Windies dream of breaking two-decade Aussie grip
Australia aim to extend their 19-year grip on the Frank Worrell
Trophy against the West Indies from Saturday and pile on the Test match
agony for the fallen Caribbean giants.
Since they last hosted Australia four years ago, the West Indies have
won only three of the 30 Tests that they've played while trying to
rebuild their team.
Those three wins have been enough to produce series wins over England
and, more recently, in Bangladesh, their first victory away since 2003.
Meanwhile, Australia are on a high having had a 4-0 cleansweep over
India in their last series in January.
They haven't lost a Test series since the Ashes defeat in January
2011 that led to significant changes in their structure and approach to
the game. It also saw a change to the playing organization with Michael
Clarke taking over from Ricky Ponting as captain and South African
Mickey Arthur installed as coach.
"As a playing group we can take a lot of confidence out of beating
India 4-0 in Australia but conditions are a lot different here," said
Clarke ahead of the first Test which starts at Kensington Oval on
Saturday.
"The hardest part of playing international sport is beating teams
away from home in conditions that you're not as used to." Despite their
woeful recent Test record, there are signs that the West Indies may be
closing the gap.
They played well in both the recent Twenty20 and ODI series with
neither team getting the upper hand as both series were tied.
"For me as captain getting the guys to gel well and to execute the
team plan, the more results we'll get," said West Indies captain Darren
Sammy who believes that attitude was important in the recent
performances in the ODIs and Twenty20s.
"The fact that we could go out on the field and look like a unit and
play together and that 'never-say-die' attitude. You could see that the
team is improving." The changes for both teams in the last four years
have been significant.
Of the team that won the final Test at the Kensington Oval to clinch
the series 2-0 four years ago, only Clarke, Ponting and Michael Hussey
remain in the Test set up.
It's one fewer for the West Indies with Shivnarine Chanderpaul and
Fidel Edwards the only players from that side to have been included in
the latest squad.
Australia won their only warm-up match in the longer form of the game
beating the West Indies Cricket Board President's XI by eight wickets.
Several changes to the side that played in that fixture can be
expected as David Warner and Michael Hussey were rested while
wicket-keeper Matthew Wade will almost certainly put on the baggy green
for the first time.
West Indies named a squad of 13 for the first Test, with only opening
batsman Kieran Powell and wicket-keeper Carlton Baugh having played for
the President's XI in the tour game.
With Marlon Samuels playing in the IPL there have been returns to the
squad for Narsingh Deonarine and Ravi Rampaul.
It's an important series for both teams as they look to consolidate
on their recently improved performances.
Australia want to extend their run of undefeated Test series to five
with Clarke saying: "As a team we're trying to become a little bit more
consistent with our performances and this is going to be a tough Test
for us but it's going to be a good indication as to where we are at with
that consistency." The West Indies will be seeing if they can take their
success in the one day formats into the longer form of the game.
Squads:
West Indies: Darren Sammy (capt), Kirk Edwards, Adrian Barath,
Carlton Baugh, Devendra Bishoo, Kraigg Brathwaite, Darren Bravo,
Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Narsingh Deonarine, Fidel Edwards, Kieran
Powell, Ravi Rampaul, Kemar Roach
Australia: Michael Clarke (capt), Shane Watson, Michael Beer, Ed
Cowan, Peter Forrest, Ryan Harris, Ben Hilfenhaus, Michael Hussey,
Nathan Lyon, Peter Nevill, James Pattinson, Ricky Ponting, Peter Siddle,
Mitchell Starc, Matthew Wade, David Warner
Umpires: Ian Gould (ENG), Tony Hill (NZL) Match referee: Jeff Crowe (NZL) |