Australia v West Indies - day one of the first Test in Hobart

Live updates from Bellerive Oval as Australia take on the West IndiesEmail: rob.smyth@theguardian.com | Twitter: @robsmyth0

11.43pm GMT

2nd over: Australia 12-0 (Burns 2, Warner 8) David Warner has mixed memories of Hobart, where he produced a futile masterpiece against New Zealand in 2011. That was the first of his 15 Test hundreds, 11 of which have been scored in two years since the start of the 2013-14 Ashes.

Kemar Roach also starts with a no-ball. His second legitimate delivery is full and wide; Warner does what Warner does, crunching it through extra cover for four. Roach is 27 now, although it only feels like a few weeks ago that he was roughing Ricky Ponting up.

11.36pm GMT

1st over: Australia 3-0 (Burns 2, Warner 0) Jerome Taylor, a fine bowler who skittled England for 51 six years ago, will take the first over. He starts with a no-ball, though he will be more interested in the fact that it swung. The rest of the over is very promising for the West Indies: Taylor has it moving both ways, and Burns offers no stroke to a ball that comes back and bounces not far over the stumps. Then he steers an awayswinger to third man for two to get off the mark.

@robsmyth0 man, all this naysaying about the windies. They hardly won't be worse than Proteas in the last tests, righto?

11.28pm GMT

Kemar Roach and Jerome Taylor should get the ball to do a bit this morning. Though maybe not this much.

11.19pm GMT

“I have to say I fear for the West Indies in this series,” says Phil. “If they play half as badly as they did in the warm up game, a match played against what was basically a team of schoolboys, then all sorts of records will be in danger. In the best interests of the sport I hope I’m wrong.”

11.14pm GMT

Aussie win toss -Bat Patto in. @westindies Taylor, Roach,Holder should enjoy bowling on grassed hard pitch #AUSvWI pic.twitter.com/H2C0fDyB3h

11.14pm GMT

James Pattinson returns to Test cricket for the first time since that unforgettable win over South Africa in March 2014. He replaces the injured Mitchell Starc.

Australia Burns, Warner, Smith (c), Voges, S Marsh, M Marsh, Nevill (wk), Pattinson, Siddle, Hazlewood, Lyon.

11.03pm GMT

It could be a long day for the West Indies, although their talented pace attack – the strongest part of the side – might enjoy themselves this morning on a slightly green pitch.

11.01pm GMT

Hello. Ironic celebration of the 1990s is a popular pastime these days, but one or two things really were better at the end of the 20th century: music, film, life. And Test cricket. We didn’t realise it at the time – the but the 1990s was a golden age of Test cricket. Pretty much every country had a superb new-ball pair; legspin was back, better than ever; a number of all-time great batsmen emerged or established themselves; and the balance between bat and ball was almost perfect.

The pinnacle of so much wonderful Test cricket was the battle for supremacy between Australia and the West Indies. It was so good that it made some of us in England get up early before school to watch it on Teletext. The story arc was cinematic to the point of cliche: Australia’s upstarts were taught a lesson in 1990-91, came heartbreakingly close to dethroning the West Indies in 1992-93, and then finally did so two years later. They confirmed their position as world No1 in 1996-97, then just about escaped with a draw in a staggering series two years later, when Brian Lara played the greatest of his many great innings.

1.12am GMT

Pre-preamble Rob Smyth will be here shortly to take you through the early stages in Hobart but in the meantime, check out Tim Wigmore’s fascinating account of the current struggles in West Indies cricket or perhaps Russell Jackson’s chat with Southern Stars all-rounder Ellyse Perry. There’s also Andy Bull’s Spin column, which takes a look at the perverse pleasure of slow cricket.

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