West Indies vs Australia, 2nd Test: Decoding key player battles
What's the story
The second Test match of the ongoing series between West Indies and Australia will be played at the National Cricket Stadium in St. George's, Grenada. The match is scheduled to start on July 3 at 7:30pm IST. Australia won the first Test by 159 runs and now lead the three-match series 1-0. Here we look at the key player battles that can headline the second Test.
#1
Kraigg Brathwaite vs Mitchell Starc
Veteran West Indies open Kraigg Brathwaite fell twice to Mitchell Starc in the opening Test, and the latter would be raring to make the new ball talk once again. As per ESPNcricinfo, Starc has overall trapped Brathwaite four times across 14 Test innings at an average of 20.25. Meanwhile, the WI star has an average of 34.33 against left-arm pacers since the start of 2023 (Tests).
#2
Usman Khawaja vs Shamar Joseph
Though WI lost the opening Test, Shamar Joseph made headlines by grabbing nine wickets in the game. Usman Khawaja was one of his dismissals in Australia's first innings. The veteran opener's battle with Joseph would be enticing in the second Test as well as the pacer has not trapped Khawaja in their other four Test meetings. Joseph's Test average against southpaws reads 23.76.
#3
Travis Head vs Jayden Seales
Travis Head scored twin fifties in the low-scoring opening game and hence received the Player-of-the-Match award. Jayden Seales, who claimed a first-innings fifer in the opener, will have the onus to keep Head quiet. Notably, Seales boasts an impressive average of 25 against left-handed batters in Tests. However, Head has smashed him for 33 runs off 36 balls in the format without being dismissed.