BRISBANE, Australia (CMC) – Haunted by 15 years of failure against the World champions, West Indies will seek to overcome their recent history of under-achievement when they face Australia in the opening game of the three-Test series at the Gabba tonight, Caribbean time.

Not since Richie Richardson led his side to a 2-1 win in the 1992/93 series has Windies tasted a series success against the hosts and they will be redoubling the efforts to rid themselves of the nightmare that has followed them.

As expected, Australia start the series as favourites with the bookmakers having installed them at heavy odds to win the series, which also sees Tests in Adelaide and Perth later this month.

West Indies, meanwhile, have had their chances virtually written off and based on their performance against Queensland Bulls in their only warm-up match last week, they will be hard-pressed to deny the Australians.

They are coming off a bruising contracts impasse which decimated the regional side, forcing an inexperienced second-string squad to contest the Bangladesh series and travel to the ICC Champions Trophy in South Africa.

The dispute left the top-tier players short of international match practice, but more significantly, with deep wounds to heal following their return to the side that includes players from the squad who opted to play during the strike.

Coach David Williams yesterday said uniting the squad would prove to be their main weapon against the rampant Aussies.

“We have come together here as a team and the team spirit is very good. Even before we left the Caribbean we knew what to expect and we had discussions which outlined what would be required,” he explained.

“Australia is a tough place to play cricket for visiting teams and we know we have to work hard and work for each other. We have no problems at all. At the end of the day we are looking for good performances and looking to beat the Australians.”

They have been boosted by the return of talismanic captain Gayle who touched down on Aussie soil on Tuesday, a mere 24 hours ahead of the game, after rushing back from Jamaica where he was attending to his sick mother.

Gayle left last week Wednesday to return home after receiving news his mother was gravely ill. His presence is a welcome boon as he is one of just three batsmen in the team with more than 80 Tests, and is crucial to the Windies’ top order.

He is calculated to have travelled 44,517 kilometres in the last 11 days, but Williams played down any effect the excessive travel would have on the 29-year-old opener.

“It’s going to be very important for us to have him here. As everyone knows he’s a key member of the side,” Williams said.

“He should be all right. it’s up to him, how he feels when he gets up, how he feels on the morning of the game, we’re just hopeful he’ll be ready in time.”

The match could see a debut for teenager Adrian Barath who is likely to partner Gayle at the top of the order following his stylish half-century against Queensland. Travis Dowlin, who scored a century in two Tests against Bangladesh, could miss out.

West Indies will lean heavily on their middle order comprising the experienced duo of Ramnaresh Sarwan and Shivnarine Chanderpaul, and the unflappable Australia-born Brendan Nash.

While Sarwan averages just 32 in 12 Tests against the Aussies, Chanderpaul boasts an impressive 48.40 in 15 matches and will be key to a big West Indies total.

Nash, meanwhile, has never played against the land of his birth but has proven his worth already in the lower order with an average of 38 from nine Tests.

West Indies have been saddled with an inexperienced bowling attack and will depend on fast bowler Jerome Taylor to bear the brunt, especially with regular pace partner Fidel Edwards absent.

Twenty-five-year old pacer Ravi Rampaul will be expected to make his debut, with Barbadian speedster Kemar Roach poised to take the new ball with Taylor.

Australia, meanwhile, will be looking to start positively following their Ashes loss to England during the summer.

While they possess a relatively inexperienced unit, captain Ricky Ponting said he did not expect this to be a factor.

“[For] most of the guys now, it’s not so much about being that inexperienced anymore, because a lot of the guys have played in a few Tests and some big Test matches,” said Ponting.

“We’ve had our ups and downs, we’ve had our moments when we’ve been really tested and sometimes we haven’t been able to cope with what has come our way. But for this summer… we want to start on the right note.”

TEAMS:

AUSTRALIA – Ricky Ponting (captain), Doug Bollinger, Michael Clarke, Brad Haddin, Nathan Hauritz, Ben Hilfenhaus, Mike Hussey, Mitchell Johnson, Simon Katich, Marcus North, Peter Siddle, Shane Watson.

WEST INDIES – Chris Gayle (captain), Adrian Barath, Sulieman Benn, Dwayne Bravo, Shiv Chanderpaul, Narsingh Deonarine, Travis Dowlin, Brendan Nash, Denesh Ramdin, Ravi Rampaul, Kemar Roach, Darren Sammy, Ramnaresh Sarwan, Jerome Taylor, Gavin Tonge.

Umpires: Asad Rauf, Ian Gould; TV – Mark Benson.