Oddsmakers are giving the Windies even less chance over the course of the entire series.
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The biggest bet taken so far on the West Indies to win the match is a mere $54.
“Obviously we are going to cop a bit of criticism but we need to improve, no doubt about it”, Holder said.
By inadvertent, yet timely coincidence, the directors of the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) hold their quarterly meeting in St Lucia on December 12 and 13, in the middle of the first Test against Australia in a series long written off as embarrassingly one-sided.
In arguably the West Indies’ most impressive tour performance to date, humbled captain Jason Holder offered no excuses but plenty of home truths after their disastrous 10-wicket loss to a second string Cricket Australia XI in Brisbane on Saturday.
Warner will perhaps never have a better opportunity to assert his dominance over the tourists when the Commonwealth Bank Test Series begins in Hobart on Thursday, coming into the series in blistering form having scored 592 runs at 98.66 against the Black Caps.
While Australia have remained strong or almost strong all the time, the West Indies have got weaker and weaker, to the point where they are now ranked only above Bangladesh and Zimbabwe.
“I have to get out there and perform well, get the body right”.
“The young Aussie side played a bloody good game up in Queensland, did well”. You can’t look too much into a tour match there, it’s [the West Indies’] first experience of getting on the shores and having a hit out.
The West Indies are now in Australia, and despite losing 4-1 on their first tour in 1930-31, 4-1 in 1951-52, and 2-1 in the exciting series of 1960-61, 4-1 in 1968-69, and an embarrassing 5-1 in 1975-76 before the wonderful days of the 1980s and early 1990s, the future looks bleak.
“The conditions over here are a little more in favour of the batsmen, you can play your shots, but they’ve got pace, they’ve got spin on their side”.
“Hopefully they do [turn up]”, Siddle said of the crowds.
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“They have some strong weapons with their bowling attack”. We’re going to have to bat well against them I think. The prediction has forced organizers to slash ticket prices and is putting Hobart under pressure as a host of worldwide cricket, according to reports.
