Australia will take on West Indies in the second and final Test of the ongoing bilateral series in the Gabba starting on Thursday.
This is going to be a day-night Pink Ball Test match. Australia are leading the series with 1-0 and will be eyeing for a clean sweep in the Gabba.
Covid-19 had hit the Australian camp a few days before the start of the second Test. Destructive batter Travis Head has cleared the Test and is included in the final playing XI announced on Wednesday. Cameron Green and coach Andrew McDonald were also positive for Covid-19 on the eve of the match. But, Green has also been included in the playing XI. He will play under Covid protocols if he continues to test positive.
The pink ball will assist the pacers at the Gabba pitch which looks greener than usual. Both teams have announced their final playing XI and Usman Khawaja finds his pace in the last XI after suffering a blow on the chin by debutant Shamar Joseph. He passed concussion tests and was declared fit to appear in the Day-Night Test. Matthew Renshaw is the only reserve batter in the squad but he won’t join the team until Thursday as he will be playing for Brisbane Heat in BBL on Wednesday night.
Apart from West Indies captain Kraigg Brathwaite, no other batter has a considerable amount of experience in Test cricket. Australia have not lost any Pink Ball Test match. They have 11 wins out of 11 matches. On the other hand, West Indies have played four Pink ball Tests and have won just one.
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Head has tested negative for Covid-19 so is clear to play without restrictions, but Cameron Green may be under protocols having returned a positive test on Wednesday. If he remains positive he will use a separate changing room. Head coach Andrew McDonald also tested positive. If needed, he will sit away from the rest of the squad on game day.
Australia 1 Usman Khawaja, 2 Steven Smith, 3 Marnus Labuschagne, 4 Cameron Green, 5 Travis Head, 6 Mitchell Marsh, 7 Alex Carey (wk), 8 Mitchell Starc, 9 Pat Cummins (capt), 10 Nathan Lyon, 11 Josh Hazlewood
West Indies will bring in offspinning allrounder Kevin Sinclair for a Test debut in place of Gudakesh Motie.
West Indies (possible) 1 Kraigg Brathwaite (capt), 2 Tagenarine Chanderpaul, 3 Kirk McKenzie, 4 Alick Athanaze, 5 Kavem Hodge, 6 Justin Greaves, 7 Joshua Da Silva (wk), 8 Kevin Sinclair, 9 Alzarri Joseph, 10 Kemar Roach, 11 Shamar Joseph
Pitch and conditions
The pitch retained a green tinge the day before the game, but certainly not as much as last season’s two-day contest against South Africa. The forecast for the opening day is good, but the threat of rain increases after that and could be significant over the weekend. The day-night element adds intrigue, with Steven Smith referencing the Pakistan Test in 2016-17 when the visitors nearly chased 490.