West Indies vs Australia Prediction: Head remains crucial to Australian hopes

A much-changed Australian batting line-up struggled mightily in their first Test against the West Indies, as a combination of the hosts’ dropped catches, some third umpire decisions not going their way, and poor batting let the visitors off the hook.

Now the pair face off in Grenada on Thursday (15:00 BST, TNT Sports 2) in the second of three Tests, with both teams looking to improve on their opening efforts. Below are my West Indies vs Australia predictions, supported by all the latest team news and match odds.

Team News

Mikyle Louis could potentially come in for struggling opener John Campbell for the West Indies, who may shuffle the pack after their first Test defeat.

Cricket Odds

Australia have been handed a big boost with the return of Steve Smith, who has overcome a finger injury. He could replace Josh Inglis.

West Indies vs Australia Second Test Odds

Australia are the favourites for this clash, currently priced up at 1/4 while the Windies are available at 4/1, or a 20% chance. The draw is available at 8/1.

Shai Hope and Keacy Carty are joint 4/1 market leaders to be the West Indies’ top batter, while Smith is 14/5 to lead the way in the same department for Australia.

Sam Konstas under 22.5 first innings runs @ 5/6

Sam Konstas is considered the bright young hope of the Australian batting line-up, but the 19-year-old opener struggled mightily in the first Test. He was dropped twice on a duck in the first innings before making three, and then followed that with a total of five from 38 balls in the second innings before being skittled.

The youngster is used to batter-friendly Australian pitches, and this Grenada surface looks likely to be another tricky one for batters; England were skittled for 120 and 204 in the last Test on this ground in 2022.

Konstas has gone under this total of 22.5 runs in seven of his last nine innings overall, and on a tricky pitch, he looks set to struggle once again. Take the under.

Travis Head top Australia batter @ 7/2

Smith could return to an Australian batting line-up that desperately looked in need of some solidity in the first Test, with Cameron Green and Inglis struggling at number three and number four.

However, Smith is recovering from a broken finger and could take some time to hit top gear. One player who does not seem to have left top gear over the last few years is Travis Head, who top-scored for Australia in their first innings of the first Test and was just four runs short of repeating the trick in the second innings after making 61.

He looks like a solid pick to star once more.

You can check out all of our Cricket Betting Tips at our Cricket hub page.