Australia will try to continue their dominance of West Indies in the second and final Test match at Sabina Park which starts on Thursday June 11th. The World Champions are already one up in the series after a win inside three days in the first Test and will be gunning for a clean sweep.
Retaining the Frank Worrell trophy was never in doubt when the series started, but the visitors would love to extend their complete domination. The margin of nine wickets may indicate an easy victory, however there were various times in the first Test where West Indies were competitive.
The Calypso collapse on the first day set the tone for the match and Australia were always ahead, but it needed a dominant last wicket partnership in the first innings. Debutant Adam Voges and Josh Hazlewood brought Australia back on track with a damaging partnership and the Aussies then followed with a dominant bowling performance in the second innings. Voges gained his spot after the withdrawal of regular opener Chris Rogers due to concussion. Rogers was hit in the helmet during a net session, and is still feeling the effects of that blow so he'll miss once again with Shaun Marsh retaining his place at the top of the order.
West Indies are in a state of transition with coach Phil Simmons trying to instill a winning attitude. The removal of Shivnarine Chanderpaul from the squad gave chance for youngsters. Shane Dowrich grabbed the opportunity with both hands but the team needs more output from seniors Darren Bravo and Marlon Samuels. Denesh Ramdin is another of the senior players who needs to take more responsibility with the bat.
Devendra Bishoo put Australia on the mat with his six wickets in the first innings, and if it wasn’t for the last wicket partnership, the West Indies may have given the Aussies a run for their money. However, the Windies capitulated under pressure as Australia showed their class.
It is very difficult to see beyond an Australian win in this match. The early odds of $1.36 were snapped up and they have shortened to $1.28 at CrownBet. It looks like a safe bet but there isn’t a lot of value there.
If you’re looking for a better price you may like to look at the “Test Match End” markets over at Sportsbet to pick when the match will end. If you think that it will end inside three days again then you’ll get a price of $5.50. Other results range from $5.00 to $8.00 depending on which session you choose, but the morning of Day 4 at $8.00 at Sportsbet looks like a good value option.
The West Indies will have to stay committed and avoid another batting collapse to have a chance of going the distance.
Compared to his usual lofty standards of the last year, Steve Smith had a quiet game in the first Test and will be looking to make up for that in this match. Odds of $4.50 at CrownBet for top Australian run scorer looks a nice bet.
