Shaun Marsh completes a welcome half-century in an attritional beginning to the third session. His place in the side has been under scrutiny for a while now. A patient innings from him. It will be great if he can kick on make it a big one. West Indies have begun the final session with spinners from both ends. Kraigg Brathwaite is rolling his arm over with lead spinner Jomel Warrican.

The over-rate has been bad. Holder ill need them to operate for a while to avoid fine.

Hello and Welcome to the first day's play of the Australia - West Indies series. This series gets underway at Hobart. Australia start this on the back of a 2-0 win against New Zealand while West Indies arrive with a defeat by a similar scoreline in Sri Lanka.

The build up to the first Australia-West Indies Test in Hobart has lacked the usual fervour for a series played during the festive summer in Australia. The touring West Indies, for all their rich history in the sport, aren't the same team that famously denied Allan Border, the legendary Australian skipper, a single series win during his career - spanning through the eighties until 1994. If anything, West Indies' ten-wicket defeat in a tour game against a Cricket Australia XI last week has only served to educe ticket prices at the Bellerive Oval.

The dwindling fortunes of West Indies cricket have been very well documented in the recent years. Shockingly, the Caribbeans have lost 80 of their 132 Tests against the top-eight nations in the millennium since their win at Lord's in 2000. Despite the negative surroundings, Jason Holder has put on a brave front to the media and believes his side can do more than ruffle a few feathers in the Australian camp. Holder's side did run Australia close in Dominica earlier this year and but for the inexplicable batting implosions, should have picked up a win in Sri Lanka as well.

Steven Smith has won the toss and Australia will bat. A good toss to lose for West Indies perhaps? They'll get to start with their stronger suit. Kemar Roach and Jerome Taylor wouldn't mind bowling here in Hobart. It's a little overcast and the ball should nip around a bit in the first session. If West Indies can prize out Warner and Smith early, they have a relatively weaker middle-order to go through.

West Indies (Playing XI): Kraigg Brathwaite, Rajendra Chandrika, Darren Bravo, Marlon Samuels, Jermaine Blackwood, Denesh Ramdin(w), Jason Holder(c), Kemar Roach, Jerome Taylor, Jomel Warrican, Shannon Gabriel

Australia (Playing XI): David Warner, Joe Burns, Steven Smith(c), Adam Voges, Shaun Marsh, Mitchell Marsh, Peter Nevill(w), Peter Siddle, James Pattinson, Josh Hazlewood, Nathan Lyon

15 of the 19 scoring shots have been boundaries. Let that sink in for just a bit. That's an indication how the West Indies bowlers have been all over the place. Full deliveries have been driven through the infield, the short ones haven't risen enough and have been swatted away. Warner has just picked Roach for three successive boundaries forcing Holder into bringing himself and Shanon Gabriel on.

Opening spells for West Indies:

Taylor - 4-0-25-0Roach - 4-1-33-0
Taylor - 4-0-25-0Roach - 4-1-33-0

A big let off for David Warner. Kemar Roach produces a classical away swinger eliciting a tentative poke from Warner. The outside just about misses the outstretched arm of Denesh Ramdin. Gosh! How many such chances will you get Windies? The start from Roach and Taylor, though, has been largely good. The outfield is electric. If the openers get the ball through the infield, as they have done on a couple of occasions, there'll be runs for the taking.

Key Update: Not much swing there!

West Indies' new-ball bowlers have been all over the place. This must be infuriating for Curtly Ambrose. After all his animated pre-match pep talk. Roach, in particular, has bowled a flurry of half-volleys that have been driven to the fence by Burns. In Roach's defense, he did have that catch dropped off him. But the subsequent lengths have no excuse. This could get ugly for West Indies.

Australia have 37 from 5 overs!