The West Indies are scheduled to tour Australia for the first time since the summers of 2015 and 2016. In a three-match Test series, the Australians defeated the Windies 2-0, with Adam Voges serving as the hosts’ primary player.
In the five-day format, West Indies have experienced a significant decline since then. On the other hand, with the exception of the two series against India (2018-19 and 2020-21), Australia has consistently performed well at home.
The Australians, who hope to advance to the World Test Championship (WTC) final, will rely heavily on this series. They hold the lead in the points table with 70% of the points, while West Indies are practically out of the race with 50% of the points and a lot of tough games still to play.
In the Australia-West Indies Test rubber, we examine three potential player battles that will be exciting to watch.
#1 David Warner vs. Kemar Roach
In the most recent ODI series against England, Australian opener David Warner finally ended his international century drought. Kemar Roach is still one of the West Indies pace battery’s most important bowlers.
In seven Test matches against Roach, Warner has scored 121 runs and been run out three times. The Windies will need to rely on their star pacer to dismiss the flamboyant southpaw early in the innings if they want to win.
Warner was still making progress in Test cricket when two of the three dismissals occurred in 2012. We could be in for some exciting contests if Roach can add some spice.
#2 Usman Khawaja Vs Jason Holder
Usman Khawaja’s rebound in Test cricket has been truly outstanding lately for Australian cricket. The left-hander has made a real comeback as an opener since getting the chance. In 13 innings, he has scored 888 runs, four centuries, and three half-centuries, at an average of 99.
Jason Holder stays the lynchpin of the West Indian Test group. He has consistently made contributions with both the bat and the ball, bringing some stability to a team that otherwise struggles. In the ICC Men’s Test player rankings for all-rounders, he is ranked fifth.
Khawaja was run out once and scored 22 runs against Holder. The conflict occurred during the tour in 2015. Holder won the game when Khawaja scored a boundary off the Australian batsman, who took him on for a couple of boundaries.
#3 Kraigg Brathwaite Vs Josh Hazlewood
In this format, Kraigg Brathwaite is unquestionably the most important West Indies batsman. Additionally, he is the Windies’ longest-running leader. He has frequently taken the lead for his team in challenging situations. He has run 1166 times over the past two seasons, averaging 43 runs per game. This is quite impressive for an opener to do while batting on difficult surfaces.
In contrast, Josh Hazlewood has established himself as one of the best pacers in the Test game in recent years. He is so difficult to face due to his consistent line and length. He has taken 53 wickets at an average of 23 and a strike rate of 54 over the past three years.
Additionally, his economic rate of 2.56 is very impressive.
In five Tests, Brathwaite has been run out three times and has scored 57 runs against the Australian speedster in 137 deliveries. However, the West Indies opener faced Hazlewood in the final Test of the previous tour.
He did not get run out for his 28 runs. In the end, Braithwaite scored 85 runs in the inning. If West Indies is to reach a level playing field, he will have to replace Hazlewood.