West Indies v Australia, 3rd Test, Dominica

Frank Worrell Trophy
April 23-27, Windsor Park, Roseau
Start time: 1000 AST, 1500 GMT, 0000 EST

West Indies:
1 Adrian Barath, 2 Kraigg Brathwaite, 3 Kieran Powell, 4 Darren Bravo, 5 Shivnarine Chanderpaul, 6 Narsingh Deonarine,
7 Carlton Baugh†, 8 Darren Sammy*, 9 Shane Shillingford, 10 Kemar Roach, 11 Ravi Rampaul.

Australia:
1 Ed Cowan, 2 David Warner, 3 Shane Watson, 4 Ricky Ponting, 5 Michael Clarke*, 6 Michael Hussey,
7 Matthew Wade†, 8 Ryan Harris, 9 Mitchell Starc, 10 Ben Hilfenhaus, 11 Nathan Lyon.

I read somewhere over the weekend that the Ozzies are ready for this one, they aren't taking any prisoners.

Let's hope so... but I have a feeling it will be a close match. West Indies are on the up I believe.

Not many Aussies have played at Windsor Park before and we are really thin on replacements... should we get another injury.

Ed Cowan already gone. 1/1
Ravi Rampaul gets him plumb lbw. No review thank goodness.

Great story here on why Shane Shillingford could be fielding in front of his own stand soon
http://www.espncricinfo.com/west-indies-v-australia-2012/content/current/story/562134.html

Kiwireddevil wrote:Great story here on why Shane Shillingford could be fielding in front of his own stand soon
http://www.espncricinfo.com/west-indies-v-australia-2012/content/current/story/562134.html

Nice story Kiwi... best of luck to the local boy. It looks a nice ground in a beautiful setting.

An edge from Warner off Rampaul carried to the slips and dropped by Sammy.

dreadful miss by Sammy, looked like he didn't even get his hands to the ball, and in the end it hit him on the chest

I see the aussies struggled again yesterday and again it looks like the tail is going to wag.

Another failure for Punter

I went to bed just after the second wicket and was slightly disappointed to see the scoreboard in the morning.

Nice to see Shillingford doing well again though. Not long before he gets another 5fer today.

The end of a very handy knock from Starc...

Bizarre way to get out though - criminally careless running.

250 still possible - wonder how good a score that wil be on this ?

That has to be one of the laziest run outs I've seen for ages.

looks a lovely pitch for batting on today, ball doing nothing out there. Can WI knock over these last two wickets and cash in?

Wade closing in on a fifty...

Good timing seeing as Clarke has practically anointed Haddin for the home Tests next summer

...and he gets his 50 and brings up the 250 ...

And brings on the drinks. Good first hour for Australia despite the dopey runout.

Not sure West Indies have the batting strength to "cash in" , MFC , even if they can get these two out quickish now...reckon the only way they can win is if they can somehow knock Australia over very cheaply in the second innings , which is always possible given the current lineup...

So once again West Indies are unable to clean up the Australian tail ...

We will possibly look back and say that - consistent - failure has ended up costing them at least a drawn series ?

alfie wrote:Wade closing in on a fifty...

Good timing seeing as Clarke has practically anointed Haddin for the home Tests next summer

Yes, that was a poorly timed comment to make. I feel as though that would be a backward step to make.

And now it is a hundred for Wade

Quite an onslaught since drinks ... Red Bull ?

Well done Wade......................y.

Fine fine knock by Wade, but boy have WI seemed ordinary and devoid of ideas today. The only wicket they've got is through a flukey run out, and to allow a hundred partnership for the ninth wicket is poor.

good work by Bravo at deep mid-wicket to get rid of Wade. One of those "flick the ball back into play before you get carried beyond the boundary then run inside and catch it". Ends a very fine innings by Wade and also gives Shillingford his fifth wicket.

Ended at last by a very clever outfield catch from Bravo

Players seem to do that nifty step and toss up thing quite a lot now , when once it was unheard of... Mind you once a lot of grounds used fences not ropes

Great knock from Wade...and now the innings closes at 328 ...six for Shillingford

Flat pitch now but I reckon that will be a decent score ...

and that's that. A good old-fashioned slog from Hilfenhaus, misses completely, has his furniture re-arranged. Aus all out for 328 which is probably 100 more than they should have got. Still, it's not a huge total by any means on a pitch which looks to have flattened out a bit, will be interesting to see WI's response...

