Mark Waugh and Michael Clarke have both questioned West Indies’ tactical decision-making in the second Test against Australia, with the former describing the quality of bowling in the last session as “not even club cricket”.
Run machine Marnus Labuschagne belted a third successive Test century and Travis Head also made a ton on Thursday as Australia seized control on day one of the pink-ball second Test against the West Indies.
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Every boundary from Labuschagne 100 | 02:23
Consistent number three Labuschagne smacked 204 then 104 not out at the first Test in Perth to overtake England’s Joe Root this week as the world’s top-ranked Test batsman.
And he carried that form to Adelaide with a patient unbeaten 120 to again torment the injury-hit Caribbean team, as the hosts amassed 330-3 by stumps.
Head was not out 114, relieved at converting to three figures after he was out for 99 in the first Test.
While the West Indies did well to keep Australia to 3-131 at one point, both Waugh and Clarke criticised the decision to heavily use spinners Kraigg Brathwaite and Roston Chase before tea.
Labuschagne and Head punished the visitors for that call and with Omar Phillips rushed on a flight to join the squad on late notice, it was clear West Indies was up against it from the start.
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“Tactically, I couldn’t understand bringing a part-time spinner on in the first hour of the Test match,” Waugh said on RSN Breakfast Club.
“They hung in there pretty well halfway through the day when they had Australia 3-131 but after that Marnus and Travis Head just took the game away from them. The last session, that was club cricket, not even club cricket, I’m being a bit disrespectful to club players.
“The bowling was very, very ordinary, they had hands in pockets and long-sleeve jumpers on, it just didn’t look like they wanted to be there.”
Clarke agreed, declaring West Indies is in “deep trouble” ahead of the second day.
“Take nothing away from those two batsmen but clubbies at best, the West Indies,” Clarke said on Sky Sports’ ‘The Big Sports Breakfast’.
“Their bowlers, again they brought a debutant out from West Indies who landed a handful of days ago, always going to be a risk and it’s such a long way to travel.
“They bowled two part-time spinners in the first session of a Test match. It’s an average attack. Their tactics were just horrible. They are in deep trouble.”
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Australian XI
David Warner, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Steve Smith (c), Travis Head, Cameron Green, Alex Carey (wk), Michael Neser, Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon, Scott Boland
West Indies squad XI
Kraigg Brathwaite (c), Tagenarine Chanderpaul, Shamarh Brooks, Jermaine Blackwood, Devon Thomas, Jason Holder, Joshua Da Silva (wk), Roston Chase, Alzarri Joseph, Anderson Phillip, Marquino Mindley
Recent form (most recent first)
Australia WLWWD
West Indies LWWWD
