West Indies v Australia, second Test: All you need to know

Match details

Who: West Indies v Australia

What: Second Test, Frank Worrell Trophy

When: July 3-7 (July 4-8, 12am AEST first ball)

Where: National Stadium, St George's, Grenada

How to watch: ESPN (available via Foxtel, Kayo Sports, Disney+, Fetch TV)

How to listen: ABC radio, SEN radio

Live scores: Match Centre 

Officials: Richard Kettleborough and Adrian Holdstock (on-field), Nitin Menon (third), Javagal Srinath (match referee)

Highlights, news and reactions post-play: cricket.com.au, the CA Live app and the Unplayable Podcast.

The Unplayable Podcast will have daily recaps of each day of the Test series, so if you're unable to stay up through the night, you'll be able to catch up in 15 minutes right after stumps. Listen and subscribe below: 

The squads

West Indies: Roston Chase (c), Jomel Warrican (vc), Kevlon Anderson, Kraigg Brathwaite, John Campbell, Keacy Carty, Justin Greaves, Shai Hope, Tevin Imlach, Alzarri Joseph, Shamar Joseph, Brandon King, Johann Layne, Mikyle Louis, Anderson Phillip, Jayden Seales

Wicketkeeper Shai Hope and captain Roston Chase made promising returns in their first Tests in several years with scores of 48 and 44 respectively in the first innings before West Indies rolled over in the second to hand Australia a 159-run victory. The hosts' star of the first Test was undoubtedly Shamar Joseph who took nine wickets to take his tally to 22 against Australia at an incredible strike rate of a wicket once every 23.5 balls on average. Like Australia, the Windies will be looking for more out of their new-look top four of veteran opener Kraigg Brathwaite, John Campbell, Kaecy Carty and Brandon King in the second Test.

Australia: Pat Cummins (c), Sean Abbott, Scott Boland, Alex Carey, Cameron Green, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Usman Khawaja, Sam Konstas, Matt Kuhnemann, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Beau Webster

Star batter Steve Smith has rejoined the Aussie squad after missing the first Test as he recovery from a dislocated finger. The 36-year-old still has to prove he can tolerate batting while wearing a splint on his right little finger, but coach Andrew McDonald believes it's "likely" he'll play. "It's really about functionality around the finger, rather than anything else," McDonald said. "There will be no risk to the long-term health of that finger. Leading into the next game, he'll have the main session two days out, he'll train the day before, so if that all goes well, then I'd expect Steve to resume at number four."

That means one of the top four is set to miss out in what could be the only change for the tourists after their bowlers ripped through West Indies in 33.4 overs in the second innings. "We'll give it a few days and see how everyone pulls up ... I dare say we'll have a full squad to choose for the second Test," captain Pat Cummins said post-match. "We'll get over there, have a look at conditions and make a call. But fortunately, I don't think we need to make a strength and conditioning-based decision; everyone bowled 20-odd overs, maybe touched 30, which is fine for a Test match."

Series fixtures

First Test: Australia won by 159 runs

Second Test: July 3-7, St George's, Grenada (midnight AEST)

Third Test: July 12-16, Kingston, Jamaica (4.30am AEST)

Session times

First Session: 10am – 12pm local (12am – 2am AEST, next day)

 

Second Session: 12.40pm – 2.40pm local (2.40am – 4.40am AEST, next day)

 

Third Session: 3pm – 5pm local (5am – 7am AEST, next day)

 

* An extra 30 minutes can be used to complete daily overs

Broadcast info

Australia's three-Test tour of the Caribbean will be broadcast live on ESPN in Australia and New Zealand.  

Given ESPN is part of the Disney stable, that means every ball from the tour will be distributed across a wide range of networks and platforms in Australia and New Zealand, including Disney+, Foxtel, Kayo Sports, Fetch TV, Sky NZ and Sky Sports Now.

The tour will be the first time the Australian men's team has featured on the ESPN networks inside Australia, with the five T20Is that follow the Test series also live on ESPN.

For those who listen on the wireless, both ABC and SEN radio will cover the series.

Local knowledge

Australia have never played a Test at Grenada's National Stadium nor have any of the current squad even set foot in the island nation with the Aussies' last match at the venue a one-day international in 2008 before any of their debuts.

"It's a step into the unknown," Australia coach Andrew McDonald said. "We'll just play it how we see it when we get there (as) there's not a lot of evidence in terms of games played at this this venue."

There have been four Test matches played in St George's – the first in 2002 between West Indies and New Zealand ended in a draw, while the hosts beat England by 10 wickets in the most recent Test there in 2022 in Joe Root's last game as captain.

All three victories in Tests at St George's have been by the side batting second with pace bowlers proving slightly more effective than spinners.

