Australia and West Indies will face off in a two-match test series beginning on November 30. The first Test against the West Indies will take place at Optus Stadium in Perth on Wednesday.
The Windies last played Test cricket against Australia back in 2015-16, where they faced off in five Tests in the Caribbean and Down Under.
The Baggy Greens were clearly the better team winning both the away matches and then sealing the home series 2-0.
Nathan Lyon and Josh Hazlewood terrorized the Windies by claiming a combined total of 41 wickets from nine innings while Adam Voges and Steve Smith batted them out of the game.
Back then, West Indies Test captaincy was went from Denesh Ramdin to Jason Holder between June and December when two series were played.
Currently, there is a sense of stability within the red-ball set up all thanks to current captain Kraigg Brathwaite, who has exemplified patience with his batting exploits.
Under Brathwaite, the Windies selectors have also formed a core group for red-ball cricket.
With the debut of young Jayden Seales last year, the Windies have overcome the reliance on injury-prone Shannon Gabriel while Kemar Roach’s longevity has helped them guide the likes of Alzarri Joseph and Seales.
The rise of Tagenarine Chanderpaul also opens up a new possibility for the second opener spot which has been a musical chair for a while.
The 26-year-old southpaw’s scores of 119 and 56 against Prime Minister’s XI had crafty drives and stout defence which is a good indicator.
Therefore, In the pre-match presentation ahead of 1st Test, Brathwaite confirmed that Chanderpaul would make his debut.
Brathwaite also confirmed that Raymon Reifer was ruled out through injury.
Beyond that, West Indies will name their side tomorrow. But the good news was that Blackwood and Jayden Seales were fine after brief scares during training on Monday. The likelihood is four quicks supported by Roston Chase’s offspin.
West Indies (possible Playing XI): 1 Kraigg Brathwaite (capt), 2 Tagnarine Chanderpaul, 3 Nkrumah Bonner, 4 Kyle Mayers, 5 Jermaine Blackwood, 6 Roston Chase, 7 Jason Holder, 8 Joshua Da Silva (wk), 9 Alzarri Joseph, 10 Kemar Roach, 11 Jayden Seales