5 positives for West Indies after the second Test

Cricket can be a great leveler. No better example than the second test between England and the Windies at Headingley, Leeds where, stunning everybody, they pulled off a fantastic chase of 322 runs to level the series 1-1.

This is the fifth win away from home for the Windies in tests since 2000 and more importantly, it’s their first win against England in tests in the last seventeen years. Such is the enormity of the achievement witnessed at Headingley, Leeds.

No one gave this team a chance even to draw the second test especially after losing a stunning nineteen wickets on the third day of the first test match and ending up losing the game by an innings and 209 runs.

What such a win does is it brings back some joy for the Windies fans and for a change they can shut down all the negativity coming from the critics as such was their outstanding performance at Leeds.

Here’s looking back at that win by analysing the positives for Windies:

Shai Hope

The biggest victory or positive for the Windies was the emergence of young Shai Hope and his arrival on the big stage. Hope showed superb amount of skill, determination, guts and patience in both the innings of the Leeds test match.

Nobody before Hope has scored centuries in both innings of a first class game in the 129 years at this stadium. It’s an astounding achievement where the young 23-year-old has entered the record books.

And what a game, what a stage to create history. The team was getting mocked at from everyone concerned, after their humiliating innings defeat in the first game. The batsmen where called school kids who couldn’t handle the English bowlers.

Amidst all this negativity, Hope scored centuries in both innings. Both times his confidence, elegance and patience was laudable. Against the likes of Stuart Broad, James Anderson, Moen Ali and Chris Woakes his batting stood out. His confidence was a treat to watch for the viewers.

Shai Hope batted a total of 464 balls in the test match and pleasantly these were his first two centuries for his country. In times were no one gives Windies too much of a chance in tests, they have unearthed a gem in this youngster.

And it was fitting that Hope carried his bat through in the historic chase of 322 runs and ended up being 118 not out. A truly exemplary performance considering the situation of Windies cricket and their first game debacle.

Hopefully, he will keep his head grounded and he can go to achieve more success for the Windies as he has shown the world that he’ no pushover and he’s here to stay for the long run.

Stuart Law’s coaching

West Indies coach Stuart Law has done a commendable job

Coaching an international team is not easy and it gets even tougher when you are coach of a team who were once champions and now can hardly compete against the big teams of the world.

Stuart Law must be appreciated for what he’s managed to achieve with this Windies team. They were battered, bruised and looked completely out of place post their shocking performance in Edgbaston. Nobody thought this team could win the next game, that too this emphatically.

Within a short span of time, Law has galvanised his troops, and some honest discussions with his team and built the self-confidence the team lacked especially after the first test match. Sometimes you just need someone to believe in your abilities when the chips are down and that’s the coach did.

One mustn’t forget that Stuart Law was the man behind the resurgence of Bangladesh cricket off late. He was the coach in their recent successes across all formats of the game. So he has been in such situations before and that knowledge came as a blessing for this Windies team.

More than everything he seems to have given freedom to his men and allowed them to express themselves. It could have been easy to go with the flow and submit to your fate, but Law believed in his men and it’s that strong belief which carried West Indies to a historic win at Edgbaston.

It takes a man with good skill and immense character to have managed to motivate and bolster the hapless Windies team. And what sufficed in the historic win will be remembered by cricket fans for a long time, as it was a victory of a team against all odds.

Stellar show of determination and character

One wouldn’t want to be in the Windies team of late especially with all the big stars neglecting the team due to contract issues with the WICB. That leaves the current crop of cricketers who lack experience, seem displaced in test cricket against quality oppositions.

And that was clearly evident with how they have been performing as a test team over the past few years, culminating in many ways with their hapless innings and 209 runs defeat in the first game of the series. They were written off by everyone and frankly there was nothing to take away from such a humiliating defeat.

In such psychological conditions where all the players have been bashed and criticised for the evident lack of interest causing some to seriously think of creating a two tier test system to accommodate such teams to be competitive.

One must appreciate this Windies team for their amazing display of courage, grit and stellar display of character. To put away all the negativity surrounding their performance they walked out confidently, played with flair and a belief one thought would have been lost.

To push an England team in their home conditions is no small achievement, but they dominated them for three days, only to be trashed and made to toil in the second innings. Chasing 322 to win, their character was put to the ultimate test and they came out the winners.

Their win opens up new horizons for test cricket as it makes it more interesting, more competitive and most importantly this Windies team have shown a never ever give up attitude which has won people’s hearts across the globe which is the biggest positive to take away from the win.

Kraigg Brathwaite

Although Shai Hope’s dual centuries grabbed all the headlines after the historic win, one must not forget the contribution of Kraigg Brathwaite in making sure Windies won the game despite chasing a stiff target of 322 runs.

He is more of a traditional test match opener who is more known for his defensive skills than his flamboyance. Brathwaite may not look attractive to the eyes but he possesses the right technique and patience required to be a successful test match opener.

He also batted 429 balls in a winning cause, and his partnership with Hope f 244 runs in the first innings and 146 runs in the second innings was instrumental in making sure Windies were able to get a big total in the first innings and most importantly were able to score 322 runs to win the test match.

He has been among the few positives coming out of the Windies test team over the past few years as he has been solid, and generally got crucial runs at the top of the order. In 39 tests he has scored 2584 runs at a good average of 37.14 and more importantly has 6 centuries to his name.

Shannon Gabriel

Shannon Gabriel is a reliable and destructive bowler

One thing which has taken Windies cricket to seriously embarrassing lows in recent times is the complete dearth of fast bowlers rising through their ranks. Despite that, there are few fast bowlers in this current Windies set up who can cause troubles and be a force to reckon with- one among them is Shannon Gabriel.

He has a good run-up and his strong arm action makes him a very bankable bowler for Jason Holder to have in his team. He has a very effective bouncer which surprises batsmen and he is among the very few Windies fast bowlers in recent years to touch 140 km/h on a frequent basis which is promising to see.

He is one bowler most captains would like to have in their team as he can bowl you long spells and get the important wickets as well.

In times where there seems to be no hope for Windies cricket and their future looks bleak, Gabriel offers some hope. A very talented bowler, he has bagged 66 wickets in 26 test matches with two 5 wicket hauls.

The Windies bowling attack lacked bite and hardly posed a threat to the English batsmen in the first test match. But with Gabriel’s inclusion , the bowling line up looked more potent and he along with Kemar Roach broke through the batting line up of England and proved too good for them.

The challenge for Windies, now, would be to manage the workload of the likes of Roach and Gabriel and if they manage that, they have two bowlers who have it in them to trouble most oppositions.