Cummins and Chase eye quick adaptability in tricky Grenada as neither side really knows what to expect here.
In unknown Grenada, Cummins and Chase aim for adaptability.
In the second Test, Pat Cummins has pushed his starting lineup to adjust to circumstances more quickly, but he is relishing the challenge of arriving at sites with little to no advance notice. All members of this team are playing in Grenada for the first time, and this is Australia’s first Test series in the Caribbean in a decade.
The field appeared to be more benign than Kensington Oval, but even there, there was discussion over a surface that both teams believed would play fairly well, only for it to turn into a fast-bowlers’ battle that was over in three days.
With the lone change being the return of Steven Smith at the expense of Josh Inglis, Australia has kept its selections straightforward. However, Cummins has prepped his hitters to be ready to modify gameplans should things turn out differently than anticipated.
“Just being a little bit quicker to adapt. It got difficult at times [in Barbados],” he said. “That’s a test for you. Even with the ball changes, each time you kind of got a new ball, that made [it] a little tricky period for the batters. So I think just being sharper… a lot of the conversations about keep the scoreboard ticking over, make yourself hard to be bowled at.
“You don’t 100% know what you’re going to get coming up against players that we haven’t played a lot against on a field that we’ve never played on before. It’s [about] staying fairly open-minded. Our message is always: remember what makes you a good player, play to your strengths. But if the information takes you in a different direction just make sure you’re sharp and adapt.”
However, the lack of ground knowledge is not limited to Australians. Throughout his career, even West Indies captain Roston Chase has only participated in two games here: an ODI against Ireland and a Barbados first-class match in 2015. In total, the West Indies will probably have four players who played in the Test match against England in 2022.
“I’m not really accustomed to the facilities but the pitch looks a good one,” Chase said. “It looks evenly grassed. It looks way better than the Barbados pitch, although I’m a Barbadian.”
Spinners were expected to play a major role in this series prior to the tour, but they were only used sparingly in Barbados, and the West Indies were even thinking about not using left-arm spinner Jomel Warrican in Grenada. Following their triumph in Sri Lanka, Australia was ready to pair Nathan Lyon with Matt Kuhnemann, but the latter has stayed on the bench. Even though it would be a day-night Test, Cummins did not rule him out of playing in the last match in Jamaica.
“It’s probably a conversation between George [Bailey], [Andrew McDonald] and Marnus over how he wants to best map out the next couple of months,” Cummins said.