The two-match Test series between West Indies and Australia began on Wednesday,
November 30. West Indies have not won a Test in Australia since 1997, having lost
12 of their 14 games in the country. West Indies did emerge victorious in
their most recent Test series against Bangladesh and England so there will be some
measure of confidence that they probably can be competitive against Australia.
The problem is; West Indies will be playing the Aussies in Australia and not in
the West Indies where they tend to do better. The opening clash
with Australia is taking place at Perth in Western Australia at
a venue capable of seating 60,000 spectators. Adelaide Oval, in South Australia, will host the
second and final Test in a day/night encounter.
West Indies and Australia have had a great history of cricket over the years. The 1975 Test series between the two teams comes easily to mind and included players like Viv Richards, Gordon Greenidge, Andy
Roberts, Roy Fredericks and Clive Lloyd who was the captain of the team. Lance Gibbs,
the gifted West Indies off-spinner, was also on that tour. Though the West Indies lost
that Test series 5-1 they later became a formidable force in world cricket. In the 1980s for
instance, West Indies were the undisputed champions of the world. It is therefore sad to see
the drastic decline of West Indies cricket over the last three decades. Their encounters
against Australia in recent times have generally been one-sided. It has been 25 years since
the West Indies won a Test on Australian soil, with the side losing 3-2 in a five-game
series in that 1996/97 summer encounter. Since that series, West Indies have toured
Australia another four times in Test cricket and failed to win a game.
West Indies has shown improvement in recent times, and though all indicators
seem to suggest that they will be comprehensively defeated by Australia in
this series one cannot rule out the possibility that West Indies could surprise
everyone and do well. West Indies pace attack has the potential to cause
problems on the fast pitches in Australia. It is their batting however which
is the main area of concern. West Indies will be going into this series with
a new opening partner Kraigg Brathwaite. Tage Chanderpaul, the son of
Shivnarine Chanderpaul has replaced John Campbell who was unfortunately
banned from cricket for four years. Tage will make his Test debut in the first
Test at Perth and all eyes will be on him to see how he performs. West Indies
will be relying heavily on Kraigg Brathwaite and Tage Chanderpaul to give the
team a solid foundation on which the middle order can build. The batsmen
have however been inconsistent with the bat.
What can we expect from batsmen like Mayers and Blackwood? Would
we see a greater level of control in their stroke play, or would we be greeted once again by
uncontrolled aggression and injudicious stroke play? Will Bonner regain the form he had in that
magical series in Bangladesh? How about Roston Chase? Would we see a rejuvenated Chase in his
return to the Test team? Only time will tell.
It must be noted that Australia lost its most recent Test against Sri Lanka. Therefore, they
are not invincible. They can be beaten, if put under pressure. There are however ominous
signs for West Indies. Australia is at full strength. Steven Smith, clearly their leading batsman for
Australia, is in great form and the other batsmen are more than capable to GIVE Australia the advantage from day one. Josh Hazelwood returns to the side having missed the last four Tests and he too has shown of skilful he is as a fast bowler.
Australia currently leads the World Test championship table and are strong favorites to
make the final scheduled for England next year. The Aussies will come out will two guns blazing
as they will want to win all Test at home this summer to remain on top of the table. They will
play South Africa in a three-match series following the series against West Indies. Australia’s batting
unit is not only potent, but their bowling attack, which consists of Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc,
Josh Hazelwood, and Nathan Lyon is one of the best in the world.
The Perth Pitch is expected to be bouncy with plenty of life in it. West Indies will have to be at the top of their game and show much grit and determination if they are to be competitive in this Test series. As Jason Holder
correctly stated in a recent interview “This is not going to be an easy tour”.
We still wish our guys well and hope they play these two test matches to the very best of their
ability.
RallyHard!