Analysis: Australia’s cold act puts series win over West Indies in sad perspective

If you needed proof of how much the achievement of beating the West Indies in a Test series — away no less — had diminished, it came in the moments after Australia wrapped up victory.

Barely seconds had ticked by after Nathan Lyon took the final catch off his own bowling to end the West Indies’ second innings in just 34.3 overs, stand-in Australian bowling coach Adam Griffith walked onto the National Cricket Stadium ready for his next mission.

A free afternoon had opened up for Cameron Green to work on his bowling in the middle, and there was no time like the present.

Handshakes completed, Green was straight into it as he continues to build his bowling loads ahead of the Ashes.

There was no offence intended, and seemingly none taken. Logistically it made perfect sense.

But if you needed proof of how much the achievement of beating the Windies in a Test series — away no less — had become diminished, it was the sight of Australia’s first drop in a warm-up kit bowling in the middle of the ground just minutes after victory had been secured.

Australia made light work of wrapping up the second Test and securing the Frank Worrell Trophy. Picture: Ricardo Mazalan

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It is hard to imagine such a scene had the Aussies defeated India or England. But beating the Windies is no longer much of an achievement in the grand scheme, and as much as Shamar Joseph’s feats in Brisbane had stirred the emotions, it looks like a freak result that has not shifted a decades-long trend.

Thirty years on from winning in Jamaica to secure a hard-fought 2-1 series win and end 15 years of Test cricket dominance from the West Indies, retaining the Frank Worrell Trophy did not even warrant a mention at Pat Cummins’ post-match press conference.

Instead it was a box ticked on the road back to what Australia hopes will be a third straight World Test Championship final in mid-2027.

Getting Green back up and bowling is part of that grand plan, so why not take the chance to keep plugging away?

Not that Australia needed Green’s work with the Dukes across the seven days it took to secure an unassailable series lead.

Retaining the Frank Worrell Trophy did not even warrant a mention at Pat Cummins’ post-match press conference. Picture: AFP

The enduring big four, combined with a dash of Beau Webster and pinch of Travis Head was more than enough.

In retrospect, Joseph’s seven-wicket second innings haul was not the most amazing part of the West Indies’ win at the Gabba last year.

It was that their batting lineup had somehow mustered enough runs to set Australia a fourth innings target of 216.

Forget longing for the glory days of a Garfield Sobers, Viv Richards or Brian Lara. The Windies would be happy enough with a Gus Logie, Keith Arthurton or Sherwin Campbell.

Australia has not had a player make more than 71 across four completed innings, and has major headaches with its openers heading towards the Ashes.

And yet the tourists have still won both Tests by triple-digit run margins to retain the trophy with a match to play in Kingston.

It is a colossal indictment on the West Indian batting, or lack thereof, as a collective.

Beau Webster celebrates taking the wicket of West Indies' Kraigg Brathwaite. Picture: AP

Consider that since the start of 2020, only one West Indies player has averaged more than 33 with the bat in Test cricket. That is Nkrumah Bonner, who hasn’t played since being subbed out of a Test in Perth two-and-a-half years ago after being struck on the helmet by a Green bouncer.

They keep turning over batters, from Tagenarine Chanderpaul, Kyle Mayers, Kavem Hodge and Alick Athanaze. This time around they looked at white-ball specialists Shai Hope and Brandon King, the latter of whom is the only player on his side to have reached 50 this series.

Several have shown glimpses, but pretty much none have lasted. About the only one who has is Kraigg Brathwaite, who has fallen over the line to reach 100 Tests but whose position in the side is in jeopardy given an average of just 20 over the last two years, and a grand total of 15 runs across four innings this series.

Windies coach Daren Sammy said after the match that difficult first-class batting conditions conspired against the development of Test-quality batters in the Caribbean.

And yet he also noted that despite all that, his side was well in the contest after two days of both Tests.

But if and when they will next have a chance to regain the trophy remains unclear. It had been 10 years since West Indies Test tours for Australia, and with promotion and relegation being seriously discussed, the next chance for the Windies could be eons away.

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Originally published as Analysis: Australia’s cold act puts series win over West Indies in sad perspective