Geez from 167/7 to 328 is a damn good performance

It isn't huge , true , MFC

But can you see this West Indian batting outfit running up 450 now ? If they did it would take them two days and Chanderpaul would have to make 200 ...

Would like to see them bat well and make a really good contest but I have my doubts.

Might have some sleep now and try and catch some more tomorrow perhaps ...enjoy the game chaps.

115 - 6 Windies struggling badly. Chanderpaul will do well to get anywhere near 200!

128 - 8. Chanderpaul 20* off 85 balls. But no support at the other end....

Partnership of 45* shows a bit of fight from the Windies. But they will need a lot more than that tomorrow to get back into the game.

Corporalhumblebucket wrote:Partnership of 45* shows a bit of fight from the Windies. But they will need a lot more than that tomorrow to get back into the game.

They need to take note from the performances of the Australian tail. Rampaul and Roach can both bat, so a deficit of less than 100 is feasible. But it will be difficult.

The story of this series for WI has very much become two steps forward, one step back. Whilst they are hamstrung by the injury to Kirk Edwards, and unavailability of Marlon Samuels, the batting has reverted to previous form at critical moments, despite showing far greater potential than in recent years. The bowling has been a similar story - an inability to complete the job.

Australia eventually earn a lead of 110, after some good tail-wagging by the WI. Chanderpaul once again the sole resistance, though his innings was a bit one-paced for my liking (unlike Wade who really accelerated through his innings). Lovely delivery by Starc in the end to get rid of him (swung away and nipped back in).

This has really been too easy for Clarke and Ponting: both off-spinners are bowling too straight and too short, instead of trying to tempt the batsmen to drive through the off-side they've just been giving them tucks off their hips all day. Moreover the field is set too far back, there should at least be a backward square leg saving 1 if they're going to bowl this line.

Partnership of 30 in about 7 overs, without any risks.

Australia in a very dominant position. Ultimately WI's bowlers have for the most part done a pretty good job this series (except when they bowled at the tail on a couple of occasions, but Aus have never made piles of runs), it's their batsmen letting the team down. Bravo for all his promise looks to struggle to convert, Barath has the same problems he had last time I saw him (generally too loose), I'm not convinced Deonarine is a good enough batsman for this level either (or Baugh for that matter), and it usually all rests on Chanderpaul.

Neither side has made piles if runs this series, agreed Mad. Openers generally failing and so it's either up to Chanders v Aus lower order to put respectable scores on the the board. Apart from one or two exceptions the batting has been a bit below par for both teams.

In terms of bowling, well Oz have chipped away with depleted stocks, Lyon has made some contributions. For the Windies, it's been mainly Roach and Shillingford who've done the most of the damage with marginal support from the others.

I think Australia had to work hard in the 1st Test but still performed way below what we have been accustomed to in the past. In the 2nd Test which was a write off due to the weather; apart from Roach there was no stand out performance there.

I just don't have confidence with our current openers and Watto. Warner is getting out in a similar fashion each time, playing those fuller length deliveries to the slips... almost carbon copies? I hope it doesn't continue.

It's up to our tail again to put a minimum 350 run lead on the scoreboard... maybe closer to 400 if they're lucky and then get the key wicket of Shiv, who seems to be our only real threat with the bat so far this series.

Australia all out 259... so 59 runs added for the last 4 wickets.

The West Indies require 370 runs to win.

A very difficult run chase for WI, given the lack of experience in the top three. This type of score is chaseable if you cut the deficit by having a big partnership at the top, but much harder if you find yourself still needing 300 with a few wickets down.

Clarke's captaincy continues to bear its fruits, with a wicket in his first over, although a touch fortunate (it was just in line, and just clipping the top of the stumps, but originally given, I thought it was too high live). 32-2, Lyon looking dangerous also...

Seems this series has come down to the Windies not having any openers and letting the Aussie lower order get more runs than they should.
At least they have seemed competitive in all the matches, but it would be a first if they come back from here and save this test.

Havent seen the game, whats with Shillingford getting so many wickets? Is he secretly not useless?

