Forget what Ricky Ponting said about Australia dominating the first Test. The Aussies might have beaten the West Indies but the bottom line is it was far from convincing. With a little more luck and a few things going their way (such as if they had of batted first on a variable pitch), the Windies could have triumphed.  

The bad news for our Stuart MacGill series wicket-taking bet was that he bowled like a dud - the good news was he still managed to sneak four wickets to keep us in the running. You would hope MacGill would be a lot better in Antigua now he has a Test under his belt in his return from injury. There's been plenty of team news heading into the second Test - most importantly that Matthew Hayden is out of the entire series with a recurring tendon problem in his ankle. Hayden's absence was expected by those in the know and it means Simon Katich will hold onto the opening slot with Phil Jaques. With Michael Clarke returning from compassionate leave, Brad Hodge gets an unlucky chop from the side after batting well in the first Test.  

For the West Indies, captain Chris Gayle has been rated a 90 per cent chance to play in his return from injury while paceman Jerome Taylor comes back into the side from injury. In Mr Cricket's opinion, the team changes basically cancel each other out. Gayle is a big inclusion for the Windies, as is Taylor, but the importance of Clarke's return cannot be understated to the Aussie middle order. Don't forget the world champions were 5-18 in the second innings of the first Test so their top order is not guaranteed to bring runs like it once was.  

Paceman Fidel Edwards is the key for the West Indies and if he fires the Calypso side has a real winning chance because at times he was simply too quick and too good for the Australians at Sabina Park. And the Aussie top order is looking less than formidable without the imposing presence of Hayden to steer the ship. For the Aussies there are also major form queries over paceman Mitchell Johnson and (sadly) MacGill. 

For the Windies, the big question is whether they have the confidence and self-belief to finish the job when they find themselves on top of Australia. The second Test is the first being played at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium (known simply to locals as "The Viv'') in Antigua. The ground was built for the 2007 World Cup to replace the aging Recreation Ground in St Johns. One thing we can say with absolute certainty is the pitch will be a big factor in this game. There is much mystery hanging over the pitch given it is the first time it will have been seen in Test cricket. Having seen the pitch first hand - and listened to gossip from players - Mr Cricket is here to tell you that this will be a very different Test pitch. It is as hard as a rock and glistens like a one-day pitch - and that's because it is a one-day pitch! The word from the Australian dressingroom is that players are expecting the pitch to play exactly like a one-day surface. That means it will be an absolute batting belter on day one and possibly day two before crumbling and turning into a spinners paradise, a paceman's dream and a batsman's nightmare.  

One-day cricket pitches and made for exactly that ... one day. That will make this a very, very interesting match on days three, four and five and we would not be surprised if this pitch plays more tricks than a first-rate magician. The pitch factor - and the fact that both of these teams were a lot closer than most people would have thought - leads us to suggest you should wait until the toss before placing your bet. If the pitch plays as expected, the team batting first will have an enormous advantage. We think Australia are  good things if they bat first so the $1.46 looks good value (if they bat first). But if the West Indies bat first, the $7 you can get with many bookies on the West Indies is a terrific bet. The odds of the team that bats first will no doubt reduce slightly but we think you would be much better advised waiting until after the toss and plumping for the batting team. Make no mistake, the last Test showed that both teams could win. But we think the bat-first team will have a huge advantage here because we certainly wouldn't want to be batting last if this pitch is anything like it is forecast to be.