Australia responded from their World Test Championship final defeat with a 133-run victory in the second Test of their West Indies tour to take an unassailable 2-0 lead in the Frank Worrell Trophy ahead of the day-night series finale at Sabina Park on Saturday.
It was their first pink ball contest overseas and final Test outing before the highly-anticipated Ashes series gets underway in November.
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Fragile top order a concern
Just as the debate rumbles on around England’s top three, Australia find themselves in a very similar predicament as they look to lock down their top order.
19-year-old Sam Konstas was recalled to the side after his breakthrough series against India over the winter but he was dismissed for three single-figure scores across four innings.
Meanwhile, long-standing opener Usman Khawaja only managed 80 runs over the two Tests, having also been removed early in both innings of the WTC final at Lord’s.
Cameron Green has been elevated to number three as a specialist batter on his return from injury to side after form with Gloucestershire in the County Championship.
A tendency to snick off saw the 26-year-old only register a top score of 15 over the WTC final and first West Indies Test, though under immense pressure there were more promising signs in the most recent outing with 26 and a crucial 52 in the second innings but needs to find consistency to validate his position as the long-term No. 3 and win over the sceptics.
Former world number one-ranked Test batter Marnus Labuschagne was entrusted to open in the WTC final against South Africa but has currently been an unused member of the squad out in the Caribbean.
Middle order to the rescue
The Aussies have regularly found themselves two or three wickets down within the first 15 overs of their innings on inconsistent surfaces which offered plenty of assistance to the seam bowlers.
As such, there has been a reliance on their middle order to battle their way to competitive totals.
Steve Smith returned for the second Test after missing the opener in Barbados due to the finger injury sustained in the WTC final, looking in sublime touch for a stylish 71 and unfazed against a barrage of bumpers to test his vulnerable finger.
Widely considered the best all-format batter in the world, Travis Head contributed back-to-back fifties in the first Test, whilst Beau Webster is cementing his place in the all-rounder role with a fourth half-century in nine Tests and also chipping in with the ball.
Meanwhile, Alex Carey has established himself as a valuable member of the side and arguably the leading wicketkeeper in international cricket.
An ever-present since making his debut in the 2021-22 Ashes series, Carey has averaged 43.25 in Test cricket since the start of last year and added a second decisive half-century of the series during his player-of-the-match effort in the second Test.
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World class bowling quartet the difference
The iconic pace trio of Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood and Mitchell Starc, alongside spinner Nathan Lyon have once again been at their relentless best to blow away the West Indies batting lineup and remain the key to Australia retaining the Urn later in the year.
In bowling-friendly conditions, the West Indies quicks have served up an impressive display themselves, led by Jayden Seales and Shamar Joseph, to keep the Aussies in check but have only managed to pass 200 with the bat themselves on one occasion.
However, in both Test matches, a balanced contest has ended in rather abrupt fashion with the margin of the two victories not a true representation of the even nature of the preceding days.
Mitchell Starc is set to play his 100th Test in Jamaica, just the second Australian pace bowler to reach that milestone after Glenn McGrath and now only five dismissals away from becoming the fourth Aussie bowler to take 400 Test wickets.
In a milestone-loaded series, after claiming six scalps during the second Test victory, Nathan Lyon needs just two more to leapfrog McGrath on 563 as Australia’s second highest wicket-taker in Test history, whilst Josh Hazlewood’s prolific return of 11 wickets in the series so far means he is eight short of becoming the latest member of the 300 club after captain Pat Cummins.
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