Having written last week about the poor performance of the West Indies cricket team in the opening Test, it is time to eat humble pie and praise them for their great and totally unexpected performance in beating England by five wickets in the Second Test at Headingley.
With Bangladesh defeating Australia it was quite a week for the underdogs.
Although it was a team effort, the Windies victory featured two outstanding performances from batsmen Shai Hope and Kraigg Brathwaite. It was the first time the Windies had won in England in 17 years and it was a thoroughly deserved, if unlikely, victory as they chased down the 322 runs needed on the final day to win in masterful fashion.
It was also a stunning contrast to their dismal display in the First Test which prompted so many pundits — and columnists — to write them off. Former England opener Geoff Boycott called them “the worst I have seen in more than 50 years”.
The most remarkable performance came from 23 year-old Hope, (not to be confused with his brother and teammate Kyle), who scored centuries in both innings, the first time ever achieved at Headingley. Amazingly, after two years of playing Test cricket, Hope arrived in England with a batting average of just 18. This is the stuff of dreams.
In the first innings Hope hit a stylish 147, following up in the second innings with an even more valuable 118 not out under tremendous pressure to guide his team home. Asked how he felt about his performance he said simply ”someone had to do it”.
Brathwaite also deserves accolades after almost matching Hope’s display. After hitting a cracking 134 in the first innings Brathwaite also looked like getting two centuries but was unfortunately caught on 95. In two memorable partnerships Brathwaite and Hope put on 246 in the first innings and 144 in the second.
Also worthy of mention is Jermaine Blackwood, one of the few successes in the First Test when he hit a defiant 79 not out in a losing cause. This time Blackwood came in at a crucial time in the second innings and produced a cavalier 41 before falling with the Windies on the brink of victory.
When Hope reached his second century with a scrambled single he had little time to celebrate as he had to concentrate on staying in to win the game, which is exactly what he did, fittingly scoring the winning runs.
The Guardian summed it up nicely: “This Test match is precisely why Test matches exist. A fascinating, fluctuating, thrilling experience of brilliance.”
Root may receive some criticism about declaring too early, but that would be unfair. Most observers thought he had made the right decision at the time. And with the score at 490-8 and the tailenders batting, England would probably only have added another 20 runs at most.
Root’s decision meant the Windies openers had to face six tricky overs before stumps. As it turned out Brathwaite and Kiernan Powell survived, giving their team an important foundation that would lead to their success the following day.
The England captain defended his decision. “In hindsight it is easy to say the declaration might not have been timed right,” he said. “But I thought last night it was the positive thing to do.” Most England supporters will hope this setback doesn’t make Root too cautious in future matches.
Root is not the first English captain to lose a game after declaring in the third innings of the match. Others who have met this fate are Kevin Pietersen. David Gower and Norman Yardley.
The reaction to the Windies victory was positive, even from English observers. Former England spinner Graeme Swann commented: “This is a heartwarming victory. I’m glad this has happened.”
Former England captain Michael Vaughan was also impressed: “It’s a remarkable turnaround and I’m so pleased for West Indies cricket."
Ex-Hampshire captain and commentator Mark Nicholas summed it up neatly with: “In all of West Indies cricket history nothing can have been quite so gloriously scatty, unlikely, improbable and impossible as the victory achieved by Jason Holder’s team.”
Something the Windies will have to work on however, is their fielding. In this Test they dropped seven catches, normally enough to sink any team, which makes their win all the more remarkable. England also had a case of the “dropsies" with Moen Ali fluffing a dolly and then the normally reliable Alistair Cook putting down Brathwaite when he was on four. The batsman went on to add another 91 runs.
Last week’s column concluded, “Hopefully the Windies will put on a much better showing in the next Test.” And didn’t they just! Now there is everything to play for at Lord’s next week.
While talking about cricket, congratulations to the Thai women’s team for winning the gold medal in the SEA Games in Kuala Lumpur this week.
One suspects the only reason cricket was included in the SEA Games was because the hosts, with their colonial background, thought they would win gold. But they overlooked the skills of the Thai team who beat Indonesia by 23 runs in the final. Playing in a T20 format, Thailand reached 109-7 and bowled Indonesia out for 86.
Over the years I have seen the Thai women’s team playing in Chiang Mai and can vouch they are the real deal. Their bowling is very tight, the batting is quite solid and their fielding top class. On several occasions in Chiang Mai I witnessed some superb catches.
Who would have thought it - Thailand winning a cricket tournament. Well done ladies.