Image Credit: CricInfo.
Venue: Headingley, Leeds [August 25-29, 2017].
In the summer of 2017, the West Indies Cricket Team toured England to play 3 test matches, one T20 international and 5 ODIs. The first test of the series was supposed to be the historic day-night test [It turned out to be the first and only Pink-Ball Test played on English soil]. Hence, everyone was excited about it. Unfortunately the match turned out to be a one-sided affair, as the English won the match by an innings and 209 runs.
Losing by such margin is not an uncommon sight in test cricket. But what caught everyone's eye was the manner in which the Windies collapsed like a pack of cards [They lost a record 19 wickets in a single day of a test match]. This is something unexpected from any test side. Hence, there was criticism all over in regard to the playing style of the visitors. To make matters worse, the second test was scheduled to take place in Leeds, which is considered a fortress of English cricket.
England captain Joe Root won the toss and decided to bat first on a bright sunny morning in Yorkshire. However, the Windies came out strong this time and kept on picking up wickets at regular intervals. At one stage the England scorecard read 152/6, and the chances of crossing 200 looked bleak. However, this is when Ben Stokes scored a magnificent 100 and took his team to a fighting score of 258. Apart from Stokes, Captain Root scored a gritty half-century while other English batsmen struggled in front of the Caribbean pace attack. The duo of Roach and Gabriel picked up 4 wickets each as Windies now looked on to take a lead in the test match.
Unfortunately, they lost 3 quick wickets at the top, and it seemed nothing had changed from Birmingham. However, this is when the duo of Kraigg Brathwaite and Shai Hope stitched a massive partnership of 246 runs and took their team to a respectable position. Brathwaite scored 134, whereas Hope scored 147 as the visitors took a vital first innings lead. The Windies were eventually bowled out for 427, with England now pushed onto the back foot. It is pertinent to note that apart from James Anderson, who picked up 5 wickets, other bowlers struggled to get help from the bowling-friendly conditions of Leeds.
The hosts had a mountain to climb, and this is when every English batsman came into the rescue. Though none of their batsmen were able to get to the three figures mark, 6 half-centuries made sure that they reached a massive total of 490. The lead was now 321 runs, and Captain Joe Root felt it was enough and hence decided to declare. The visitors now needed 322 runs on the final day to win the match and keep the series alive. On the other hand, the hosts needed 10 wickets to wrap up the match and the series.
To be honest, no one gave any chance to the West Indies. Batting on the 5th day of a test match is tough anywhere in the world. Moreover, chasing a score of 322 runs in fast bowler-friendly conditions of Headingley was going to be nothing short of Mission Impossible. Everyone expected that the duo of Anderson and Broad will finish off the test match in a single session. But this is when Shai Hope played the innings of his life and did something which was not supposed to happen. The Windies chased down 322 runs with 5 wickets in hand and levelled the series 1-1. The duo of Hope (118*) and Brathwaite (95) once again took the sting out of the English attack and took Windies closer to the target. Brathwaite was unlucky, as he missed onto his hundred, but Hope stayed till the very end and finished the match in style. The Headingley erupted with joy when the winning runs were hit. Mind you the test match was being played in Leeds and not Jamaica. But it was such a moment that, irrespective of the nationalities, everyone felt happy and joyous when the target was chased and the match was won by the Caribbeans. After a horrendous show in Birmingham, the Windies were up and kicking in Leeds.
Shai Hope was awarded the man of the match award for his hundreds in both innings of the test match, as the visitors won their first test on English soil since 2000. The series was levelled 1-1 as the action now shifted to the home of cricket for the final test of the summer.
To watch the Highlights of the Test Match, Click Here-
To see the Match-Winning Innings of Shai Hope, Click Here.
To read more about the First Test, Click Here.
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