Australia v West Indies 2nd Test Preview: Visitors need to flex their muscles in the Boxing Day Test

West Indies lost the series-opener in 3 days and cricket experts in Australia have questioned how deserving their team is of the marquee Tests of the home summer in Melbourne and Sydney. With plenty to play for, the visitors will need a monumental improvement in the all important Boxing Day Test starting on Saturday at the historic MCG. This Test, along with the traditional New Year’s Test at the SCG, has always been considered of great importance Down Under with fans queuing up in large numbers. Though, the form of the visitors has put serious question marks on the interest the Tests may generate this year.

Australia:

Australian selectors have an important decision to make as someone has to miss out to accommodate Usman Khawaja, who is fit and rearing to go. His hundred, while opening the batting in the ongoing Big Bash League, gave a glimpse of his form and class. Joe Burns seems to be the prime candidate to miss out from the playing eleven. That Mitchell Marsh, who offers what the selectors consider an important fifth bowling option, is not even being mentioned as a possible omission says a lot about the way the current panel views the role of the all-rounder in the team’s Test lineup.

The Victorian fast bowler Scott Boland has been added to Australia’s squad as an injury replacement for Nathan Coulter-Nile, and while Josh Hazlewood, Peter Siddle and James Pattinson remain the likely attack.

West Indies:

For West Indies, there were 2 factors that played a major part at Hobart. One was the lack of batting support for Darren Bravo and Kraigg Brathwaite and the other was the lack of incision from the bowling attack. Jerome Taylor and Kemar Roach are experienced fast men with the skills and pace to do some damage in the Australian conditions, but none of them was able to stop the 449-run partnership between Adam Voges and Shaun Marsh.

Jason Holder, the young West Indies captain, has played only 11 Tests, but already has a Test century and two fifties to his name, and offers consistency with the ball if not bags of wickets. But these are difficult times for someone who has captained his team in 3 Tests for 3 losses. In those matches, Holder took just 3 wickets at 47.33 and scored 97 runs at 16.16. But those Tests have all been away from home in challenging conditions, in Sri Lanka and then Hobart. There had been glimpses of promise from his team during those Tests, but they were odd moments here and there.

A forced change will be made to the West Indian pace attack after Shannon Gabriel flew home with an ankle injury. All-rounder Carlos Brathwaite is likely to make his Test debut ahead of fast bowler Miguel Cummins, who only joined the squad as a replacement for Gabriel. Leg-spinner Devendra Bishoo may also come into contention at the MCG after Jomel Warrican was used in Hobart.

Bravo stressed on the confidence factor ahead of 2nd Test and his team will need plenty of it to put up a fight against a strong home team. West Indies’ tour match in Geelong at the weekend proved useful for the visitors as Jermaine Blackwood, after making a pair in the Hobart Test, managed 69, and Brathwaite backed up from his first Test effort with 78. Marlon Samuels and Denesh Ramdin also spent valuable time in the middle.

Probable XI-

Australia:

David Warner, Usman Khawaja, Steven Smith (C), Adam Voges, Shaun Marsh, Peter Nevill (wk), Mitchell Marsh, James Pattinson, Josh Hazlewood, Peter Siddle, Nathan Lyon

West Indies:

Kraigg Brathwaite, Rajendra Chandrika, Darren Bravo, Marlon Samuels, Jermaine Blackwood, Denesh Ramdin (wk), Jason Holder (C), Kemar Roach, Jerome Taylor, Devendra Bishoo, Carlos Brathwaite