Marnus Labuschagne struck an unbeaten 154 to help Australia reach 293-2 on day one of their first Test with West Indies on Wednesday.
West Indies struggled to find answers at Optus Stadium in Perth, taking only the wickets of openers David Warner (5) and Usman Khawaja (65).
Australia, who have lost just one of their past eight Test series, were in trouble early on as Warner's lean streak in the longest format continued when he chopped on from Jayden Seales' wide delivery.
The home side were 9-1 when Labuschagne arrived at the crease, but he and Khawaja set about advancing their side to 72-1 by lunch and then kicked on.
There were good warm-up games provided against the Prime Minister’s XI. They comprised two four-day games, with the second one given first-class status. The opposition consisted of Australian players who are trying to make the Australian Test team. These will always be players to give fierce opposition, as they are looking for recognition or to be considered good enough to play in a Test match or two.
At the end of the two games, WI didn’t do too badly. However, I suspect they didn’t furnish the type of dominance a coach would like to have seen against a substitute outfit. It only proved that our standard is low.
Tagenarine Chanderpaul is off to a flying start, filling his basket with a century and a half, in two separate innings. This will do his confidence a world of good if he’s self-assured enough not to allow the “big names” of the Aussie fast bowlers, skipper Pat Cummins and the penetrative left-arm pacer Mitchell Starc, to get the better of him. This pair has been lethal in Test cricket, and will be the biggest test that both opening batsmen will have to face – Chanderpaul, for the first time, and the experienced Brathwaite, who possesses the patience of Job. No matter what, these two are going to have their mettle tested to the limit, as are the other batsmen.
Cummins is a right-hand quickie, so it will be a right-hand/left-hand combination, which is always a factor of its own to deal with.
As West Indies go up against an experienced Australia side in the first Test that forms part of a two-match ICC World Test Championship series, all-rounder Jason Holder says bowlers will have to be patient and make the hosts work for their runs.
The Caribbean men have not have beaten Australia in a Test match at home since 1997 but Holder said yesterday that the pace attack in what could be bowler-friendly conditions at Perth Stadium could be a key factor in changing that.
“People get carried away seeing carry and bounce, but you still have got to find a really good length suitable for the wicket, understanding when to attack, when to defend, and just understanding the context of scenarios and the phase of the game,” said the right-arm fast bowler who is part of the West Indies pace attack that also includes Kemar Roach – the only member of the current touring party to have played in the last Test here in December 2009 – Alzarri Joseph, Jayden Seales and Raymon Reifer.
DESPITE settling for a draw against Australia’s President’s XI on Saturday, West Indies head coach Phil Simmons said his team is in “a good place” heading into Tuesday’s first of a two-match Test series against the Aussies in Perth.
After Australia’s PM XI posted 322 in their first-innings knock on Wednesday, West Indies responded with 235, led by an impressive 119 runs from opener Tagenarine Chanderpaul.
With a lead of 87 runs, PM’s XI returned to the middle and declared on 221/4, to set the visitors a target of 309 for victory.
Half-centuries from Chanderpaul (56), Devon Thomas (55) and an unbeaten 52 from wicketkeeper Joshua Da Silva led West Indies to 277/8 on the final day and a drawn result.
ST JOHN’S, Antigua – Cricket West Indies today paid tribute to David Murray, the former Barbados and West Indies wicket-keeper who passed away on Friday night. He was 72. Murray was the son of West Indies batting great Sir Everton Weekes. Murray’s son Ricky Hoyte, represented Barbados and West Indies ‘A’ Team as a wicket-keeper/batsman.
Murray’s first tour with the West Indies was in 1973 to England. He made his international debut in the second One-Day International by a West Indies men’s team, which featured Lance Gibbs, Roy Fredericks Rohan Kanhai and Clive Lloyd. His Test debut came in 1978 against Australia in Guyana. Overall, he played 19 Tests, 10 One-Day Internationals and also 114 first-class matches.
Ricky Skerritt, President of CWI paid tribute to Murray.
