West Indies pace bowlers Jayden Seales (left) and Alzarri Joseph (centre) practise under the watchful eyes of head coach Darren Sammy during a training session at Sabina Park on Friday ahead of the day/night Test against Australia, starting on Saturday. (Photo: Garfield Robinson)
History will be made this afternoon, starting at 2:00, as Jamaica will become the eighth country in the world to host a day/night Test match. And West Indies captain Roston Chase, despite reservations centred on the lights, says the team is highly motivated to secure victory against Australia in front of the Jamaican support.
The Caribbean side will look to avoid a series whitewash against the visiting Australians who have already won the Frank Worrell Trophy after winning the first two Tests in Barbados and Grenada.
West Indies will be hoping for some good fortune at Sabina Park which is set to become the second venue in the region to host a pink-ball Test after receiving approval from the ICC and Cricket West Indies this week following the $75-million lighting upgrade.
However, the height of the floodlights around the ground is a concern for Chase. He’s hoping that it won’t lead to any dark consequences.
“They’re bright but I think they’re a bit low for my liking. They seem a bit low, but it’s what we have to work with so we can’t really come and complain about it. Whatever is put in front of us, we have to deal with,” he said.
“I think, judging from past experience on different grounds with low lighting, it’s a bit harder to pick up the drop zone of the ball, but I mean we did a bit of fielding [on Thursday] and the guys looked okay — no one really complained — but it’s just my personal opinion that it’s a bit low.”
Chase, though, is looking forward to embracing the Jamaican atmosphere over the new few days as the team looks to channel that energy into a win.
“I always love playing cricket in Jamaica. The team loves playing here — it’s always a vibe, it’s always an energy with the dancehall music and then obviously we have some dancehall artistes that are supposed to perform. Wayne Marshall came and greeted us yesterday (Thursday), so it’s a good feeling playing cricket in Jamaica,” he said.
“It’s a good feeling playing cricket in Jamaica, it’s always exciting — obviously it’s the first pink-ball Test so the guys are really looking forward to that and we’re hoping the crowd will come out and support the team.”
Playing against the number one ranked Aussies has proven to be a challenge to the Windies after losing the first test by 159 runs and the second by 133. Playing with the pink ball will be another challenge but Chase isn’t overly worried about how they will adjust.
“We’ve had some first class games with the pink ball so the guys have had a bit of experience playing with the pink ball but test match is something different — different pressure, different style of play but the guys are comfortable,” he said.
West Indies have only beaten Aussies once in the last 22 years, with the lone win coming in January 2024 in day/night conditions in Australia.
The Windies have also managed just three victories from their previous 10 meetings with Australia in Kingston, with the last coming in 1999.
Australian pacer Mitchell Starc, set to play his 100th Test, is expecting a strong performance from the visitors.
“It looks like a pretty good wicket, exciting to play a day/night Test away from home. Obviously, the last pink ball Test against the West Indies didn’t go our way so it’s a chance to redeem ourselves. It’s really exciting to play at Sabina Park and hopefully it’s a really enjoyable week for everyone.”
While the Windies bowlers have stepped up during the series, the batsmen have yet to really get going after posting less than 200 in three of their four innings against the Aussies.
Chase has acknowledged the team’s shortcomings but is hopeful they can restore some pride over the next five days.
““It’s only so much I can do but each guy has to go out there and play their own cricket. I can only try to lead by example and try to make each and every player as comfortable as possible to go out there and execute the role they’ve been given. But I’m confident in the guys going out in this game and playing some good cricket,” he said.
Neither team confirmed their playing eleven ahead of the third Test but it’s thought that opening batsman and former Windies captain Kraigg Brathwaite could be dropped in favour of Mikyle Louis. Vice-captain Jomel Warrican may also miss out again in place of pacer Anderson Phillip.
CHASE… it’s a good feeling playing cricket in Jamaica, it’s always exciting (Photo: Garfield Robinson)
