Tony Becca, Contributing Editor
West Indies captain Shivnarine Chanderpaul in action during the first Test in Brisbane against Australia earlier this month. The skipper will have to lead from the front if the Windies are to have any chance, when the second Test starts at Bellerive Oval, Tasmania tonight (Caribbean time). - DIGICEL PHOTO
THE SECOND Test between the West Indies and Australia opens at the Bellerive Oval in Hobart tonight (local time) with the odds on victory heavily stacked in the home team's favour.
After winning the first Test, Australia boast a 1-0 lead in the three-match contest, another victory will hand them a winning 2-0 lead, and everything points to victory for Australia.
Going into the first Test, there were a few, mostly West Indians, who were bold enough to give the West Indies a chance of drawing the match, probably, with a little luck, of even winning it.
After falling for 210 and 129 and losing by 379 runs, however, after their poor performance with the bat, with the ball and in the field against Victoria, there is hardly a man, including the most ardent West Indian supporter, who is willing to bet a cent on the West Indies to draw this match much more to win it.
THERE IS HOPE
While there is life, however, there is hope, and despite the odds against it, the hope is that the West Indies batsmen, as they did in Antigua in 2003 when, batting last, they scored a world record 418 for seven to defeat Australia in the fourth and final match of the series, will come good this time around, score some runs, and leave the West Indies with a chance of drawing the match.
To many, based on the recent performances of the batsmen and on their ability to slit their own throats, that may be wishful thinking.
A batting line-up of Chris Gayle, Devon Smith, Ramnaresh Sarwan, Brian Lara, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Marlon Samuels, possibly Dwayne Bravo, and wicketkeeper Denesh Ramdin is, however, more than capable of scoring runs, and if they click, it could be interesting.
For them to click, however, they will have to be at their best - for the simple reason that in Glenn McGrath, Brett Lee and Nathan Bracken, they will be up against three class bowlers one of whom is numbered among the best of all time, one of whom is fast, really fast, and one of whom swings the ball appreciably.
And that is not all. The pitch at Bellerive promises to assist spin bowlers, in Shane Warne and Stuart MacGill, there are two legspinners in Australia's squad of 12, one is numbered among the best spin bowlers of all time, the other is good, and if the selectors decide to play both of them, it could be hell for the West Indies batsmen going into day four and day five.
Fortunately for the West Indies, Lara is in their line-up, and although he may no longer be as good, as brilliant as he was, even though he may be on the other side of the hill, the great left-hander still has it in him to play a great innings regardless of the pitch and who are bowling to him.
Unfortunately for the West Indies, while there is hope that the batsmen will produce, there is hardly any hope that the bowlers will - even against a team whose batting, with Michael Hussey at number two, Michael Clarke at number four and Brad Hodge at number five, is not as awesome as it was up to a few months ago when Justin Langer and Damien Martyn were in the line-up.
DANGEROUS CONTENDERS
Matthew Hayden, Ricky Ponting and wicketkeeper Adam Gilchrist are dangerous contenders, however, and on a slow pitch of average bounce, they, once again, may be good enough, along with their lower order of Warne, Lee and Bracken, for the West Indies bowlers who, but for Corey Collymore, bowl too short, too wide and are generally too wayward.
Bravo, however, is expected to replace Jermaine Lawson, he generally bowls a tidy line and length, he generally gets the ball to move off the seam, and if he bowls well, if Collymore is as good as he was in the first Test, the West Indies attack should be better than it was in Brisbane and particularly so after the first day.
Better bowling may still not be good enough against Australia's batsmen - and definitely not on the Bellerive pitch.
Although the pitch appears tailor-made for Australia's bowling, although it appears nothing but wishful thinking, the West Indies only hope of coming away with a draw, of keeping alive the interest in the series, rests with their batsmen - with Lara, Chanderpaul and company.
