Australia vs. West Indies, 3rd Test: Date, Time, Live Stream, TV Info, Preview

Australia round out their Test summer on home soil with the third and final match of the series against West Indies.

After recording comprehensive victories in Hobart and Melbourne, Steve Smith's side begin a busy 2016 at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) looking to seal a series sweep.

West Indies, meanwhile, get one final chance to record a first Test triumph on Australian soil since February 1997 before they return to the Caribbean.

Date: January 3, 2016

Time: 10:30 a.m. local (11:30 p.m.—January 2 GMT, 6:30 p.m.—January 2 ET)

Venue: Sydney Cricket Ground, Sydney, Australia

Live Stream and TV Info: Channel Nine (Australia), Sky Sport (New Zealand), Sky Sports (UK), Super Sport (South Africa), Now TV (UK—subscription required)

Weather: According to AccuWeather, the forecast is good for Day 1 of the match. However, there could be delays for the rest of the contest due to rain showers. Day 4 (if the match gets that far) does not look good. 

Overview

Rick Rycroft/Associated Press

Any concerns over a potential Ashes hangover for Australia have quickly disappeared thanks to four wins in five Test outings. (The other game was a draw against New Zealand.)

The series loss away in England seems like it was a long time ago, and now they are in Sydney looking to take care of a West Indies team that looks ripe for the picking.

The hosts have dominated the series so far. They have only lost 10 wickets combined in the two previous Tests, while they have bowled their opponents out twice in one-sided victories.

Nathan Lyon was the star turn with the ball in the win at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) last time out, taking seven wickets. 

The spinner could be set to have another slow bowler to work with at the SCG.

Left-armer Steve O'Keefe—who has previously made one Test appearance, against Pakistan in the United Arab Emirates in 2014—has been included in Australia's 13-man squad.

According to Andrew Faulkner of the Australian, coach Darren Lehmann dropped a rather large hint that there could be a change to the home team's bowling attack: "In the games we’ve been watching it’s been spinning. So I would say more than likely it’ll be two spinners."

There will certainly be no alterations to the batting lineup. 

Usman Khawaja marked his return from injury with a century and a half-century in his two knocks in Melbourne, while opener Joe Burns made 128 on Day 1 of the same match.

As for West Indies, a new year offers the chance for yet another fresh start.

They managed to win just one of their 10 Tests in 2015, while their last away victory in the longest format came in Bangladesh back in November 2012.

At least Jason Holder’s team did put up a bit more of a fight in the second Test.

When they ended Day 2 at the MCG on 91 for six in reply to Australia's mammoth total of 551 for three declared, a second successive defeat inside three days looked in the cards.

However, West Indies managed to last over 80 overs in both innings, a feat they had not achieved in an overseas Test since they faced England at Lord’s in May 2012, per statistician S Rajesh of ESPN Cricinfo.

It was a minor positive to take out of yet another negative result. 

Skipper Holder admitted his side are a work in progress before the second Test began, per Brydon Coverdale of ESPN Cricinfo: "It'll take time before we get the results we're looking for. We need to build and keep building. We need to put something on the table that we can build on. At the present time we've been fluctuating with a good performance here and then a bad performance there."

That good work needs to be carried on in Sydney, a venue where West Indies have not managed a Test win since 1961.

Key Players

Australia

Nathan Lyon spun Australia to victory with a day to spare in the second Test as he finished with match figures of seven for 151.

Surprisingly, though, the slow bowler doesn't have a good record in Sydney. Lyon has picked up just 10 wickets in four previous Test appearances at the SCG.

Still, the 28-year-old goes into the match off the most productive year of his Test career to date. He claimed 48 wickets in 13 Test matches in 2015 at an average of 28.72.

West Indies

Darren Bravo has battled against both his natural instincts and Australia's battery of fast bowlers during the first two Tests.

The left-hander averages 53.50 in the series and is still the only visiting player to register a century, having made 108 in Hobart. He threatened to reach three figures in Melbourne, too, only to run out of partners in West Indies' first innings.

Still, Bravo—who modelled his game on Brian Lara—has shown what can be achieved when you occupy the crease. He has faced a whopping 455 deliveries in the series so far.

Squads

Australia

Steve Smith (captain), David Warner, Scott Boland, Joe Burns, Josh Hazlewood, Usman Khawaja, Nathan Lyon, Mitch Marsh, Shaun Marsh, Peter Nevill, Steve O'Keefe, James Pattinson, Peter Siddle, Adam Voges.

West Indies

Jason Holder (captain), Kraigg Brathwaite, Devendra Bishoo, Jermaine Blackwood, Carlos Brathwaite, Darren Bravo, Rajindra Chandrika, Miguel Cummins, Shane Dowrich, Shai Hope, Denesh Ramdin, Kemar Roach, Marlon Samuels, Jerome Taylor, Jomel Warrican.

All stats used in the preview are from ESPN Cricinfo.