What can we reasonably expect from the First Test?

by Chris Riordan

What are reasonable expectations for this cricket test?
If Australia make 500 it is due to the visitors’ popgun attack.
Windies get 300, we lack penetration.
Tourists always struggle here anyway, which is why Sth Africa was such a jolt recently, as was Australia’s retaliation on their soil.
Aussie supporters, despite noble claims otherwise, are generally pretty happy to watch “our boys” whip the enemy.
The problem at the moment is that this Aussie team doesn’t seem universally loved ( losing The Ashes will do that!) and we don’t really know the enemy…in fact, we are being subjected to a barrage of sentimental crap deifying the arrogant tourists of yore who would  bowl about 10 overs each hour, none driveable! How that was good cricket still befuddles me. Gomes and Richards to speed up the over-rate. Petulance when dismissed.
Anyway, what is the right expectation for each of these two sides this week?

Comments

  1. I reckon much depends on the track & conditions Crio.

    The Windies attack is thin, but we don’t have much form when the ball is doing something (see last Ashes series). It’s not that long ago we struggled against a very ordinary Kiwi team on a seaming Gabba pitch- only a patient Katich ton finally put the game away.

    As for our bowling, they’re willing, but I’m not always sure their brains are engaged. And the team leadership can’t always be relied upon to help matters.

    The Windies batting is thin. If Gayle doesn’t come off, then too much will depend on Chanderpaul.

    If the pitch is flat, we’ll do poorly not to dominate.

  2. I wish I was like the West Indies bowling – thin, that is.

    It’s probably worth noting that Australia now placed 4th in the ICC test rankings. Yes, they’re only numbers but it is an indication of a team in decline. (Remember they had a mortgage on 1st until a year or two ago.)

    That said, the Windies are ranked 8th, and are coming off another player dispute, a problem that has dogged this union, albeit intermittently, for years.

    But it was only this year that the West Indies defeated England 1-0 in their Test series in the Caribbean. And of course we know what England did a mere several months later in the Ashes series.

    The possible loss of Sarwan to injury would be a huge blow for the West Indies. He scored a massive 291 in his second last test.

    On paper, there might not be as much as we think between these two teams.

    But it’s hard to escape the feeling that this will be a comfortably easy task for the Aussies.

    I hope I’m wrong. Test cricket needs several years of a small gap between the top six teams.

  3. Crio

    A lot of beer will be consumed at the Gabba, followed by a few at a local watering hole, and then mayb off to the Brekky creek for a steak – although it is now so huge and croded there are better options.

    JTH

  4. With the benefit of hindsight, I now realise I should have said “we can reasonably expect Shane Watson to fail with the bat”…

  5. For all of us stuck at work, streaming audio coverage can be found at http://www.abc.net.au/sport/ the way things are going here we should be aiming to bat for 2 full days.

  6. Peter Flynn says

    I can expect Watson to miss a straight one and be rolled lbw for a blob.

    Get a proper opener for goodness sakes!

  7. As I type this Australia are 8/469, with Katich the top scorer (92). This innings reminds me very much of England’s first innings in that the Aussies have posted a formidable total without anyone getting a ton. In England’s case, they made 435, with Pietersen top scoring with 69.

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