At the start of this Test series, there seemed to be some controversy surrounding the omission of opening batsman Chris Gayle from the West Indies team.
Stories circulated about the tall Jamaican missing the domestic final against Barbados for a lucrative tournament in St Lucia.
 If he gets his head right, this kid could be anything Steve Waugh on Chris Gayle |
His exclusion from the first Test in Guyana was the root of heated discussion here in the Caribbean, especially among anyone with Jamaican blood.
We were neutral in our thoughts on the matter.
Having played against him in 1999, our memories were of a lanky young boy who wanted to hit every ball as hard as he possibly could.
He was very raw and we couldn't really understand why there was so much heated feeling about the matter.
That is until we lost the toss to the Vice Chancellor's XI at the Three W's ground in Barbados last Saturday.
By lunch, he had shown in no uncertain terms that he had not only developed his cricket over four years, but that he was hungry and determined to regain his place as the opening batsman in the Test team.
I can't remember seeing a player hit the ball so hard or so far.
Tall and strong, he stood upright and flayed the ball to all parts of the boundary.
His score of 131 was so impressive that Steve Waugh whispered at one point: "If he gets his head right, this kid could be anything."
Obviously impressed, the West Indies selectors named Gayle in the squad for Thursday's third Test at Kensington Oval in Barbados and we will be doing our homework in readiness for his presence at the crease.
 Yours truly on the beach with team-mate Andy Bichel |
The last three days provided valuable preparation.
Stuart MacGill took 10 wickets in the game. He was spinning the ball at right angles and bamboozling the batsmen from the Vice Chancellor's team in the process.
Superstar Glenn McGrath was back in action and his return to the Test team will be welcome.
Having not bowled a ball since the World Cup final, it took Glenn a couple of days to find his rhythm and loosen up his body, but as with all great players he was back to his best before long.
During his first few spells we were giving him a hard time about the pace, or rather lack of pace, at which he was bowling.
But, taking it on the chin, he kept soldiering on, preparing himself for the big game which was less than a week away.
Thankfully his wife Jane, who had a scare with cancer, is receiving treatment and the news from home is positive.
It is always better scoring runs in the middle than in the nets and on that score I was happy to share in a 200-run partnership with Jimmy Maher.
Because of the heavy schedule over the last nine months, the Australian selectors decided Adam Gilchrist should rest from this practice game.
As a result, they chose Jimmy so that he could keep wicket and then stay on for the one-day games in two weeks time.
 Maher's innings showed none of us can rest on our laurels |
Not only did he keep well, but he also scored his maiden first class century for Australia. Talk about making the most of an opportunity.
He batted beautifully, reminding us batsmen once again of the incredible depth of talent on the fringe of the team, waiting and working for an opportunity to show off their talents in the Test side.
It is wonderful being in Barbados again.
The atmosphere is relaxing but also exhilarating and there is nowhere in the world where people are more passionate about the game of cricket.
MMIX
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