From Garth Wattley
in St John’s
– The West Indies trailing 0-1 in the three test series will hope for a fresh start on the Sir Vivian Richards stadium ground which will today become the latest test venue in the Caribbean
The Sir Vivian Richards Stadium will become the latest West Indian Test venue today. And the West Indies cricket team will also be hoping for a fresh start in this Digicel Test Series against Australia.
Only four days ago, the home side lost the First Test at Sabina Park by 95 runs. It was a game however where the West Indies pushed Ricky Ponting’s team harder than they might have expected, especially since the opposition was without their motivational captain and established opening batsman Chris Gayle and fast bowling spearhead Jerome Taylor.
The Windies will hope to have both players in their line-up this morning as they seek to close the gap on Australia that they were unable to in Jamaica.
However, lingering doubt still remains over the availability of Gayle.
Yesterday after practice, while coach John Dyson declared Taylor 100 per cent recovered from his lower back strain, he said Gayle, inactive since last month because of a groin strain, was “90 per cent” fit.
Gayle’s possible continued absence would be a setback to a side that have not yet managed a win without him since the time he was officially named the captain.
However, Dyson will still be hopeful his side can achieve a recovery job in this match.
“It’s made us realise (the First Test) that they (Australia) are human, that they are not superhuman…and they can falter,” he said on Monday. “If we can apply enough pressure at the right times and continue doing the good things that we can do, they might falter just enough to give us that opening.”
The Australians, fully expecting to dominate the series, got a little more than they might have bargained for at Sabina.
Ponting said after that game that, “we saw in our second innings, they are a very capable bowling attack, especially with that new ball.”
Australia were dismissed for 167, their lowest completed total in Tests since November 2004 against India. They were put firmly on the back foot by the combination of a disciplined line and good pace produced by the new ball duo of Fidel Edwards and Daren Powell that reduced them to 18 for five at one stage.
While the return of Taylor—either at the expense of Daren Sammy or as a straight swap for the dropped off-spinner Amit Jaggernauth—should enhance the incisiveness of the Windies attack, the Aussies will not be able to counter by boosting their opening slot.
On Wednesday, the tourists received a jolt with the news that Matthew Hayden, veteran of 94 Tests, would be returning home after failing to recovering sufficiently from an injury to his right Achilles tendon.
The Australians certainly missed the imposing left-hander’s production and experience at Sabina.
In both innings, Phil Jaques and Simon Katich failed individually and as a pair, producing stands of 18 and five runs.
Principally, it was left to skipper Ponting with his first innings century and Andrew Symonds with half centuries in both innings, to steady the tourists.
The return of vice-captain Michael Clarke, one of Ponting’s key men in the middle order—likely as a swap for Brad Hodge—will be welcome for Australia.
As a new Test venue which hosted no regional matches in the Carib Beer Series this season, the pitch at the new stadium will be an unknown quality.
If it gives both batsmen and bowlers a chance as the First Test strip did, then another absorbing contest is likely.
It could also mean that the Windies will go without a spinner. Sammy’s solid work with the ball in Jamaica and his fighting knock of 35 in the second innings make a good case for his inclusion today.
Any chance of a West Indies victory however, will depend on how well they bat.
The first innings lower middle-order collapse where they lost four wickets for eight runs was a fatal mis-step. It is one they simply cannot afford again in this game.
Fast medium pacer Stuart Clarke showed with his eight wickets in Jamaica that he can exploit any lapse in concentration or error in judgment. And with another match under their belts in Caribbean conditions, Brett Lee, left-arm pacer Mitchell Johnson and leg-spinner Stuart MacGill could be a more testing combination over the next five days.
New ground or not though, the Windies will have fond memories of the last time they played the baggy greens in a Test on this island.
At the Antigua Recreation Ground they set a new world record for the highest successful run chase in Test history.
Coach Dyson would love for his side to get 418 again in this match. It could make for a brilliant start to a brand new era at North Sound.
Teams: West Indies from: Chris Gayle (Capt), Ramnaresh Sarwan, Dwayne Bravo, Sulieman Benn, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Fidel Edwards, Xavier Marshall, Runako Morton, Brenton Parchment, Daren Powell, Denesh Ramdin, Darren Sammy, Devon Smith, Jerome Taylor.
AUSTRALIA (from): Ricky Ponting (Capt), Michael Clarke, Phil Jaques, Simon Katich, Mike Hussey, Stuart Clark, Brad Haddin, Brad Hodge, Andrew Symonds,
Mitchell Johnson, Brett Lee, Stuart MacGill, Doug Bollinger, Beau Casson, Ashley Noffke.
