Burns and Smith each got decent individual deliveries, and David Warner was somewhat unluckily snaffled down the leg side on the stroke of lunch – his innings having already set the breakneck pace of Australia’s first innings, even if he was unable to carry through in the fashion of the WACA Ground. Although Shanon Gabriel bowled a beauty to get rid of Burns, runs kept coming for Australia as they went to lunch at 121/3 from 24 overs.
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This is exactly the series, against a team ranked above only Bangladesh and Zimbabwe, that he needed for what has been generally characterised as his final opportunity in the Test side.
Forging an unbeaten 136-run partnership with Marsh for the fourth wicket, Voges continued his dream run against West Indies, after his unbeaten 130 on his Test debut at age 35 against them in Dominica last June.
An under-strength Australian attack will only help West Indies’ chances.
They bowled only 50 overs in the first two sessions of play and needed to call on part-time spinners to get to 89 of the regulation 90 overs under the threat of disciplinary action from the match referee Chris Broad.
And judging by their disastrous 10-wicket defeat in their only warm-up game against a Cricket Australia XI-a team containing six first-class debutants-this has left them looking extremely threadbare.
Barring any last-minute injuries, the Australian batting line-up that featured in its last Test, against New Zealand in Adelaide, is expected to play against West Indies.
The first test will be played at the Blundstone Arena in Hobart from Thursday December 10th to Monday 14th.
“If that is what it’s going to take down here, then absolutely”, he said.
“They’re telling the selectors, “if you want to drop me after making 150, you’re probably only embarrassing yourselves, you’re not embarrassing me”, Chappell said. The bowlers either did not have a plan at all, had a bad plan. or if they had a good plan were not implementing it properly.
He will join Josh Hazlewood, man-of-the-match in the Adelaide day-night Test against New Zealand, and Peter Siddle in the new-ball attack, backed up by all-rounder Mitch Marsh. We know the Australians will come very hard at us, we know they will be very competitive. Holder’s side did run Australia close in Dominica earlier this year and but for the inexplicable batting implosions, should have picked up a win in Sri Lanka as well.
“There is a little bit of grass on it, so I think the seamers will get a bit out of it and I think the batters will have to step up”, Smith said.
Warrican then had Smith caught by Jermaine Blackwood at first slip for 10.
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Nevill averages 27.30 at Test level, with two half-centuries, but is unfazed about where he bats in the first Test starting in Hobart on Thursday.
