Australia are preparing to embrace the unknown on their first Test tour of the Caribbean in a decade as they seek to kick off the new World Test Championship cycle with an away series win.
After going down to South Africa in the 2023-25 WTC final on Saturday, Pat Cummins’ side head to the West Indies on Wednesday where just four players remain from their last Test visit in 2015 – Nathan Lyon, Josh Hazlewood, Mitchell Starc and Steve Smith.
While Australia has toured for white-ball series since, almost half of the 16-man Test squad – Sam Konstas, Marnus Labuschagne, Cameron Green, Beau Webster, Matthew Kuhnemann and Sean Abbott – have never played in the Caribbean before, while Josh Inglis has only featured in warm-up matches prior to last year’s T20 World Cup.
Smith will travel with the squad to Barbados where the first Test begins on June 25 despite dislocating his right little finger in the WTC final, which will require him to wear a splint for up to eight weeks.
The wound from the compound dislocation should heal in two weeks, and he could play sooner than initially thought if he can tolerate wearing a splint while batting.
Dukes balls – albeit slightly different and harder ones than those used in England – will be used in the Caribbean Tests with spin expected to play a part on typically dry pitches that has seen both the Windies and touring sides regularly pick two spinners in Test matches across the past two years.
That introduces the prospect of left-armer Kuhnemann returning to the side after helping Lyon spin Australia to their first Test series win in Sri Lanka in 14 years last February.
Lyon will also be eager to bounce back from the Aussies’ WTC final defeat where he went wicketless in a Test where he has bowled more than one over for the first time since Australia also lost to the Proteas on a greentop in Hobart in 2016.
“The surfaces can be flat and then they can dry out a bit,” coach Andrew McDonald told cricket.com.au of the Caribbean conditions ahead of the WTC decider.
“There may be an opportunity there for two spinners and hence why we’ve gone down that path – Matt’s (Kuhnemann) done a fantastic job as the second spinner in the squad, and in Sri Lanka that combination of him and Nathan Lyon was excellent.
“We feel as though that can be a partnership – right-arm off-spin with left-arm orthodox – and can be something in the future that gives us an opportunity on those spinning type surfaces.”
McDonald added after the loss to South Africa at Lord’s that he believes Australia have picked a squad that can cover all bases, including within their batting line-up, similar to Sri Lanka where Travis Head opened the batting and Inglis made his Test debut.
“We haven’t been there since 2015 so there’s a little bit of the unknown,” McDonald said.
“Will we get spinning conditions? We’ve got two spinners in the squad so do we shift into our spin line-up in terms of the way that we play, and that goes for the batting order as well.
“We’re being flexible around our options in the batting order. We’ve got a group that understands when we’re home, it looks a certain way and when we’re away, it can potentially shift.”
Pitches could also offer something for the quicks, especially with the Dukes ball being used, as it was for the 2015 tour where the top three wicket takers from Australia’s 2-0 series sweep were all fast bowlers – Hazlewood (12), Starc (10) and fellow left-armer Mitchell Johnson (8).
In West Indies six home Tests in the recently completed WTC cycle, pace (25.49) and spin (26.81) bowlers averaged roughly the same, with quicks (49.0) striking on average once every 10 balls fewer than spinners (59.2).
“What’s unique is the fact that they use a Dukes ball as well but it’s a different Dukes to what we will play with this week in England,” Starc told cricket.com.au ahead of the WTC final.
“It’s probably a little harder and a different lacquer to be able to withstand the conditions and the abrasiveness of the wickets.
“So it’s always a challenge for bowlers and batters to adapt to that and the different wicket conditions that we might face.
“There could be a few tired wicket blocks or it could be wickets of the old where it’s fast and bouncy.
“I definitely think that the Dukes ball certainly keeps the fast bowlers in the game for a lot longer … the new Dukes ball definitely moved a fair bit (in 2015).
“The wickets weren’t hugely bouncy, but you had that assistance in the air and a little bit off the wicket with the dry seam and then you throw in the spinners with Nathan (Lyon).”
Lyon added that it “has and it hasn’t been” spin friendly during his two Test tours of the West Indies in 2012 and 2015.
“Barbados wasn’t the most spin friendly wicket we played on,” he said.
“I haven’t played in Grenada and Jamaica spun a little bit. So I’m expecting there to be spinning conditions and I’ve had that conversation with Matty Kuhneman and we’re both looking forward to heading over there for sure.
“It can be decent wickets over there – the old traditional wickets where you bat long periods of time and have to work hard to get the results and earn the win.
“So it’s going to be one of those tough tours.”
Qantas Tour of the West Indies
First Test: June 25-29, Bridgetown, Barbados (midnight AEST)
Second Test: July 3-7, St George’s, Grenada (midnight AEST)
Third Test: July 12-16, Kingston, Jamaica (1am AEST)
Australia Test squad: Pat Cummins (c), Sean Abbott, Scott Boland, Alex Carey, Cameron Green, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Usman Khawaja, Sam Konstas, Matt Kuhnemann, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Beau Webster
West Indies Test squad: Roston Chase (c), Jomel Warrican (vc), Kevlon Anderson, Kraigg Brathwaite, John Campbell, Keacy Carty, Justin Greaves, Shai Hope, Tevin Imlach, Alzarri Joseph, Shamar Joseph, Brandon King, Johann Layne, Mikyle Louis, Anderson Phillip, Jayden Seales
First T20I: July 20, Kingston, Jamaica (Jul 21, 9am AEST)
Second T20I: July 22, Kingston, Jamaica (Jul 23, 9am AEST)
Third T20I: July 25, Basseterre, St Kitts (Jul 26, 8am AEST)
Fourth T20I: July 26, Basseterre, St Kitts (Jul 27, 8am AEST)
Fifth T20I: July 28, Basseterre, St Kitts (Jul 29, 8am AEST)
West Indies T20 squad: TBC
Australia’s T20 squad: Mitchell Marsh (c), Sean Abbott, Cooper Connolly, Tim David, Ben Dwarshius, Nathan Ellis, Cameron Green, Aaron Hardie, Josh Hazlewood, Josh Inglis, Spencer Johnson, Matt Kuhnemann, Glenn Maxwell, Mitch Owen, Matthew Short, Adam Zampa
