One thing Australia’s cricketers know following the drawn one-day and Twenty20 series in the Caribbean, is they’re in for a fight in the upcoming Tests.
Time and again Australia has tried to gain superiority over the West Indies only to find their opponent coming back at them.
In Friday’s Twenty20 in Barbados, the home team rediscovered the fighting spirit of the great teams of yesteryear, to pull off a series-levelling 14-run win.
A posse of fielders spent most of David Warner’s innings talking to the Australian opener after he had given Kieron Pollard a send-off when the big allrounder fell cheaply in the West Indian innings.
Dwayne Bravo then provided the spark as he brilliantly ran out Warner for 58 before Pollard had the last laugh, diving full-length to catch David Hussey off fast-bowler Fidel Edwards in the final over.
Pollard turned to the heaving crowd in Bridgetown, making a throat-slitting gesture as the hosts emerged the victors from another scrap with their higher-ranked opponents.
“We all know how the Australians play and we’ve decided since we went to India that we were going to play fearless cricket,” captain Darren Sammy said.
“We’re going to stand up to them if they stand up to us, keep it clean, but we’re going to be very competitive.
“It was really good to see our boys showing fight and heart out there.”
Australia skipper George Bailey said Warner’s penchant for trying to get under opponent’s skins was always going to bring responses, which he feels is fine as long as it doesn’t go too far.
“He handles it really well. He’s happy to throw it out there so he knows he’s going to get a bit back,” Bailey said.
“It’s part of the game. It’s the way he plays and I think it’s the way a lot of the West Indians play as well. I’ve never spoken about it.
“You certainly don’t want to see the game being brought into disrepute and I don’t want to see it too much on TV, two guys going hammer and tongs at each other, but things get said out there and that’s the competition.”