The Test summer is so close, we can taste it. And there are two juicy Australia v West Indies Tests to kick it all off – here’s your Major Guide.
It’s been nearly seven years since Australia and the West Indies last played a Test match, and both sides will look vastly different to the last time the teams clashed.
For a quick trip down memory lane, Australia recorded a dominant 2-0 series victory across the three matches, with the series opener in Hobart seeing Adam Voges and Shaun Marsh share a record 449-run partnership, with Voges scoring an incredible 269*, and Marsh 182.
The second match of the series, a Boxing Day Test, saw a record four individual centuries in Australia’s first innings – the equal-most in a Test in Australia – while the third Test ended in a washout after David Warner had smacked an 82-ball ton.
Both sides will look substantially different this time around, but there’s plenty to be excited about.
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When are the Australia v West Indies Tests?
The first Test begins on Wednesday, November 30 in Perth at 1:20pm AEDT, while the second, a day-night match in Adelaide, will begin on Thursday, December 8 at 3pm AEDT.
Who is in Australia’s and the West Indies’ squads?
Australia:
Pat Cummins (c), Scott Boland, Alex Carey, Cameron Green, Marcus Harris, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, David Warner
No notable inclusions or omissions from Australia’s squad, but last summer’s hero Scott Boland is on standby as the fourth quick, while Marcus Harris will be on call as the reserve opening batter.
West Indies
Kraigg Brathwaite (c), Jermaine Blackwood, Nkrumah Bonner, Shamarh Brooks, Tagenarine Chanderpaul, Roston Chase, Joshua Da Silva, Jason Holder, Alzarri Joseph, Kyle Mayers, Anderson Phillip, Raymon Reifer, Kemar Roach, Jayden Seales, Devon Thomas
Perhaps the most notable inclusion in this West Indies squad is Tagenarine Chanderpaul, son of 164-test legend Shivnarine. He’s been included in the squad after a strong run of form in 2022.
The Windies will be led by opener Kraigg Brathwaite, while former skipper Jason Holder and veteran Kemar Roach headline the tourists’ bowling lineup.
Who are the Aussies to watch?
Cameron Green
We’re all familiar with Cameron Green, but this time, it’s his turn to play on a familiar ground, when he lines up for the Aussies in the first test in Perth.
Green hasn’t played a test match in his home state to date, so it will be a welcome relief for the all-rounder to finally play a game on his home turf.
That’s not all that Green has to look forward to either – the 23-year-old has enjoyed a productive start to the 2022-23 season in the white-ball formats, and he’ll be looking forward to translating that to the test cricket arena as the summer’s red-ball action begins.
Green has starred with both bat and ball so far this summer, and there’s no better chance to continue that form than in a test match on home soil.
Steve Smith
It’s the headline that we see at the beginning of every summer, but Steve Smith certainly seems to have ‘found his hands’ after Australia’s ODI series against England, with match-winning hands of 80* and 94 in the first two games of the series.
Having also been starved of opportunity during the T20 World Cup, Smith surely won’t mind as the Aussies kick off their home test summer against an opponent he loves.
Smith averages a remarkable 165.66 from his five tests against the Windies, having scored a mammoth 199 and 54* in Kingston, in just his second test against them.
Smith also recorded two unbeaten innings in Australia’s 2015 Boxing Day test victory, hitting 134* and 70* – there’s no doubt that Smith loves a match-up against the West Indies.
Mitchell Starc
Australia’s pace spearhead will certainly have been eyeing off this test series for a long time, with match-ups in Perth and a pink-ball test in Adelaide a fast bowler’s dream.
We need not be reminded of Starc’s damaging capabilities – the left-armer averages 18.41 and has 56 wickets with the pink ball in hand.
Despite a small sample size, Starc’s record at Optus Stadium in Perth also serves as a good sign of his impending impact on the series, with 14 wickets at 15.86 in just two tests at the venue.
An unfamiliar opponent in conditions he’s comfortable with is the perfect recipe for Starc to impose himself on the series and begin Australia’s test summer with a bang.
Who are the West Indians to watch?
Alzarri Joseph
Joseph burst onto the scene just after the Windies last toured Australia, making his test debut in August 2016.
He’s since established a reputation as a staple of the Windies’ test bowling lineup, known for his rapid pace.
It will be no different in his first test series against Australia, with the fast pitch in Perth and swinging pink ball in Adelaide set to make him a handful for the Aussie batters.
Kyle Mayers
Mayers is relatively new to the test circuit, but he’s had no shortage of an impact in his 13 matches.
The left-hander burst onto the scene with a match-winning hand of 210* on debut against Bangladesh, propelling the West Indies to a near-impossible chase.
He’s since starred against Bangladesh again, hitting 146* in a player-of-the-match effort earlier this year.
Mayers also provides a threat with the ball, claiming a maiden test five-wicket haul against England at the beginning of 2022, bowling some crafty medium-pace, which could play in his favour this test series.
Jayden Seales
Another young, spritely member of the West Indies’ pace attack, Seales could leave as big an impact Against Australia as he has in his test career to date.
In just nine matches, Seales has made a huge impact already, with 36 wickets to his name, at an average of just 21.77.
He debuted at just 19, and uniquely, had played just one first-class match prior to his test debut, but clearly was able to have a big impact.
As a lesser-known member of the Windies’ squad, he could prove a handful for the Aussie batting lineup.
