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Opinion
It’s hard to see the West Indies beating Australia on our turf like they used to in their glory years but the locals won’t have it all their own way in this series.
There’s a lot to like about the Windies’ bowling attack and they’ll put the pressure on the Aussie batters in conditions that will suit them down to the ground – Perth’s bouncy Optus Stadium and a day-nighter at the Adelaide Oval.
If the Australians can get on top of their bowlers then Pat Cummins’ team should be too strong because I can’t see the touring team’s batting doing too much damage Down Under.
It’s a nice little two-Test entree before what’s going to be the main meal at home this summer when we play three times against South Africa.
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Then it’s off to conquer some foreign frontiers in India, possibly the World Test Championship and then the Ashes in England.
Cameron Green celebrates after claiming the wicket of Zak Crawley. (Photo by Steve Bell/Getty Images)
Playing five Tests in the space of six weeks is going to be a thorough workout for Australia and when you’ve got a schedule like that, the old rotation policy could flare up again but I just can’t see where there’s going to be any changes needed unless there’s injuries or one of the quicks is struggling with the workload.
We might see Scott Boland brought in for a Test or two and he’s a very handy replacement to have up your sleeve but apart from that, I can’t see anyone else being shuffled in or out.
Speaking as a former fast bowler, the hard thing is if you’re given the option you never want to have a rest because you want to keep your momentum going and you don’t want to give someone else a chance to take your spot.
There’s been a bit of talk about David Warner’s spot but his record in Australian conditions is phenomenal so I can’t see him losing his spot unless things go dramatically wrong.
This series and the one against South Africa is a golden chance for three guys in the middle order who have all but established their spot in the team to lock themselves in for the long haul.
Travis Head was player of the series last summer at home in the Ashes with a couple of blazing centuries although he didn’t go so well at Pakistan and Sri Lanka after that.
His form in the ODIs recently has been wonderful so he’s got a chance to consolidate that against the Windies and really nail down the No.5 spot as his own.
It’s a similar situation with Cameron Green. He’s not under any real pressure to perform but it’d be great to see him break through for a Test century and continue his progression leading into some massive series coming up.
Alex Carey comes into the home summer on the back of some really good overseas form after he dropped some costly catches last summer. Once he has that reliability that we expect from our very best keepers, he can become one of the best in the world with the way he bats.
(Photo by Buddhika Weerasinghe/Getty Images)
The other guy who I’m keeping an eye on this series is Steve Smith.
He’s still averaging above 60 in Test cricket even though the last few years he hasn’t been at his absolute best.
Now he says he’s made a few changes with his technique and he’s back to top form so that’s a scary thought for opposition bowling attacks.
We’ve seen a glimpse of it recently in ODI cricket and he looks the goods.
I’d be happy if he just kept averaging 60 for the rest of his Test career but if these changes work like he says they are, look out.
Australia’s got a very experienced squad that has played a lot of cricket together so they will be focused.
There’s been a bit of a distraction the last week or so with all the talk about Justin Langer not being too happy with leaks from somewhere within the Cricket Australia inner sanctum before his time as coach ended at the start of the year.
(Photo by Graham Denholm – CA/Cricket Australia via Getty Images)
I can’t see that being a distraction for this group.
One thing I’ve noticed over the years is that at this level, the Australian team moves on quickly from era to era, whether that’s when a legendary player retires or there’s a new captain or coach.
I am looking forward to how Justin goes in the commentary box with Seven – I’m genuinely not sure what kind of style he’s going to bring to the microphone but it’ll be fascinating to see what he’s got to say.
As I mentioned at the top, the Windies would be very happy with the schedule by getting to start in Western Australia.
When we left the WACA a few years ago for the new Optus Stadium there was conjecture that it wouldn’t be the same because the pitch wouldn’t be able to duplicate the unique pace and bounce of the old ground.
But it’s been awesome, I think the pitch is a ripper and the way the ball sails through to the keeper, you can’t notice much of a difference at all when you compare it to the WACA.
And it’s got that similarity in the outfield too that once you get it through the infield it’s generally a four so there’s plenty of value for shots for the batters too.
Jason Holder shakes hands with Joe Root after the Windies beat England earlier this year. (Photo by Gareth Copley/Getty Images)
The Windies quicks will enjoy bowling there if they maintain the right lengths.
Kemar Roach is quite experienced and we’ve seen him rough up a few of our batters out here in the past. Alzarri Joseph has also got plenty of pace and I feel like this could be a bit of a breakout couple of Tests for him on the world cricket stage.
Then they have Jason Holder who will do a solid job for them probably as their into-the-Fremantle Doctor bowler and young Jayden Seales looks like a special talent so it’d be great if they let him loose.
But the big question for them will be can they get enough runs to put the home side under pressure.
Their captain, Kraigg Braithwaite is accomplished, Jermain Blackwood has Test hundreds, Tagenarine Chanderpaul looks like a clone of his dad, Roston Chase is capable, Joshua Da Silva is a good young wicketkeeper.
They’ve got a lot of handy players but they need a few of them to really star with the bat and put on big scores.
I think the ball will be moving around a bit so that should level the contest up a fair way. If I was in Braithwaite’s position and they win the toss, I’d be sending the Aussies in and trying to go through them on day one to give themselves the best chance of an upset.