Voges hits ton as West Indies squander advantage

The West Indies head into Thursday’s opening Test on the back of a 10-wicket loss to a rookie Cricket Australia XI at the weekend, raising doubts about their competitiveness for the three-Test series.

“Since I joined the team it took me a little while to get them to buy into my concept because they are accustomed to certain things and of course it would not change overnight”, said Ambrose, who took up his consultancy role in February 2014. That was no doubt influenced by the fact they were bowling for the majority of the period in which Australia raced to 0-70 from the opening 10 overs, the most scored in the first 10 overs of a test for at least the past 15 years.

“We’re really happy with this crowd…it has exceeded expectations, particularly as it was a Thursday”, a CA spokesman said. “I think we can give the Australians some trouble”.

“We are good mates and teammates so to be able to spend a lot of time together was fantastic”, Voges said after notching his third Test ton.

Adam Voges scored his first double century and Shaun Marsh added 182 runs to combine for a world-record fourth-wicket partnership as Australia reached a formidable 583-4 before declaring at lunch Friday on the second day.

“We have to come out and execute our skills as well as we can”.

The hosts are overwhelming favourites to win the three-match series and but for a slight wobble when they lost Steve Smith (10) and David Warner (64) before lunch, they simply dominated the tourists at Bellerive Oval.

Voges continued his liking for the West Indies bowlers after scoring an unbeaten 130 on his Test debut at age 35 against them in Dominica last June.

How they respond on day two will be telling – not only for this Test and the series, but for the future of West Indian cricket.

Ambrose, along with fellow new-ball bowling partner and current team selector Courtney Walsh, is working closely with the bowlers, including the side’s pace spearhead Jerome Taylor.

Barring any last-minute injuries, the Australian batting line-up that featured in its last Test, against New Zealand in Adelaide, is expected to play against West Indies. But the speed of play was just one aspect of a sloppy West Indies’ bowling attack which sent down 11 no balls. “I likewise believe we didn’t bowl as good as we can.”.

It is not all doom and gloom for West Indies.