THE THREE-MATCH Test series between the West Indies and Australia opens at the Gabba in Brisbane tonight (7:00 p. m. Jamaica time) with the home team, the world champions, heavily favoured to make a winning start and to win the series comfortably. Unbeaten at home since the West Indies 2-1 victory in 1992-93 and 5-0 winners the last time the West Indies were in Australia in 2000-01, Australia, after losing the Ashes series to England recently, were in the pink of form while destroying the World XI in three one-day internationals and in the Super Test last month. The consensus around the world is that they will be too good for a West Indies team that has struggled to compete with the best, with the likes of Australia, South Africa and England, in recent years. STAND A LITTLE CHANCE As strong as Australia are, however, and as weak as the West Indies have been, the West Indies are not without a chance. In fact, with a little luck, the West Indies could draw the series and, with plenty of luck, they could even win it. In a short Test series as this one is, the start could be important - very important, and the West Indies are good enough, or should be good enough, that if Australia stumble in this first, they can take advantage, snatch victory, and leave Australia to catch up. Boasting a batting line-up of Matthew Hayden and Michael Hussey, Ricky Ponting, Michael Clarke and Simon Katich, Shane Watson and Adam Gilchrist for the first Test, and an attack of pacers Glenn McGrath, Brett Lee and Nathan Bracken, plus legspinner Shane Warne, Australian are strong - no doubt about that. With Christopher Gayle and Devon Smith, Ramnaresh Sarwan, Brian Lara, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Marlon Samuels, Denesh Ramdin and possibly Dwayne Bravo in their line up, however, there is not much difference between the West Indies and Australia's batting. In fact, with newcomer Hussey at number two, Clarke and Katich at Nos four and five for Australia, with Lara in the West Indies line-up, the West Indies batting could even be better than Australia's. BOWLING THE KEY With Australia parading McGrath and Warne, the big difference is in the bowling. With an attack to come from Jermaine Lawson, Fidel Edwards, Daren Powell, Tino Best, Corey Collymore and Bravo, the West Indies simply have no one to match the two great Australians. Cricket, however, is not batsmen versus batsmen and bowlers versus bowlers. Cricket is batsmen versus bowlers, or bowlers versus batsmen, and remembering that Warne has enjoyed little success against the West Indies, that Lara and Chanderpaul, to a lesser extent, have enjoyed themselves against Warne, that Lee's record against the West Indies is far from impressive, it may be left to McGrath and to left-arm swing bowler Bracken to deal with Gayle, Smith, Sarwan, Lara, Chanderpaul and Samuels. On the other hand, the pitches in Australia are fast and bouncy, the West Indies possess some really fast bowlers and if they bowl consistently good line and length, they could make life difficult, very difficult, for Australia's batsmen. A CHANCE The question, however, is who will be the four West Indies bowlers. Will it be Lawson, Edwards, Powell and Tino Best, will it be Lawson, Edwards, Powell and Collymore, or will it be Lawson, Edwards, Powell and Bravo? Although Collymore bowled well in his past few appearances for the West Indies, and although Bravo is an all-rounder, based on the history of Australian pitches and on their speed, it should be Lawson, Edwards, Powell and Best. The odds are on Australia to win - no question about that. Providing they play together, however, once it is one for all and all for one as it was in Sri Lanka when they bowled well, fielded brilliantly but failed to bat, the West Indies, with their best batsmen now on show, with a batting line-up of Gayle and Smith, Sarwan, Lara, Chanderpaul and Samuels, are in with a chance. Reprinted from jamaica-gleaner.com