Australia responded from their World Test Championship final defeat with a 133-run victory within the second Test of their West Indies tour to take an unassailable 2-0 lead within the Frank Worrell Trophy ahead of the day-night series finale at Sabina Park on Saturday.
It was their first pink ball contest overseas and final Test outing before the highly-anticipated Ashes series gets underway in November.
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Fragile top order a priority
Just as the controversy rumbles on around England’s top three, Australia find themselves in a really similar predicament as they appear to lock down their top order.
19-year-old Sam Konstas was recalled to the side after his breakthrough series against India over the winter but he was dismissed for 3 single-figure scores across 4 innings.
Meanwhile, long-standing opener Usman Khawaja only managed 80 runs over the 2 Tests, having also been removed early in each innings of the WTC final at Lord’s.
Cameron Green has been elevated to number three as a specialist batter on his return from injury to side after form with Gloucestershire within the County Championship.
An inclination to snick off saw the 26-year-old only register a top rating of 15 over the WTC final and first West Indies Test, though under immense pressure there have been more promising signs in probably the most recent outing with 26 and a vital 52 within the second innings but needs to seek out consistency to validate his position because the long-term No. 3 and win over the sceptics.
Former world number one-ranked Test batter Marnus Labuschagne was entrusted to open within the WTC final against South Africa but has currently been an unused member of the squad out within the Caribbean.
Middle order to the rescue
The Aussies have commonly found themselves two or three wickets down inside the first 15 overs of their innings on inconsistent surfaces which offered loads of assistance to the seam bowlers.
As such, there was a reliance on their middle order to battle their approach to competitive totals.
Steve Smith returned for the second Test after missing the opener in Barbados attributable to the finger injury sustained within the WTC final, looking in sublime touch for a trendy 71 and unfazed against a barrage of bumpers to check his vulnerable finger.
Widely considered one of the best all-format batter on this planet, Travis Head contributed back-to-back fifties in the primary Test, whilst Beau Webster is cementing his place within the all-rounder role with a fourth half-century in nine Tests and in addition chipping in with the ball.
Meanwhile, Alex Carey has established himself as a worthwhile member of the side and arguably the leading wicketkeeper in international cricket.
An ever-present since making his debut within the 2021-22 Ashes series, Carey has averaged 43.25 in Test cricket for the reason that start of last 12 months and added a second decisive half-century of the series during his player-of-the-match effort within the second Test.
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World class bowling quartet the difference
The enduring pace trio of Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood and Mitchell Starc, alongside spinner Nathan Lyon have once more been at their relentless best to blow away the West Indies batting lineup and remain the important thing to Australia retaining the Urn later within the 12 months.
In bowling-friendly conditions, the West Indies quicks have served up a powerful display themselves, led by Jayden Seales and Shamar Joseph, to maintain the Aussies in check but have only managed to pass 200 with the bat themselves on one occasion.
Nonetheless, in each Test matches, a balanced contest has resulted in moderately abrupt fashion with the margin of the 2 victories not a real representation of the even nature of the preceding days.
Mitchell Starc is ready to play his a centesimal Test in Jamaica, just the second Australian pace bowler to achieve that milestone after Glenn McGrath and now only five dismissals away from becoming the fourth Aussie bowler to take 400 Test wickets.
In a milestone-loaded series, after claiming six scalps through the second Test victory, Nathan Lyon needs just two more to leapfrog McGrath on 563 as Australia’s second highest wicket-taker in Test history, whilst Josh Hazlewood’s prolific return of 11 wickets within the series thus far means he’s eight in need of becoming the most recent member of the 300 club after captain Pat Cummins.
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