Australia’s tour of the West Indies – An Overview
Going into their tour of the Caribbean high off their Commonwealth Bank series win against India and http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Sri-Lanka-c758 on home ground, the Australian team were the clear favourites, with the West Indies posing a minimal threat to their visitors.
However, the Aussies appeared to have gotten more than they bargained for when the Windies, long considered a struggling side hampered by poor form and cricket board politics, put up an unexpected fight.
Michael Clarke’s side, at the top of the http://www.senore.com/Cricket/ICC-World-Cup-2011-c100625’s ODI rankings, was unable to attain the satisfaction of a series win in the shorter format of the game. The 5-match ODI series kicked off on a positive note for the tourists, with a 64-run win in the first game,
but the hosts came back fighting in the second encounter, securing a 5-wicket win. After a tie in the third match, the fourth clash saw Darren Sammy’s men emerge triumphant yet again, courtesy a spectacular century by youngster http://www.senore.com/Cricket/KA-Pollard-c1754 which enabled
them to clinch a 42-run win.
The host team found themselves at a 2-1 advantage prior to the series decider, but despite the heroics of skipper Sammy (who scored a valiant 84 off 50), their opponents managed to bounce back in time to salvage their pride with a 30-run victory, and ended
the series on a 2-2 draw.
The Aussies were denied yet again during the T20 series – an 8-wicket victory in the first game, owing to a match-winning partnership between http://www.senore.com/Cricket/MEK-Hussey-c1942 (59), was answered by the Windies’ 14-run equalizing win in the next game.
The series draws suggested that far from being the underdogs, the host team were capable of matching the Aussies in terms of performance – a promising sign for a side which had failed to win a series against their visitors from Down Under since 17 years.
The finale of the tour was the all-important 3-match Test series – while the Aussies had their eyes on improving their ICC Test team rankings, the http://www.senore.com/Cricket/West-Indies-c760 were looking to prove themselves in the longer format of the game.
The first match saw yet another impressive fight-back by Sammy’s side, as they maintained a dominant position on the first three days of play. A solid start by the top 5 – http://www.senore.com/Cricket/DM-Bravo-c1386 (51),
and http://www.senore.com/Cricket/S-Chanderpaul-c2390 (who scored an unbeaten 103) – enabled the home team to post a formidable total of 449.
However, lack of consistency was a flaw which plagued the West Indies throughout the series – while they managed to get impressive starts, they were unable to follow through to the end. The Aussies managed to turn the first game around in their favour on
the fourth day of play, and it was a pattern which would recur throughout the remainder of the series, which eventually ended with the Aussies victorious – 2-0.
In addition, the host team’s openers, after a remarkable start to the first match of the series, delivered erratically during the remaining Tests – the performances of youngsters such as Barath, Brathwaite, Bravo, and Powell fluctuated, and Sammy later admitted
that the lack of runs from the top six had a part to play in the team’s failures.
The only consistent scorer was veteran Chanderpaul, who went on to registers scores such as 103, 94, 68, and 69, which won him the Player of the Series award and enabled him to cross the 10,000 Test runs mark.
23-year-old Bravo’s comments on how the less experienced players in the squad need to learn from the elder batsman point at an effective solution for the young, developing side. Their recent displays against the formidable Aussies have proven that they have
the necessary fighting spirit – all that is required is practice, and the chance to learn and grow as a side. Australian captain http://www.senore.com/Cricket/England-c56013
will prove to be instructive, and a valuable learning experience.
As far as they tourists are concerned, the victory spells the end of a successful year, and a conclusion to Clarke’s first season as captain, during which the team has remained undefeated. After having attained a rise in their Test ranking (which saw them
overtaking http://www.senore.com/Cricket/India-c750 and moving up to the 3rd spot), the Aussies have a six month break from Test cricket, after which they will be facing the Proteas for a series which may enable them to climb further on the rankings.
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