Peter Seabiscuit Wheeler wrote:Seems this series has come down to the Windies not having any openers and letting the Aussie lower order get more runs than they should.
At least they have seemed competitive in all the matches, but it would be a first if they come back from here and save this test.

Havent seen the game, whats with Shillingford getting so many wickets? Is he secretly not useless?

He is a decent bowler - tall, gets bounce and has some good variation (though Tony Cozier's references to the 'doosra' might be overdoing it!). However, the pitch has certainly helped him too. He is probably slightly better than Lyon, but there isn't really much in it.

Just managed to stay awake until Shiv Chanderpaul's 10,000 Test run. He is the 10th player to reach this landmark.

What an achievement. He's been a plucky fighter for his team for the best part of two decades and he deserves full accolades in the Cricketing Hall of Fame along with the 9 other great batsmen.

The West Indies finished on 173/5 after Shiv made 69 runs in his usual style and Clarke returning 3/34. It turned out to be a good move by the captain to give himself the ball for a few overs and it produced the required results.

So the West Indies need 197 runs with 5 wickets in hand.

So the Aussies triumph by 75 runs and wrap up a 2-0 series win.

Not always easy to distinguish between green shoots of recovery and weeds of destruction but I think there were at least a few plus points for the Windies.

Australia never really in trouble once they took those two wickets last night, although the last pair slogged a few. The story from both sides was really a lot of starts and not many big scores. The two main differences were as PSW has pointed out the openers (although neither Cowan nor Warner made more than 50odd, they more often than not got a start, whereas apart from the first innings the West Indies were always 1 down for next to nothing, although the excellent Hilfenhaus deserves his fair share of credit also), and of course the tail-end runs the Aussies got.

A few encouraging signs from the West Indies, but the problems are at the top of the order: Brathwaite is out of his depth, Barath scores 4 or nothing too often. Edwards looks reasonable, Powell looks classy, but a la Khawaja gets out to nothing balls having made starts. Bravo is a fine player, prone to lapses of concentration, but essentially the middle-order did ok.

Bowling wise, Roach continues to impress, Sammy does his job very well, and either Rampaul or Edwards are ok, but they tend to run out of ideas collectively when a tail-end stand gets going (Sammy's captaincy doesn't strike me as the most creative). I think Narine and Bishoo are both better bowlers than Shillingford, but what do I know?

For Australia, their fighting spirit papered over some rather alarming cracks in the batting, where Cowan made a few starts but seems to struggle to kick on, and Warner has obvious technical issues (which isn't to say he won't make a stackful of runs, he may well do). Watson did ok without setting the world on fire. Ponting had a tough series, but looking at his dismissals, there were a few freakish/unlucky ones: he seemed to me to be playing far better than he was a year ago. Clarke had his first poor series as a batsman since being made captain, he seemed to go into his shell a bit too much for me. Hussey played some crucial knocks, and Wade looks the part to me, both as a batsman and as a keeper.

Bowling-wise, Lyon continues to do his bit, but fitness is surely now an issue. Hilfenhaus was great, and in fact all the seamers did pretty well on pitches which weren't suited to them at all.

Overall 2-0 somewhat flattered Aus, all 3 tests were very much battles, but Australia just did enough.

Mike Selig wrote:Australia never really in trouble once they took those two wickets last night, although the last pair slogged a few. The story from both sides was really a lot of starts and not many big scores. The two main differences were as PSW has pointed out the openers (although neither Cowan nor Warner made more than 50odd, they more often than not got a start, whereas apart from the first innings the West Indies were always 1 down for next to nothing, although the excellent Hilfenhaus deserves his fair share of credit also), and of course the tail-end runs the Aussies got.

A few encouraging signs from the West Indies, but the problems are at the top of the order: Brathwaite is out of his depth, Barath scores 4 or nothing too often. Edwards looks reasonable, Powell looks classy, but a la Khawaja gets out to nothing balls having made starts. Bravo is a fine player, prone to lapses of concentration, but essentially the middle-order did ok.

Bowling wise, Roach continues to impress, Sammy does his job very well, and either Rampaul or Edwards are ok, but they tend to run out of ideas collectively when a tail-end stand gets going (Sammy's captaincy doesn't strike me as the most creative). I think Narine and Bishoo are both better bowlers than Shillingford, but what do I know?

