Such was West Indies’ performance in the first Test at Edgbaston that their bowling legend Curtly Ambrose, during an interview with the Daily Mail, had described the loss as “embarrassing” and lacking in pride.
Ambrose was just one of the several former players who had targetted Jason Holder & Co. after England trounced them inside by an innings and 209 runs inside 3 days.
Well, the Caribbean outfit could not have come up with a better response as it produced a brilliant chase to win a Test in England for the first time in 17 years with the series-leveling five-wicket victory in the thrilling match at Headingley. First innings centurions Shai Hope and Kraigg Brathwaite once again led the visitors’ strong reply with the bat as they chased down an improbable 322 on the final day of the match to earn a memorable win. Brathwaite, who had scored 134 in the first innings, missed his century in the second by just five runs by Hope after his 147-run effort in the first innings remained unbeaten on 118 to guide the tourists to one of their most memorable wins in the last decade or so.
Speaking after the match, Hope insisted his teammates really wanted to win the game after the debacle at Edgbaston where they were bowled out for 168 and 137.
“It was mainly about winning the game especially after the loss at Edgbaston knowing how much the fellas really wanted this win,” Hope said after the monumental win.
“You could see the fight and belief on the field. It’s good to be progressing I obviously want to score centuries for my team so we can win games. But it’s good to get the monkey off my back and do whatever I can to help the team win the game,” he added.
The win, nevertheless, has ended any doubts regarding the ability of the inexperienced West Indies team and Hope did not hesitate in acknowledging it as he said ‘ we knew we are good cricketers’ before insisting that the team needs to put up consistent performances.
“We know we are good cricketers,” gushed Hope. “History is history, You can’t change it. You have to look to build on the future.
“We have to be confident. We are Test cricketers for a reason and we know we have the ability. We have got to make sure we put that almost perfect performance together because we know it’s very hard to play the perfect game. We’ve got to try and put together as many good, consistent performances together in one game,” he added.
He further lauded Brathwaite for his efforts.
“I think we can all learn from Kraigg. He’s still young, yes but he’s played in many different places,” he said. “His strength is concentration and tries to keep it as simple as possible and that’s one thing we can all do as players whether batting or bowling.”