Steven Smith has been named in Australia’s playing XI for the second Test against West Indies, which begins on July 3 in Grenada. Pat Cummins confirmed Steven Smith‘s inclusion, replacing Josh Inglis, after Steves Smith’s recovery from a dislocated finger sustained during the World Test Championship final.
Steven Smith’s injury had prevented him from participating in the first Test in Barbados. Despite the setback, he focused on rehabilitation using innovative training methods in a baseball cage in New York, which helped expedite his recovery process.
Although Steves Smith has returned to the squad, his fielding positions have been adjusted to minimise the risk of re-injury. Steve Smith will not be in the slip cordon, his favourite spot, when the Australian quicks are operating in the second Test.
West Indies are set to face Australia in the second Test at the National Cricket Stadium in St George’s, Grenada, starting on Thursday, July 3. The Caribbean side is trailing 0-1 in the three-match series.
WI vs AUS : Previous Performances
The Roston Chase-led side showed commendable fight in the first two innings of the first Test at the Kensington Oval in Bridgetown, Barbados. Shamar Joseph haunted the Aussie batters once again, and Jayden Seales gave him great support. They bagged four and five wickets, respectively, as Australia were bowled out for 180. Travis Head played a crucial 59-run knock after coming in to bat at the score of 22/3.
Roston Chase and Shai Hope scored 44 and 48 runs, respectively, to help West Indies take a slender 10-run lead in the first innings. Australia didn’t have a great start as their top order faltered yet again. West Indies were right on top as they took four wickets, with Australia’s lead only being 55.
However, Beau Webster, Alex Carey, and Travis Head scored important half-centuries to help the tourists get past the 300-run mark. Shamar was the pick of the bowlers, bagging a four-for.
The West Indies needed 301 runs to chase down in the fourth innings. The batters failed to tackle the Australian seamers, who were brilliant with their lines and lengths. The hosts folded for 141, as Australia won by 159 runs. Josh Hazlewood starred with a five-for.
Steven Smith missed the first Test due to a finger injury, but he is expected to be back in the lineup. However, he may not be fielding at slips. Australia’s top order has looked fragile of late, and Smith’s inclusion is going to be a welcome boost for the Pat Cummins-led side. Josh Inglis registered scores of 5 and 12 in the first Test, and he could make way for the former Australian captain.
West Indies fielders put down several catches in the first Test. Head coach Daren Sammy will hope for a much better fielding effort from his players. The batters will also have to show more grit and determination.
WI vs AUS : Head to Head
| Matches Played | 121 |
| West Indies won | 33 |
| Australia won | 62 |
| Draw | 25 |
| Tied | 01 |
| First Meeting | December 12-16, 1930 |
| Last Meeting | June 25-28, 2025 |
WI vs AUS : Pitch and Weather Report
There was genuine intrigue ahead of Barbados as to how the pitch would play and both sides were surprised. The National Stadium in St George’s is even more of an unknown. No Australian player or staff member has been involved in an international here, as Australia have not played at the venue since 2008 and have never played a Test there.
The National Cricket Stadium in St George’s, Grenada, has hosted only four Test matches since 2002. Teams chasing in the fourth innings have won three games. One of the matches ended in a draw. Seamers are expected to get a lot of assistance from the surface. Batters will have to be compact with their technique. Spinners might not play a massive role.
Considering the National Stadium is nestled between two mounts, each of which are resplendent with lush green rainforests, the surface in the middle of the ground stands out even more starkly. For, it looks bone dry, save for a smattering of green grass just rolled in.
With the sun baking down on it already, and expected to do so even more over the next few days, it’s expected to dry up further and then start to break up late in the piece with the cracks coming into play. Chances are that this Test might not be played on fast forward like last week and might be more of a slow burn.
In Grenada, the weather is expected to be cloudy with a warm temperature of around 31°C. There’s a 20% chance of rain, while humidity remains fairly high at 74%.
West Indies have more insight, but only marginally. They have played four Tests at the venue but just two since 2009, in 2015 and 2022. There has been a mixture of scores but a consistent theme with the side batting second winning the last three.
WI vs AUS : Big Picture : Both top orders under scrutiny in Grenada
Picturesque Grenada is the perfect place for a holiday but the batting units of West Indies and Australia are anything but relaxed ahead of the second Test at the National Stadium in St George’s.
Both batting line-ups will be looking for some respite in the surface after 40 wickets fell in three days on a very tricky pitch in Barbados, where only four half-centuries were scored in the match and no one passed 65.
West Indies’ batting issues have long been their Achilles heel, and they will once again be severely tested by Australia’s attack. Whilst they would love to improve their batting overall, it is the early phases of a new-look top seven that needs time to gel and, in some cases, re-acclimatise to Test cricket after years out of the format, with Shai Hope and Roston Chase both showing positive signs in Barbados.
Their most experienced batter, Kraigg Brathwaite, plays his 100th Test this week and there would be hope that such a significant milestone can inspire more runs from both he and his colleagues. But his nemesis Mitchell Starc will play his 99th Test and after dismissing him twice in Barbados the left-armer will be hoping to claim him twice more to edge closer to 400 Test scalps, given he only needs nine for the milestone.
West Indies can make easier gains in the field after shelling seven chances across the first Test, many of them severely costly in a low-scoring game. They are contemplating reshuffling the slips cordon despite looking like playing an unchanged line-up. The West Indies fast bowlers, who were magnificent in Barbados, will be hoping their good work is better rewarded in Grenada.