Rapid stats

• Australia have lost only one of their last 22 men's Tests against West Indies (won 17, drawn 4) – an eight-run loss in January 2024; although, this will be their first meeting at the National Stadium in St George's.
  
  
• West Indies recorded a 10-wicket win against England in their last men's Test at the National Stadium in St George's (March 2022), after going winless in their three prior matches at the venue (drawn 1, lost 2).
  
  
• West Indies (20) and Australia (20.7) have the best bowling averages of any teams in men's Tests in 2025. Australia's bowling economy rate (3.1) is the third best of any team behind Ireland (2.8) and Afghanistan (3.0).
  
  
• Kraigg Brathwaite will become the 10th West Indies player to play 100 Test matches when he reaches the milestone in Grenada. He captained his side in 39 of those matches, only Clive Lloyd (74), Sir Viv Richards (50) and Brian Lara (47) have captained the Windies on more occasions.
   
• Following his five-wicket haul in the first Test, Jayden Seales now boasts a bowling strike rate of 38.7, which puts him fourth all-time behind England's George Lohmann (34.1), South Africa's Marco Jansen (38.0) and New Zealand's Shane Bond (38.7) of players with a minimum of 75 Test wickets.

• Mitch Starc needs nine wickets to become the fourth Australian to reach 400 Test wickets, behind Shane Warne (708), Glenn McGrath (563) and Nathan Lyon (556). 
  
  
• Nathan Lyon needs eight wickets to move past Glenn McGrath (563) and into sixth spot on the all-time Test wicket-takers' list.
  
  
• Josh Hazlewood averages exactly 10.00 with the ball from his three Tests in the West Indies, which is the best record of any visiting player with a minimum of 15 wickets taken.
  
  
• If Australia win in Grenada it will be the 58th unique venue at which they have won a Test match; only India (59) have won at more.
  
  
• Beau Webster (Australia) is one of only two players (305 runs, 5 wickets) to have scored more 200 runs and taken five or more wickets in men's Tests in 2025 (Wessly Madhevere – 214 runs, 6 wickets for Zimbabwe).
  
  
• Alex Carey (Australia) has scored 362 runs in men's Tests since the start of 2025, the most of any wicketkeeper. Only Usman Khawaja (406) and Steve Smith (388) have scored more runs overall for Australia than Carey in that span.
  
  
• Jomel Warrican (West Indies) has taken 19 wickets at an average of 10 in men's Tests since the start of 2025, the best average of any bowler to have taken more than 10 wickets in that span.

What are they playing for?

Australia hold a 1-0 lead in the battle for the Frank Worrell Trophy, which behind the Ashes, is the second oldest trophy contested by the Australian men's cricket team.

The trophy is named after Sir Frank Worrell, who was the first black player to captain the West Indies on a regular basis.

He was appointed ahead of the 1960-61 tour of Australia where the first Test in Brisbane was the first tied Test match ever played.

After the tie, and the tightly contested series Australia won 2-1, the Australians were filled with such admiration for Worrell's leadership that the then-named Australian Cricket Board commissioned former Test cricketer and jeweller Ernie McCormick to design a trophy in his honour.

The 12-inch trophy was topped by one of the balls used in the tied Test, which Steve Smith accidentally dislodged during the presentation ceremony following Australia's 2-0 series win in 2022. The ball is mounted on three silver stumps set in a trophy base which features engravings of a kangaroo and a palm tree.

Australia and West Indies played three Test series prior to the creation of the trophy, which was first awarded to Richie Benaud's side in 1960-61, and has been for the 25 series since.

Australia have won the trophy 15 times, West Indies eight, with three draws, including the last series in Australia (1-1) after Shamar Joseph bowled the visitors to a famous eight-run win at the Gabba.

However, Australia have held the Frank Worrell Trophy for 30 years, not losing a series since Mark Taylor's team ended the Windies' two decades of dominance with a 2-1 away win in 1995, with Steve Waugh hitting the only double-century of his career to help clinch the deciding Test in Jamaica by an innings and 53 runs.

The Richie Benaud Medal has also been awarded to the Frank Worrell Trophy player-of-the-series since 2016.

Players to watch 

Roston Chase: The Windies new Test skipper looked comfortable in his new role at No.5 in the first innings until copping a contentious lbw decision from the third umpire on 44. The allrounder took on fellow off-spinner Nathan Lyon, hitting him for six down the ground as he was taken out of the attack when his first five overs went for 28 runs. With an inexperienced top four that included Brandon King on debut and opener John Campbell playing his first Test in three years, West Indies will be after their senior pair of Shai Hope and Chase to provide stability through the middle.

