West Indies vs Australia, second Test: Aussie soak up island life in Grenada

Australia’s cricketers are soaking up the relaxed Caribbean lifestyle as they prepare for the second Test. Dan Cherny takes you inside their preparations in the picturesque Grenada.

Marnus Labuschagne wasn’t about to miss this opportunity. Beau Webster had stepped onto the balcony outside the Australian dressing room at the National Cricket Stadium to take a panoramic shot of the stunning undulating hills surrounding this venue, which no member of the Australian side had visited until Tuesday.

From the turf below, a jovial Labuschagne made a quip that this wasn’t time for TikTok, alluding to Webster that such social media influencing was more the domain of teen Sam Konstas than the late-blooming 31-year-old Tasmanian.

Locals play play a game of beach cricket on the Caribbean island of Grenada.

But Webster should be excused for wanting to take some snaps from his phone camera, because Australia can hardly have played in a more picturesque venue across more than 148 years of Test cricket.

Though the stadium itself — renovated ahead of the 2007 World Cup — is relatively cookie cutter, the backdrop is glorious, with colourful bungalows seeping out from between trees on multiple sides of the ground.

A market stall in Grenada. Picture: Adam White

A man paddles on a boat. Picture: Adam White

A vendor shows off his wares. Picture: Adam White

A bakery in Grenada. Picture: Adam White

Next door is the Kirani James Athletics Stadium — named after the local sprinter who won his nation’s first ever Olympic medal by claiming gold at the 400m sprint in London 13 years ago.

Grenada's Kirani James.

Australia training in Grenada during the 2007 World Cup.

A street vendor in Grenada. Pictures: Adam White

Australian training in Grenada. Pictures: Adam White

Only a few hundred metres from the centre wicket is the beach.

This tiny nation — whose population is less than the crowd at the 1970 VFL grand final between Carlton and Collingwood — has already endeared itself to the Aussie touring party after they arrived in the early hours of Tuesday morning (AEST) from Barbados, where players settled their tabs at the iconic Cuz’s fish stand, where many in the team had been regular diners.

Matthew Hayden poses with a 300 pound marlin he caught in Grenada during the World Cup.

“I had a bit of a snorkel last night out in front of the hotel,” said wicketkeeper Alex Carey.

“I think guys are pretty relaxed. Think you have to be relaxed in the West Indies, it’s the way to do it. But no nothing, nothing too exciting, no boat trips or anything like that.”

Though a peacfeul setting these days, it has not always been the case in this neck of the woods.

Some 42 years ago, Grenada became an unlikely Cold War battleground when the US invaded in a bid to topple the Leninist-Marxist government of Prime Minister Maurice Bishop, who was ultimately executed following Operation Urgent Fury.

This will be just the fifth Test played at this venue over 23 years. The Windies have only won one of those Tests, the most recent, against pre-Bazball England in 2022.