Australia’s batting woes are less systemic than their opponents’ but arguably more worrisome given they have not found any consistent runs from their top three since David Warner’s retirement in January 2024.
Steven Smith’s return at No. 4 provides extraordinary reinforcement to the middle-order firewall that once again bailed them out in Barbados. Australia’s coach Andrew McDonald, and Smith too, have urged for public patience on both Sam Konstas and Cameron Green.
The former will play just his fourth Test match and his second since being recalled at the start of the series, while the latter has only played five first-class innings at No. 3 and is in just his third Test after 15 months out of the format due to injury.
How both play, following timid showings in Barbados may be just as important as how many they get, given both are likely to play the entire series no matter what. But with the Ashes looming on the horizon, Australia are very keen to bed down a top six that has been a big game of musical chairs for 18 months.
WI vs AUS : Vital Stats that matters
- After a draw in the first Test ever played in Grenada in 2002, the last three have been won by the team batting second. In the last two matches, the losing team elected to bat first at the toss.
- Six players have scored Test centuries in Grenada, including Kraigg Brathwaite. Chris Gayle is the only player with a double-century.
- Express pace has not necessarily been the key in Grenada with Daren Sammy and Kyle Mayers both taking Test five-fors there while Shakib-Al-Hasan is the only spinner to have taken a five-wicket haul there.
- Kraigg Brathwaite will become the 59th player to play 100 Tests batting in positions 1-6. His current average of 32.83 is the lowest of those who have played 99. The next lowest is Ben Stokes with 36.22
- Mitchell Starc needs nine wickets to reach 400 in Tests
WI vs AUS : Team News : Steve Smith’s return bolsters Australia’s middle order
West Indies :
There’s been an uneasy cloud over the West Indian team since the last Test with allegations of sexual assault surrounding one of their players doing the rounds in the media, firstly around the Caribbean and now around the world.
Cricket West Indies made it a point to release a statement before Chase’s press conference via a spokesperson who said, “We are aware of the information that is circulating on social media and other media channels. However, Cricket West Indies has not received any communication or official information and therefore are not in a position to comment at this time.”
It means that they are likely to stick with the same playing XI with the outside chance of a late call-up for Anderson Phillip in place of Jomel Warrican to play an extra seamer. Roston Chase did not confirm his team, saying they were still weighing up whether to play an extra quick – which would likely be Anderson Phillip – in place of left-arm spinner, and vice-captain, Jomel Warrican.
WI Probable Playing XI : Kraigg Brathwaite, John Campbell, Keacy Carty, Brandon King, Roston Chase (c), Shai Hope (wk), Justin Greaves, Alzarri Joseph, Jomel Warrican/Anderson Phillip, Shamar Joseph, Jayden Seales
Australia
Steven Smith slots back into the side at the expense of Josh Inglis with the rest remaining unchanged for the visitors. The advantage of Beau Webster is that he provides both seam and spin-bowling support. Once Steven Smith was fit to come back, there was no question of Australia slotting him right back in at No 4 with Josh Inglis missing out.
AUS Playing XI : Usman Khawaja, Sam Konstas, Cameron Green, Steve Smith, Travis Head, Beau Webster, Alex Carey (wk), Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins (c), Nathan Lyon, Josh Hazlewood
WI vs AUS Fantasy Playing XI : Roston Chase (c), Shai Hope (wk),Shamar Joseph, Jayden Seales,Usman Khawaja,Steve Smith, Travis Head, Beau Webster,Pat Cummins (c), Nathan Lyon, Mitchell Starc.
WI vs AUS : Players in the spotlight : Kraigg Brathwaite and Cameron Green
Kraigg Brathwaite reaching 100 Tests for West Indies is a remarkable achievement. He may well be the last to do it if the global game, and West Indies cricket, continues to trend in the direction it has been for the last decade or more. For Brathwaite to serve so loyally as opener and captain in a struggling side for so long speaks volumes of his character. He deserves great recognition for his service. But there is no escaping his record.
No Test batter has played 100 Tests with a lower average than his 32.83. The last of his 12 Test centuries came in February 2023. Since then, he has scored just three half-centuries in 33 innings, averaging 19.60.
West Indies aren’t flush with options to replace him but as the selectors have pivoted to a more positive style of batter for this new WTC cycle, Brathwaite would need some runs to justify adding more Tests to his resume. Although, at 32, there is no reason why he cannot regain some form despite such a lean run. Grenada might provide that opportunity, given he scored one of his 12 Test centuries at the venue in 2015.
Cameron Green is at the other end of the spectrum, but not quite as green as it has been suggested by his coach. Green, 26, has played 30 Test matches and his middling record is frustrating fans and undoubtedly frustrating him. Australia’s coach has urged for patience, and that isn’t unreasonable given he has hardly batted at No. 3 and is coming off a significant injury.
It should be noted too that his career has been very stop-start of late. He has not played more than five Tests in a row since 2022 and has been selected to bat in four different positions in the last three years.
But the point where the caveats get cast aside is coming at some stage. Without some consistent scores at Test level, he is in danger of falling into a void that some equally talented players have fallen into before him, where he is too good for domestic first-class cricket, as his domestic average of 59.24 proves over 62 innings, while underachieving at Test level with a mark of just 33.30.
WI vs AUS : Match Prediction
Coming off from a massive victory in the last Test, the Australian side is high on their confidence to win this match. On the flip side, West Indies faced a heartbreaking defeat despite early brilliance. Their batting has become a massive concern ahead of the second Test.
Also Read: WI vs AUS: “Captaining The West Indies Is A Great Job”- Roston Chase Ready To Embrace Leadership