Playing fearlessly the best way for inexperienced WI

Tue, Jan 16, '24

As West Indies take on Australia at Adelaide in the first of two Tests Tuesday evening (Caribbean time), it's useful to consider that the full-strength team which toured down under just over a year ago — also for two Tests — was blown out of the water.

In the first Test, the home side won by an innings and 162 runs; in the second, they overwhelmed the visitors by 419 runs.

In all four innings the Australians declared with West Indian bowlers mostly innocuous.

Among the West Indies batters only skipper Kraigg Brathwaite who scored a century and half-century in the first Test and newly arrived Tagenarine Chanderpaul could hold their heads high.

West Indies fared better on a two-Test tour of Zimbabwe early last year, winning 1-0 with Chanderpaul's unbeaten double century in the drawn second Test and fellow Guyanese, left-arm spinner Gudakesh Motie — another newly arrived — with 13 wickets in the first, being standout performances.

However, West Indies then lost 0-2 to South Africa away and 0-1 at home to India in mid-year to close out a dismal 2023 in Test cricket.