The Australian test match summer will kick off on Wednesday with the West Indies jetting down under for two red ball encounters.
Australia will enter this series as heavy favourites, but fans of the long-form game will be hoping that the visitors can channel the West Indies of old to put up a fight.
Josh Nevett takes a close look at the contest with his free preview and cricket betting tips below.
Australia vs West Indies 1st Test Preview & Betting Tips
Perth Stadium, Perth, Wednesday November 30th, 1:20pm (AEDT)
Squads
Australia: Pat Cummins ( c ), Scott Boland, Alex Carey, Cameron Green, Marcus Harris, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, David Warner
West Indies: Kraigg Brathwaite ( c ), Jermaine Blackwood, Nkrumah Bonner, Shamarh Brooks, Tagenarine Chanderpaul, Roston Chase, Joshua Da Silva, Jason Holder, Alzarri Joseph, Kyle Mayers, Anderson Phillip, Raymon Reifer, Kemar Roach, Jayden Seales, Devon Thomass
Match Preview
The crazy cricket calendar has seen Australia shift from T20 to ODI and now test cricket in the space of a few weeks, with the West Indies touching down for a two-match red ball showdown.
Although down on star power, the visitors will be buoyed by their strong test results in 2022. They claimed a 1-0 home series win over England back in March and followed that with a 2-0 sweep of Bangladesh in June.
Captain Kraigg Brathwaite has been a huge part of the strong form shown by the West Indies, tallying 491 runs at an average of 70, while Alzarri Joseph has been the chief destroyer with the ball (22 wickets at 25.81).
Joseph has been capably supported by Kemar Roach and Jayden Seales, who have taken 21 and 20 wickets, respectively. So, the West Indies clearly have the pace bowling weapons to challenge Australia’s sometimes fragile batting line-up.
However, playing Australia on their turf is always an intimidating task.
The Aussies will take on this series with a settled squad of experienced stars, who will be keen to set the wheels of a dominant summer in motion.
Cummins, Starc, Lyon and Hazlewood will again be trusted to make light work of the West Indies batters, while openers Warner and Khawaja will endeavour to protect an exciting middle order boasting the in-form Travis Head and Cameron Green.
Scott Boland and Marcus Harris have been brought into the squad as cover.
Such is the strength of Australian red ball cricket that they sit top of the World Test Championship, after a comprehensive Ashes campaign last summer.
The West Indies, on the other hand, sit sixth.
Therefore, it’s hard to bet against Australia in this first test. The markets reflect this, so there is little value in the head-to-heads.
Match Result: Australia to win
$1.13
Prop Bets
As previously mentioned, Joseph is the top wicket taker for the West Indies in test matches this year with 22. He has developed into a consistent spearhead in all formats, and will enjoy playing on a pitch in Perth which is likely to provide ample pace and bounce. Expect Joseph to bowl plenty of overs, as the touring team will rely on him to break partnerships and clean up the tail.
West Indies Top First Innings Wicket Taker – Alzarri Joseph $4.00 (Ladbrokes)
After a lean patch, Smith has roared back into form. With a revised technique, he plundered England for scores of 80, 94 and 21 in the recent ODI series, giving him a platform to launch into the test matches. Smith averages nearly 63 and a whopping 165 against the West Indies, so expect him to make it past 40 in the first innings.
Steve Smith Over 39.5 1st Innings Runs – $1.83 (Ladbrokes)
