By Justin Langer Australia batsman in Guyana

With the pitch in Trinidad looking very dry under a lush covering of green grass, our selectors have settled for the same team that won in Guyana.

The option of taking two spinners and three fast bowlers into the match gives Steve Waugh good flexiblity against the talented West Indian batting line-up.

Our preparation this week has been relatively low key due to the extreme heat, the physical hangover of the trying conditions in Guyana and the moderate practice facilities at the ground.

My opening partner Matthew Hayden is due a big score

Thankfully, we were able to win the first Test in four days allowing us to have an extra day off before this Test.

I can't remember playing a game of cricket on a ground that was as dry and as hard as Bourda.

Within the camp there are a number of players complaining of sore and stiff backs and legs.

The first Test was like playing on a concrete surface and it certainly took its toll on our team, who are coming to the end of a very long campaign on the road.

Evergreen physiotherapist Errol Alcott and team masseuse Lucy Frostick have been working overtime through the week to ensure we enter the next battle feeling fresh and 100% fit.

The biggest injury concern has been that of captain Steve Waugh.

It was extraordinary that he came out and fielded almost immediately after having the tear on his hand stitched up at the local Georgetown hospital.

Most people, in fact nine out of ten, would have stayed in the changing room and felt sorry for themselves, but this is not in the captain's nature.

He was straight back into the action, further enhancing his reputation amongst his peers as a man who is as tough and uncompromising as old leather.

When I asked him yesterday how his hand was feeling, he just shrugged his shoulders and claimed that it hurt a bit but not enough to miss a game of cricket.

"You don't get to play a Test match every day, so a cut and a few stitches aren't going to stop me playing," he told me.

Successful

Often the question is asked as to why Stephen has been so successful as the captain of the Australian cricket team.

There is no simple answer to the that question.

But I would say it is things like playing with serious injuries and an unyielding attitude of commitment to the baggy green cap and his team-mates that sets him apart.

Sarwan's return is good news for the West Indies

While our team remains settled, West Indies have had to make three changes to their first Test eleven.

Wicket-keeper Ridley Jacobs will be replaced by young Jamaican keeper Carlton Baugh, who smashed a swashbuckling century against us in the first practice match of the tour.

It will be interesting to see whether the young twenty-year-old will play with the same confidence and freedom in his Test debut.

If he does, he will not only entertain the cricket-loving Trinidad crowd but he will also be a dangerous adversary for our bowlers to deal with.

The second change involves speedster Jermaine Lawson, who has been ruled out with a bout of the chicken pox.

While this would usually be good news for an opening batsman like myself, his replacement is Tino Best, who I am told is supposed to be the fastest bowler in the Caribbean.

Newly appointed vice-captain Ramnaresh Sarwan returns after recovering from a finger injury and we know his presence will make a difference to our opponent.

The last two times we have played here at the Queens Park Oval, the results have been quick and decisive.

In 1995, West Indies inflicted a crushing defeat on us, while 1999 saw us bowl out the hosts for 51 in their second innings.

By the look of this pitch there will be another result in the next five days and we need to ensure it goes our way so that we can retain the Frank Worrell trophy for the fifth consecutive time.