West Indies tour of Australia 2022: SWOT analysis of the Windies Test squad

Test cricket in Australia for the summer of 2022 commences on 30th November 2022. The hosts will take on the West Indies in a two-match Test series. The first of the two Tests will be played at the Perth Stadium in Perth and the second Test will be a day-night affair at the Adelaide Oval, starting on 8th December 2022.

West Indies have had a dismal record down under in Test cricket for more than two decades now. Their last Test win on Aussie soil was in 1997, interestingly in the same city - Perth.

Since then, the men from the Caribbean have played the Aussies on 14 occasions in Test cricket in Australia and have ended up on the losing side 12 times. The remaining two Tests ended in draws. A Test win on Aussie soil has eluded the West Indies team for more than 25 years.

Kraigg Brathwaite will lead West Indies in the two-match Test series. The Windies squad for the series is as under:

🚨 West Indies name Test squad for tour of Australia

☑️ Tagenarine Chanderpaul earns first call-up

☑️ Recalls for Brooks and Chase

windiescricket.com/news/west-indi… https://t.co/eCU6rt1bqV

Kraigg Brathwaite (Captain), Jermaine Blackwood (Vice Captain), Nkrumah Bonner, Shamarh Brooks, Tagenarine Chanderpaul, Roston Chase, Joshua Da Silva, Jason Holder, Alzarri Joseph, Kyle Mayers, Anderson Phillip, Raymon Reifer, Kemar Roach, Jayden Seales, and Devon Thomas

Here is an in-depth SWOT analysis of the West Indies squad for the two-match Test series:

#Strength - Variety in fast bowling attack

Kemar Roach has 252 Test wickets to his name

Kemar Roach is the most experienced pacer in the Windies bowling line-up. The pacer has 252 Test wickets and will spearhead the Windies bowling attack. He has experience of playing six Tests in Australia.

Jason Holder has played 56 Tests and has 142 Test wickets to his name. He has played three Tests in Australia.The duo of Roach and Holder will look to make the most of their experience and trouble the Aussie batsmen.

Apart from the bowlers mentioned above, the likes of Alzarri Joseph and Jayden Seales provide depth to the bowling attack. Both Joseph and Seales have had impressive starts to their Test careers and will look to make an impression on their maiden Test tour down under.

Kyle Mayers has proven to be a very useful medium pacer and provides all-round depth to the squad.

Anderson Philip is another young exciting prospect and a good back-up in case any of the front-line seamers is unavailable.

West Indies will look to attack the Aussie batsmen with pace and their bowlers will look to exploit the conditions to their advantage.

#Weakness - Lack of a specialist spinner and inexperience of players about Test cricket in Australia

Roston Chase is the only spinner in the 15-member squad for West Indies

The Windies have not named a specialist spinner in their 15-member squad. Roston Chase is the only spin option for the Windies. Chase is a part-time off-spinner and does not have impressive numbers as a Test spinner.

In 48 Test matches, Chase has picked up 79 wickets at an average of 42.75 and a strike rate of 74.44. It will be difficult for Chase to match up with his counterpart Nathan Lyon, who is a crafty bowler, especially on Aussie pitches.

The Windies could have missed a trick by leaving out Rahkeem Cornwall, who had an impressive domestic season and could have been a handy option on Aussie pitches.

Out of the 15-member squad, Brathwaite, Jason Holder, Kemar Roach, and Jermaine Blackwood are the only four cricketers with experience of playing Test cricket on Australian soil. While Roach has played six Tests in Australia, the remaining players have played three each.

The rest of the team lacks experience playing Test cricket in Australia, which could be a key factor in the Test series.

#Opportunities - Young West Indies players to make a mark

Chanderpaul scored a century against the Prime Minister's X1

It's been six years since West Indies last played Test cricket on Aussie soil. Most of the players who represented the West Indies six years ago are not a part of the Test team this time around.

A few young players will look to create their mark in Test cricket. Tagenarine Chanderpaul, for instance, will look to make the most of his opportunity of playing Test cricket for West Indies.

Chanderpaul has played 51 First Class matches and averages 36.55, including six centuries. He put up an impressive show in the recent warm-up game against the Prime Minister's XI and scored a brilliant century. In all likelihood, he will open the batting with skipper Brathwaite in the two-match Test series.

Tagenarine Chanderpaul having scored a century in the first innings, is 53 not out in the 2nd inning vs PM’s XI. We’ve known it for many years, but it is still remarkable how much his animations and batting style mimics’ his dads.

Alzarri Joseph is an exciting cricketer who has played 22 Tests and has had an impressive start to his Test career. He has picked up 62 wickets at an average of around 35 and will look to consolidate his place in the Test team with a few impressive bowling performances.

Jayden Seales is another exciting young fast bowler who will look to replicate his impressive performances in Test cricket in Australia. In nine Tests, he has picked up 36 Test wickets at an impressive average of 21.78.

He will look to unsettle the Aussie batsmen with his pace and make a permanent place for himself in the Windies Test XI.

#Threat - A strong Aussie Test team

Aussies are yet to lose a day-night Test at the Adelaide Oval, having won all six encounters

The Windies will be up against a strong Australian Test outfit. The Aussie pace trio comprising Pat Cummins, Mitchell Strac, and Josh Hazlewood could make life difficult for the inexperienced West Indies batting line.

The likes of Nkrumah Bonner, Shamarh Brooks, Tagenarine Chanderpaul, and Roston Chase, who will, in all probability, play both the Tests, have no experience of playing Test cricket in Australia.

The Aussie batting line-up comprising David Warner, Usman Khawaja, Steve Smith, Marnus Labuschagne, and Travis Head is a daunting one. It has a good track record at home.

The second Test of the series will be a day-night one at the Adelaide Oval and the Aussies are yet to lose a day-night Test at home. They have won all eight of the said Tests with six victories at the Adelaide Oval.

Overall, the Aussies are the firm favorites going into the two-match Test series and are expected to win the series by a margin of 2-0. The Windies will need their experienced players to step up if they have to challenge the Aussies and win their first Test on Aussie soil in 25 years.