Mitchell Starc Analyzes Kensington Oval Pitch Ahead of Crucial Test Match

Starc's Insights on Pitch Conditions

Mitchell Starc has expressed his belief that the pitch at Kensington Oval will behave differently compared to the one at Lord's during the recent World Test Championship (WTC) final. Australia is looking to set a formidable target to avoid an unusual series loss against the West Indies, as reported by a sports news outlet.

In the recent match at Lord's, both Australia and South Africa faced challenges with low scores in their first innings, but conditions improved significantly on Day 3 under clear skies. Starc himself made a notable contribution with a half-century, while Aiden Markram and Temba Bavuma led South Africa to a remarkable chase.

Expectations for Day 3

As Australia prepares for their second innings on Day 3, Travis Head and Beau Webster will continue with an 82-run lead.

"The wicket at Lord's was quite flat once the sun came out," Starc commented. "I found it easier to bat there. However, this pitch has shown a lot of variable bounce over the past two days. We witnessed instances where the ball kept low, followed by overs where it jumped up and took wickets. I anticipate similar conditions tomorrow, and with good bowling, chances will arise," he added.

"There was a promising partnership developing between Beau and Travis (27 runs so far) towards the end, and I hope they can build on that in the morning. We need to push for as many runs as possible from the lower order and assess the situation from there. The chances created over the last two days indicate that no one is ever truly settled, and it’s uncertain what total will be sufficient," Starc noted.

Darren Sammy Comments on West Indies' Fielding

West Indies head coach Daren Sammy, when asked about a chaseable target, humorously remarked, "I’d love to chase 82. Someone needs to get a double hat-trick or something."

This light-hearted comment came from a visibly frustrated Sammy, who has raised concerns regarding umpiring decisions and expressed disappointment over his team's fielding errors. The West Indies dropped Sam Konstas twice when he was on zero, bringing their total dropped catches in the match to six, five of which occurred off Shamar Joseph's bowling. Fortunately for the home team, Konstas only managed to score 5 runs before being dismissed by Joseph again.

"I’m sure they will receive a stern talking-to. Not too angry, but it’s definitely an attitude issue," Sammy stated.

"Just like batting and bowling, fielding and catching are equally crucial. Catching at slip is a skill that requires constant practice and dedication," he added.

"Good teams will capitalize on mistakes. So far, it hasn’t been too detrimental, but for us to achieve our goals, we need to improve our catching efficiency," he emphasized.

Shamar Joseph's Bowling Performance

Despite the missed chances, the West Indies, particularly Shamar Joseph, have made a strong impression early in the series. The pacer has successfully exploited Konstas' weaknesses, dismissing him cheaply twice with scores of just 3 and 5, making the young batter's second innings particularly challenging.

"I believe he had three opportunities and still only managed five runs," Sammy remarked.

"Kudos to our players. The strategies we implemented against their top order and the areas where our bowlers targeted made it very difficult for them. Shamar deserves credit; he mentioned before the Test that he was ready for Konstas when asked about him," he concluded.