The beauty of sports is that there is no certainty about it. It is this sheer unpredictability which makes the world of sports such a fascinating spectacle. West Indies' stunning five-wicket win over hosts England in the second Test at Headingley on Tuesday belongs to one such instance. The Caribbeans were ambushed inside three days in the first-ever day-night Test in England in Birmingham and there was an avalanche of criticism following their meek surrender. However, the young West Indians under the much-criticized Jason Holder have fashioned an amazing turnaround that proves Test cricket is still alive and kicking in the Caribbean.
Apart from the two Twenty20 World Cup triumphs of 2012 and 2016, there has not been nothing much to cheer for the men from from the Caribbean islands in the past five years. Such has been their decline that the West Indies failed to secure a place in the recent ICC Champions Trophy played among the top-8 ODI teams. Their performances in Test cricket have been mediocre to say the least. It was amid such a pall of gloom that Holder and Co. pulled off a huge upset.
Shai Hope, who hit hundreds both innings, and Kraigg Brathwaite, with scores of 134 and 95, were the chief architects of the win. Shannon Gabriel and Kemar Roach had played their part by scalping four each to bowl out England for 258 on the opening day. However, it was the 246-run stand between Brathwaite and Hope which gave West Indies the hope after they had had slumped to 35/3 in their reply. The brilliant stand followed by cameos by Jermaine Blackwood (49) and Holder (43) meant the visitors secured a huge first innings lead of 169 runs.
However, the profligacy of the West Indian fielders meant England were able to find a way out of the hole and even declare their second innings at 490/8 on the fourth evening. Credit should be given to England captain Joe Root for the sporting declaration. Chasing 322, Brathwaite and Hope did the bulk of the scoring and their 144-run stand for the third wicket put the West Indies on the victory path on the final day.
Clive Lloyd's mighty West Indies had chased down 342 by nine wickets at Lord's in 1984, with Gordon Greenidge hammering an unbeaten 214, but there were doubts whether this young team could keep its nerve at the crunch. But once Brathwaite fell five short of a second hundred in the match, Roston Chase (30) and Blackwood (41) chipped in with vital knocks in the company of Hope.
The 23-year-old Hope showed admirable composure to take West Indies home under lights at Headingley. This stunning performance has given hope to cricket lovers across the globe that the West Indies could still be a force to reckon with in the longest format of the game, which is the ultimate test.
Read more: Sports | Cricket | Warner, Smith keep Australia alive against Bangla