Still more history to be made at the MCG?

Having played in two Boxing Day Tests at the cavernous Melbourne Cricket Ground, one in 1979/80 and the other in 1981/2, helping win the former, the West Indies losing the latter, I detect something of a surreal atmosphere surrounding this first Boxing Day Test for the new Millennium.

Somehow, both Australia and the West Indies, who have easily been outplayed, seem to be in a sense of flux, not sure what to do next. Let us hope that this bubble bursts when the noise of the 65,000 crowd envelops the atmosphere. Both teams have objectives to play for, however different they may be. At the least, they must put on a show worthy of the occasion.

In my mind, Australia has to do very little to continue with their aspiration to beat the West Indies at both the MCG and the Sydney Cricket Ground next week, to take their continuous winning tally to an unprecedented 15 games.

On the other hand, the West Indies have much to do to even present the same kind of challenge that was fleetingly visible at Adelaide last week. The West Indies also will want to avoid another 5-0 whipping overseas. They will also want to stop the streak of losing 17 of their last 19 overseas Tests, winning only one and drawing the other.

This team is putting up some big records against itself. A fact that should be noted from the West Indian perspective is that since 1930/1, when the West Indies first played against Australia, no West Indies team has been to Australia and not won at least one Test match in any particular series.

Unfortunately for the West Indies, most of these recent records are for the opposition. The next possibility is Australia's first full series "whitewash" which, like South Africa's in 1998/9, has much more serious connotations. In a nutshell, the present West Indies team has been creating "negative history."

This brings us down to the teams that could be selected for the Boxing Day fray. The Australians have a very straight choice. Brett Lee will not now play again this Test series. Since the game is being played at "his home", Colin Miller, the Victorian off-spinner, would play instead of leg-spinner Stuart MacGill simply because he bowled much better than MacGill did in the last game.

If Steve Waugh is eventually passed fit, he would replace either Justin Langer or Damien Martyn. I will go with the numerous suggestions that maybe Langer will be preferred, since he is "the designated No. 3 batsman". I also get the somewhat shielded impression that Martyn is "not as liked" by many of those to whom I spoke. No one seems to want to mention that Langer has looked very poor throughout this series.

Langer's record overall is acceptable, but recently is very poor, despite his nearly half century in the second innings in Third Test at Adelaide, which could have saved Langer's Test place.

Martyn, on the other hand, has never really disappointed, averaging 42.53 from his 11 Tests so far. More impressively, Martyn has not had the continuous run that Langer has had. It takes a special effort, psychologically, to play Test cricket intermittently, as Martyn has been asked to do, and still come up with the goods every time, as Martyn has done.

Better still, if anyone really took an honest assessment of the series so far, no-one, including Mark Waugh, who made a century at Perth, has been able to play the West Indies attack with more assurance than Martyn seemed to have at Adelaide. He saved Australia's bacon by his first innings efforts.

It is all well and good to suggest that "he is just unlucky that there is so much depth in Australia's cricketing talent", but there could be another feature here. Someone might just be scared of the guy's presence and production, since he is an obvious achiever.

The West Indies, though, have more serious problems and much less to solve them with. There is little change that can be effected by the West Indian selectors. The batting line-up is set, despite the continued failures of the vice-captain, Sherwin Campbell. With Ramnaresh Sarwan so far out of the equation, he could not, even in a desperate push, be asked to open the batting.

Marlon Samuels has fitted in well, but like most of the lesser West Indian batsmen of recent times, also suffers from the plague of the Caribbean, "the 30s satisfactory" syndrome. As so evident in Caribbean cricket these days, very few batsmen make more than 30 or 40. Worse, they are heralded as "world beaters" with these mediocre scores. Hence, when they are elevated to Test status, they know nothing else. Carrying on even to half centuries is alien to most of these young batsmen.

If Ridley Jacobs, the wicket-keeper, does not make runs, then the West Indies tail starts at 7. In this series, when there is nothing guaranteed from the senior, better batsmen, that is a prescription for disaster.

Neither Merve Dillon, diligent as he has been with the ball, Marlon Black, Nixon McLean nor Courtney Walsh adds much to the batting line-up except taking up space. With the rest of the recognised batsmen continuing to embarrass themselves more often than not, some late-order help is required.

It would not surprise me, indeed I would encourage it, that Mahendra Nagamootoo could play his first Test against Australia. Ironically, though a leg-spinner, Nagamootoo could be picked for his forceful lower-order batting.

I believe that Nagamootoo might have played at Adelaide, had he been fit. As captain Jimmy Adams put it then, "we are selecting from the entire squad". This turned out to be untrue, since Nagamootoo could not even complete the warm up running lap on the first morning at Adelaide, hobbling across the infield, favouring his injured ankle, to end his morning work-out lying on his back.

Nagamootoo seems to be fit now, so he could be the only change for the West Indies. At least he could bring some variation for the attack. For Nagamootoo to play, either Marlon Black or Nixon McLean would be dropped.

Black, after his initial burst for 4-83, has now realised that Test cricket is very hard indeed. In his three Tests to date, he has been used less and less by his captain, getting only 6 wickets so far, with an ordinary average of 42.83 runs per wicket. More importantly, or perhaps distressingly, his economy rate, run per over (RPO) average, is relatively high, 3.83. Black also looks "tired at the crease" and needs some energizing.

McLean, on the other hand, has been non-productive. It is incredible to note that he has already played in 15 Tests, yet has only 33 wickets at a similarly poor average of 42.30 runs per wicket. His RPO is marginally better, 3.33, but overall, McLean is not a much better producer than Black.

Since we have to assume that Courtney Walsh will play once he gets up from his bed, the only other option for the "drop" is Merve Dillon. But I would suggest that he has come of age in the Third Test, taking on the Australian batsmen and nearly winning too. If only he had proper help!!

The West Indies team manager, Ricky Skerritt, confirms that Dillon is still not fully recovered from running on to a beer bottle while fielding in the 1st Test at Brisbane, injuring his ankle. However he will simply have to endure, since it is hardly likely that he will be fully fit again in his Test career. No fast bowler I have ever known has been 100% fit, but one has to make do with what is available. At least Dillon's ten Tests so far, for 32 wickets at an average of 33.65 runs per wicket and an RPO of 3.30, should keep him in the team should he be passed fit.

Roger Harper, the West Indies coach, suggests that "the team has been playing good cricket in patches, with some good performances from Brian Lara, Jimmy Adams, Ridley Jacobs and Marlon Samuels with the bat, and especially Merve Dillon and Marlon Black, with the ball. All we need now is to see the team come together properly and give the account of themselves we know that they are capable of."

A rhetorical question here. Is it not the responsibility of the team's coach to bring the best out of his players? Perhaps the West Indies are playing at capacity. Perhaps West Indian supporters are asking these guys to give more than they have.

Whatever the situation, Boxing Day is a great occasion in the Australian cricketing calendar. It could also be the new beginning for the West Indies, considering the true meaning of Christmas. There is yet much cricket to be played.