Published: Jun 11, 2015, 12:22 PM (IST)
Edited: Jun 11, 2015, 12:37 PM (IST)
West Indies lost the first Test against Australia at Windsor Park and the onus is on them to square the two match Frank Worrell Test series, Suraj Choudhari looks at the possibility of West Indies getting better of the formidable Australians in the second Test and making comeback.
West Indies are a volatile side, capable of performing to the extremes. They aren’t short of quality but often give an impression that they fail to gel as a unit. The last time West Indies won a Test series was in September 2014 against Bangladesh, when the Asian team toured them. Bangladesh didn’t have a side good enough to compete with the hosts in the longer format in Caribbean conditions. Their last win against a major side came against New Zealand at home in 2012.
In the recent times their fortunes in Test seems to be on a change. In the recently ended Wisden Trophy Test series against England, West Indies silenced many critics after they managed to square the three match Test series. After the first Test was drawn they failed to put up a fight in the second Test as a result of which they succumbed to a massive defeat. But they bounced back well and won the third Test to level the series. To bring one’s attention, West Indies were termed as underdogs before the Test series but against all odds they downed the strong English side who were expected to lift the trophy.
In the ongoing Frank Worrell Trophy, West Indies slumped to a humiliating defeat against a strong Australian side in the first Test of the two match Test series, where they lost the game within three days. West Indies did have moments of upper-hand but they failed to capitalise on them. Australia, the no.2 ranked Test side in the world are expected to lift the trophy but the unpredictable West Indian side in every possibility are capable of pulling off an upset. They have to replicate the performance they displayed at Bridgetown against England.
They have the kind of players, who on a given day can turn the game on its head single-handedly. Australia, although have all their bases covered and look a well polished side but at the end of the day it’s the performance on the field that makes the difference.
They do have a quality spinner in Devendra Bishoo and his role will be of utmost importance. The West Indian bowlers have done a decent job in the recent past and they will expect the experienced likes of Darren Bravo, Marlon Samuels and Denesh Ramdin to step up with the bat. Can West Indies pull off an upset for the Australians prior to the Ashes? The answer depends on how much they would want to. The odds are stacked heavily against the West Indians but if they are stirred up enough they can get the better off the best.
(Suraj Choudhari, an avid cricket follower who plays the sport at club level, is a staffer with Criclife)
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