Why Roach challenges left-handers
Plenty resting on Windies veteran Kemar Roach, who is back in Perth more than a decade after first catching the eye as he had Ricky Ponting jumping around all over the place. Here’s Travis Head’s assessment of the Caribbean spearhead – via Malcolm Conn – as he warms into his task with five slips, a short leg and a backward point for Marnus Labuschagne, then draws an edge from Usman Khawaja in his third over before four byes slip away down the leg side.
“Roach has done it for a long period of time,” Head said.
“I have obviously seen a fair bit of Roach in County cricket and the skillset he has. He challenges left-handers from around the wicket and swings it away.
“We have seen that be challenging for a lot of teams who have come here or the UK. They have a high-quality pace attack, no doubt about that.“
Australia: 1/17 Khawaja 8*, Labuschagne 0*
Kemar Roach – the West Indies most consistent quick for the past decade.Credit:Getty
WICKET: Warner chops on
David Warner hits his first boundary, and then plays on the very next ball from young Jayden Seales.
A very ambitious flay at a wide half-volley, tailed in just slightly and Warner inside edges onto his stumps. Great moment for the 21-year-old Seales, loose stuff from Warner, who is out for five.
Australia: 1/9 Khawaja 4*, Labuschagne 0*, Seales 1/5
Khawaja struck by young Windies speedster
Jayden Seales takes the ball from the other end and gets his very first delivery to spit at Usman Khawaja and bites him on the glove. The next ball Khawaja is onto the back foot and pulling down to long leg to get off the mark. Otherwise a bit of movement both ways for 21-year-old Seales as Warner and Khawaja get their eye in.
Australia: 0/1 Warner 0* Khawaja 1*
And we’re under way
David Warner taking strike and staring down West Indies veteran Kemar Roach with the rock for the first Test of the summer.
All players take a knee in solidarity before Roach sends the first ball down with four slips and a gully in waiting. A bit of shape away and Warner no chance of playing at it, Roach starting around the wicket to the left-hander.
Australia: 0/0
2022 – the year of Uzzie
And further to Dan’s point, Usman Khawaja has been in rare touch all year, scoring roughly a quarter of Australia’s Test runs through seven Tests. Some return to the Test line-up after those unforgettable scenes at the SCG. At a lazy average of 98.66 (you can see each players’ stats by hovering over their name in the graphic below), if you don’t mind!
Why the Aussies have opted to bat first
Langer joins Aussie team before play starts
“Perception and reality,” Justin Langer says from the Channel 7 comm box after the controversy from his “cowards” podcast comments last week, the former captain has been clarifying and re-clarifying that interview ever since.
“Perception often sells newspapers. The reality, these are like my little brothers. I love Australian cricket and I love being back and seeing the boys, I haven’t seen them for nine months.”
Australia win the toss in Perth
Pat Cummins has won the toss and opted to bat first on a rather green Perth wicket. No changes from the team confirmed by the Aussies, local boy Cameron Green playing just his second ever first-class match on home turf. Windies confirm Tagenarine Chanderpaul to debut at the top of the order.
Australia: David Warner, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Steve Smith, Travis Head, Cameron Green, Alex Carey (wk), Pat Cummins (c), Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon, Josh Hazlewood
West Indies: Kraigg Brathwaite (c), Tagenarine Chanderpaul, Nikrumah Bonner, Jermaine Blackwood, Kyle Mayers, Jason Holder, Joshua Da Silva, Roston Chase, Alzarri Joseph, Kemar Roach, Jayden Seales.
Australia and the West Indies participate in a pre-game Barefoot Circle ceremony.Credit:Getty
WA cricketing icons remembered in Perth
From Daniel Brettig in Perth: Two departed legends of Australian cricket will be given tributes before play in Perth. Former wicketkeeper, selection chair and WA captain Rod Marsh, and hugely influential Australian selection chair and Australian Cricket Board director Laurie Sawle will be remembered with a moment’s contemplation when the teams gather for the anthems.
Sawle is immortalised by the presentation of the Laurie Sawle Medal for the best male player in WA cricket each year, while Marsh is soon to be subject of a new memorial at Adelaide Oval. The Marsh and Sawle families are guests at the game today.
Welcome to the summer of Test cricket
Afternoon one, afternoon all, welcome to our coverage of the first Test between Australia and the West Indies out of Perth – the western capital hosting its first Test since the summer of 2019-20.
All sorts of angles to this one – not least the rolling year-long back-and-forth between the home side and former captain and WA legend Justin Langer, who jumps into the Channel 7 commentary box for the first time.
We’ve got chief cricket writers Malcolm Conn and Daniel Brettig on the ground, myself Dan Walsh manning the keys from the Sydney bureau and that old familiar feeling almost here – first ball is due at 1.20pm AEDT with the toss on its way.
