5 things West Indies need to do to cause an upset against Australia

3. Jerome Taylor’s has to continue recent form

Jerome Taylor

Since making a comeback into the West Indian team in June 2014, fast bowler Jerome Taylor has been in great form as he has taken 32 wickets in the 10 matches that he has played. Even in the recent Test series against England, he took 11 wickets and was the second highest wicket-taker of the series, behind England’s James Anderson.

Taylor needs to lead the bowling attack from the front as he is one of the most experienced bowlers in the team. If he can get players like David Warner and Smith out early, the other bowlers will receive a huge boost and can put pressure on the Australian batting. Kemar Roach and Jason Holder also have the ability to cause some damage, but they need to be more consistent with their bowling.

4. Captaincy battle

Australian skipper Michael Clarke is regarded as one of the best captains in International cricket at the moment. Apart from being a brilliant batsman with the ability to lead by example, he is a brilliant tactician and believes in putting pressure on the opposition at all times.

On the back of leading his side to World Cup victory, Clarke will be extremely determined to continue the success he has had as captain, especially with the Ashes series in England shortly following the West Indies tour.

On the other hand, West Indies skipper Denesh Ramdin is still relatively new to the job, but there were some positive signs in their 1-1 draw against England. If West Indies are to have even a small chance of upsetting the Aussies, Ramdin will have to try and outdo Clarke as captain.

5. West Indies batsmen need to nullify the danger of Johnson and Starc

Mitchell Johnson’s Test form over the last 18 months has been exceptional

The pair of Mitchell Johnson and Mitchell Stac can prove be the most lethal bowling combination in any form of cricket due to the pace and bounce they extract from the pitch. Their records speak for themselves as Johnson has taken 78 wickets in his last 13 Test matches whereas Mitchell Starc was the player of the tournament in the recently concluded World Cup as he took 22 wickets at an astounding average of 10.8.

Along with the youngsters, senior batsmen like Darren Bravo and Maron Samuels need to ensure that they don’t let Johnson and Starc get on top of them. If these bowlers get wickets early in their spell, it could be hard for the West Indies to stop them.