Australia’s Test match summer hasn’t finished despite a really competitive three match series against New Zealand last month. As is traditional in that part of the world they have another series about to begin which incorporates the Christmas and New Year Tests. This series is against the West Indies.
If New Zealand provided stiff, spirited opposition, albeit in comfortable defeat, the West Indies aren’t expected to offer anything like as tough a test and indeed Australia’s biggest opponent in this series could be themselves and any potential complacency.
West Indies have been a bit of a shambles for a while in this format of the game and an inexperienced batting line up coupled with off field problems, and plenty of them, means this is likely to be a long month for the men from the Caribbean.
The three matches in this series take in Hobart before the usual Boxing Day Test at Melbourne and the New Year one in Sydney so a couple of iconic grounds will be used for a series which historically is a good one.
Australia’s 2-0 win over New Zealand put their Ashes debacle to bed and they will draw confidence from a comfortable 2-0 win in the Caribbean earlier in the year too but this is a much changed side in a bit of transition since then and if anything can give the West Indies comfort it is that.
Since losing to Australia earlier in the year the West Indies have been to Sri Lanka and been well beaten and while they will enjoy conditions here more this is still looking a pretty daunting test for a side who have won just one of their last 10 matches in this format of the game.
Unless inclement weather comes into play I don’t see anything but a 3-0 Australia success in this series but at 4/9 that is priced accordingly and there isn’t enough value in any of the other scores to tempt me into taking that 3-0 on. I don’t even see rain helping the West Indies should it arrive because I doubt any of these matches will go five days without dodgy weather.
In that series in the Caribbean it was the now Windies captain Jason Holder who top scored for his side and he looks decent value to do the same in this series. There might not be a Mitchell Starc or a Mitchell Johnson for Australia anymore but the likes of Josh Hazlewood, Peter Siddle and James Pattinson are all decent bowlers who can trouble the West Indies’ top order.
Holder showed in the World Cup that he can handle the pace and bounce in these pitches not that it was ever going to be a problem for someone so tall but since then he has gone from strength to strength with the bat. He made 26 and 65 in the warm up match so he’s in good nick and should give us a run for our money at 16/1.
Another bet I like is for Nathan Lyon to be the Top Australia Series Bowler at 7/2. Cameron Boyce took five wickets in the warm up match against the West Indies which is a sign that they are indifferent against spin but we didn’t really need any more evidence of that than we’ve had already in 2015.
The fact the Windies struggle against spin isn’t the only reason I like Lyon here though. I would imagine Australia will rest and rotate their seamers as this series goes along especially for the final match in Sydney if the series is already won but Lyon is likely to be a constant in the side and that guaranteed appearance could be the difference.
Back J.Holder Top West Indies Series Batsman for a 1/10 stake at 17.00 with Bet365
Back N.Lyon Top Australia Series Bowler for a 2/10 stake at 4.50 with Stan James