Beau Webster: He may be just five matches into his Test career but allrounder Beau Webster is fast becoming one of Australia's most valuable players. His 102-run partnership with Travis Head on day three in Barbados turned the game in the tourists' favour, with another half-century in tricky batting conditions. He also makes things happen when he gets the ball in his hand, taking the crucial wickets of West Indies top scorer Shai Hope and fellow allrounder Justin Greaves in the first innings. Webster's slips catching is another valuable asset during Steve Smith's absence from the cordon as he recovers from a dislocated finger.

What ball will be used?

English-brand Dukes balls will be used for the three Tests, albeit ones that have been specifically designed for Caribbean pitches and therefore differ slightly to those used for matches in England.

"What's unique is the fact that they use a Dukes ball as well but it's a different Dukes to what we will play with in England," Starc told cricket.com.au. "It's probably a little harder and a different lacquer to be able to withstand the conditions and the abrasiveness of the wickets."

New World Test Championship begins

Australia's 159-run victory in the series opener in Barbados gave them 12 valuable points to kick off the new World Test Championship campaign, while West Indies received zero.

Each of nine teams play three home and three away series in every two-year WTC cycle, with the Aussies' first home series a blockbuster five-Test Ashes campaign against England beginning in November.

The first series win of the 2025-27 World Test Championship is already in the books with Sri Lanka beating Bangladesh 1-0 at home, while England also hold a 1-0 lead over India after winning the first of five Tests at Headingley last week.

The points percentage system used in the previous two editions will determine the standings with teams getting 12 points for a win, six for a tie and four for a draw.

Form guide

Past 10 matches, most recent first. W: win, L: loss, D: draw   

West Indies: LWLLWLDLLL

West Indies are heading in a new direction after finishing second last in the first three editions of the World Test Championship. They've completely overhauled their playing XI since their most recent series against Pakistan in January with just three players retained for the first Test against Australia. They have a new captain in Roston Chase, who played his first Test in two years in Barbados, while wicketkeeper Shai Hope was also recalled to the red-ball side for the first time in three years.

It didn't work out in the first Test as they capitulated in their second innings on day three to hand Australia a 159-run win, but skipper Chase and new Test coach Daren Sammy are targeting gradual improvements in the 2025-27 WTC cycle. 

"We wanted to be realistic in the goals that we set going forward," Chase said. "If we could finish between fourth and sixth; we have 14 games in this cycle, so if we could win 44 per cent of those games, that will put us in a position at the end of the cycle to be around fourth or sixth looking at the (percentage) points that have been (accumulated) over the past two cycles."

Australia: WLWWWWDWLW

Australia were put under pressure from the West Indies throughout the opener two-and-a-half days of the first Test but ultimately bounced back from their World Test Championship final defeat to South Africa with a big win.

They've only lost two Tests since they last played West Indies in 2024, with one more win in either Grenada or Jamaica to give Pat Cummins' side their fourth straight series win after beating India (3-1) at home and Sri Lanka (2-0) and New Zealand (2-0) away. Australia are the No.1-ranked Test team in world after not losing a series during the last WTC cycle and are eyeing an away series win to kick off the new Test Championship campaign.

Qantas Tour of the West Indies

First Test: Australia won by 159 runs

Second Test: July 3-7, St George's, Grenada (midnight AEST)

Third Test: July 12-16, Kingston, Jamaica (4.30am AEST)

Australia Test squad: Pat Cummins (c), Sean Abbott, Scott Boland, Alex Carey, Cameron Green, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Usman Khawaja, Sam Konstas, Matt Kuhnemann, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Beau Webster

West Indies Test squad: Roston Chase (c), Jomel Warrican (vc), Kevlon Anderson, Kraigg Brathwaite, John Campbell, Keacy Carty, Justin Greaves, Shai Hope, Tevin Imlach, Alzarri Joseph, Shamar Joseph, Brandon King, Johann Layne, Mikyle Louis, Anderson Phillip, Jayden Seales

First T20I: July 20, Kingston, Jamaica (July 21, 11am AEST)

Second T20I: July 22, Kingston, Jamaica (July 23, 11am AEST)

Third T20I: July 25, Basseterre, St Kitts (July 26, 9am AEST)

Fourth T20I: July 26, Basseterre, St Kitts (July 27, 9am AEST)

Fifth T20I: July 28, Basseterre, St Kitts (July 29, 9am AEST)

West Indies T20 squad: TBC

Australia's T20 squad: Mitchell Marsh (c), Sean Abbott, Cooper Connolly, Tim David, Ben Dwarshius, Nathan Ellis, Cameron Green, Aaron Hardie, Josh Hazlewood, Josh Inglis, Spencer Johnson, Matt Kuhnemann, Glenn Maxwell, Mitch Owen, Matthew Short, Adam Zampa