TOPIC:

I watched a little bit of the PM XIs game just concluded and it has given the West Indies an opportunity to acclimatise themselves to Aussie conditions with a good hit out with both bat and ball.

My initial impressions are that they have the ability to give Australia a bit of cheek in the upcoming series. Their bowling attack with Roach, Joseph, Seales and Holder could give the Aussie batsmen a bit of a hard time, particularly in Perth. Their weakness is their batting which could be ruthlessly exposed by Starc, Hazlewood and Cummins. In the PM's game, only Chanderpaul and Brathwaite showed any inclination to hang around for long and the team will be relying heavily on them to blunt the new ball and protect the middle order. They really need to put 300 on the board in their first innings to pressure Australia. Cant see that happening really given the quality of the Australian attack.

The negative for Australia of course is the  publicity involving Langer. I am perplexed as to why he is still banging on about his dismissal in the media and the timing of his latest outburst.. Yes it was an abysmal piece of management by CA and he was shafted but people have to move on eventually and it appears JL hasn't. 
 

I guess your last sentence or 2 mikeh, sums up why the players wanted JL moved on for McDonald....no different to Taylor et al wanting Simpson out for Swampy Marsh....younger and more relatable  to the players.....pretty sure Simpson moved on with the minimum of fuss.

The WI will compete for periods, but lack the quality and discipline to defeat Australia....complacency and arrogance will be Aust biggest enemy.....both with bat n ball......hopefully the Perth fans come to watch, if they stick their heels in over the JL saga, then more fool them, as it will only mean future tests at Optus might be few and far between and only for the likes of WI, Bangladesh, SL etc......
 

He has done nowt wrong.  There are a long list of sagas which could prompt me to avoid Australia-- treatment of Bromley, brayshaw, Invers, garth, geoff marsh, kim hughes, keith slater, Simpson coming and going, people have long memories--.

This Gabba pitch should be challenging first up you would think?
Oh wait its being played in Perth???
I thought Cricket Australia used the excuse over the last few covid infected years of not starting the summer with the 1st Test in Perth was because we apparemtly always start in Brisbane???
Lol surely not just more bullshit rhetoric coming out of that insipid organisation! 

well spotted, BH, regarding the co-vid saga: as you know mate, the ACB refussed to play in Perth, where, the disease was less prevelant.

Think the organisers where terrified the Windies would bat first.And it would be a 3 day test.
That's nothing like the deck's we had in the T20 WC..Looked like the McG day 1.Hope  the sun bake quickens the wicket up.
Fans where not happy with the Woke start to the test.Players on the left knee with right fist in the air..Was booed by all there.

it is a strange world, gtr

Only 11,000 there Ark.
Last year when Cummins broke CA's COVID-19 protocols.And missed the Adelaide test.He chartered a 16'seat aeroplane as the only passenger.And flew back to Sydney.Hes a Woke when it's suits him to be so.

Nice to see the WI showing some backbone with the bat. If we get them out the captain should consider enforcing the follow-on, otherwise making becomes a wee bit pointless.

AR guys from our vintage will always compare the WI to that all conquering juggernaut of the late 70s, 80s & early 90s WI sides who would quite often have 10 or 11 absolute greats of the game take the field each Test- Greenidge, Haynes, Richards, Richardson, Lloyd, Gomes, Dujon, Marshall, Roberts, Holding, Garner, Croft etc and later Lara, Walsh, Ambrose, Bishop etc.
This current side has absolutely nowhere near that quality of stock but they are young and having a crack and thats all you can ask from them.