For Australia, their fighting spirit papered over some rather alarming cracks in the batting, where Cowan made a few starts but seems to struggle to kick on, and Warner has obvious technical issues (which isn't to say he won't make a stackful of runs, he may well do). Watson did ok without setting the world on fire. Ponting had a tough series, but looking at his dismissals, there were a few freakish/unlucky ones: he seemed to me to be playing far better than he was a year ago. Clarke had his first poor series as a batsman since being made captain, he seemed to go into his shell a bit too much for me. Hussey played some crucial knocks, and Wade looks the part to me, both as a batsman and as a keeper.

Bowling-wise, Lyon continues to do his bit, but fitness is surely now an issue. Hilfenhaus was great, and in fact all the seamers did pretty well on pitches which weren't suited to them at all.

Overall 2-0 somewhat flattered Aus, all 3 tests were very much battles, but Australia just did enough.

Brathwaite is only 18 and has shown good mental attributes so far, though I think they have been wrong to select him so early on the strength of his U19 form and with only 2 FC 100s at an average of 30 behind him. Powell is, to me, out of his depth at this stage, and like Brathwaite doesn't have the record to justify his continued inclusion for now. Barath is a big disappointment. Hopefully Gayle will be back soon, and I think they've missed a trick by omitting Sarwan for England. He was left out for sound reasons but, playing in England this season, and the absence of established top 3 players makes him a good selection for me. All things being equal Gayle, Sarwan, K. Edwards, Darren Bravo, Chanderpaul and Dwayne Bravo make a strong top six. Unfortunately all things are rarely equal for West Indies.

Australia will be disappointed with Cowan I think, and might well give Marsh another go come November when they take on South Africa. I had high hopes that he would do well, but whilst he is far more effective than Phil Hughes at seeing off the new ball, he often gets lost afterwards, either by getting out or bogged down. I wasn't really impressed by Wade at all in the West Indies (as a batsman) until the first innings in this Test - troubled against the spin, and often getting out after surviving the tougher periods, but that was a match-winning knock and earns him a good chance of displacing Haddin. The spin conundrum is still unsolved, though Lyon has probably earned himself another couple of Tests, after outbowling Beer in Trinidad. The seam group are all hard-workers and have been a very effective group in just about every series apart from the 2010/11 Ashes. Fitness is an issue, but they can cover it well with the likes of Cummins, McKay and Bollinger not even on this tour for various reasons.

I disagree with you on Brathwaite and Powell:

Brathwaite to me looks like Phil Hughes without the attacking flair: he fishes at everything outside off and has few attacking shots. He has guts, but you need some quality as well. Certainly nowhere near ready for test cricket yet. Powell on the other hand has all the technique, but at the moment not the temparament, so keeps getting out.

I wouldn't touch Gayle with a bargepole. He's had his chance, chosen to go elsewhere.

Lyon as a spin bowler stacks up well against most around at the moment (omitting Swann). I don't think there's much of a conundrum there anymore.

Thanks for all your comments everyone.

Australia are now officially No.3 ranked now nipping on the heals of SA and England... not that I pay much attention to the rankings anyway...

I'm looking forward to the big summer ahead in England. First the West Indies and then South Africa. Olympics too. Should be interesting. I wish the best of luck for both touring teams and the hosts, England and Wales. Bring it on I say!

Congrats on the series win LB, it all makes for an interesting season ahead with SA playing both england and Oz away.

Thanks BB. Best of luck for the series!

Well done to OZ in this series, however there is a few things that have cropped up which are intresting..

Cowan: Very underrated IMO, with Warner and Watson also in the top 3, Cowan is a very good foil for them two....He can play the anchor role, which then allows Warner and Watson to play their natural game, i think cowan should stay

Ponting: IMO Ponting wont be around when OZ play their next test seires and therefore i would think that Peter Forrest is surely next in line...he got off to a really good start in his ODI career, however his s/r would show that he is far better suited to test cricket...IMO a better prospect than Khawaja.

Wade: That ton in the final test has surely cemented his place for the next series, with haddin's international career over now IMO, although with what he is currently going through, cricket isnt the main focus in his life.

Not sure Peter Forrest is the solution and not so impressed with Cowan either.