James Pattinson © Getty Images
Australian pacers, Josh Hazlewood and James Pattinson believe that after suffering a humiliating loss at first Test in Hobart, West Indies will bounce back much stronger in the second Test at Melbourne. The duo also expect the pitch to be in favour of the home team as West Indies will look to square the three-match series. Australia managed to win the first Test under the guidance of Steven Smith by an innings and 212 – runs. Pattinson feels that the tourists would make some changes after their sloppy performance. As reported on cricbuzz.com, Pattinson said, “They’ll definitely have a point to prove after their disappointing result in the first game.” ALSO READ: Josh Hazlewood, Adam Voges rise in ICC Test rankings following outstanding performances vs West Indies in Hobart Test
“They’ll come out really hard. All we can do is prepare, play the way we have been playing and hopefully everything goes according to plan,” he added. Hazlewood was amazed with the inefficiency on the opponent team’s bowling unit and said, “That was disappointing. Jerome Taylor and Kemar Roach are pretty good bowlers. They’ve had great success in the past against us and other teams. That’s one area they’ll improve a lot on their opening bowlers. They’ll be better.” ALSO READ: Steven Smith: James Pattinson brings X-factor to Australian team
Pattinson also felt that the bowling unit of West Indies need to get used to the docile pitch of Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), he added “Playing the first two (Shield) games on here it’s been quite a flat wicket. It’ll be no different here. It’ll be quite flat. There’ll probably be maybe a little bit in it early on, then it usually flattens out to be a good track.” Hazlewood also agreed with his team mate that the MCG pitch is favourable for the batters more than the bowling unit. He said, “Maybe a little bit (of assistance) for the first day, especially with a bit of overcast conditions. It’s going to be a pretty good wicket.”