, Nov. 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Anupam Nath)

A foreign tourist couple rest near a swimming pool at Nana Backpackers hostel in Vang Vieng, Laos, Friday, Nov. 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Anupam Nath)

A woman with a bicycle walks pasts Nana Backpackers hostel in Vang Vieng, Laos, Friday, Nov. 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Anupam Nath)

The empty bar of Nana Backpackers hostel in Vang Vieng, Laos, Friday, Nov. 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Anupam Nath)

A man walks past the tourism control police station in Vang Vieng, Laos, Friday, Nov. 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Anupam Nath)

Tourists ride on a motorbike near the tourism control police station in Vang Vieng, Laos, Friday, Nov. 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Anupam Nath)

Health officials check documents and ask questions to Nana hostel employees in Vang Vieng, Laos, Friday, Nov. 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Anupam Nath)

Health officials come out of Nana Backpackers hostel after checking documents in Vang Vieng, Laos, Friday, Nov. 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Anupam Nath)

This photo shows the exterior of Bangkok Hospital, in Bangkok, Thailand, Thursday, Nov. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)

This photo shows the exterior of Bangkok Hospital, in Bangkok, Thailand, Thursday, Nov. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)