WINDIES TOUR OF ENGLAND 2017

Windies step up with stellar show of skill, grit, and above all, character

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All the while, Windies had history against them; only three times in 87 away Tests before this one, excluding those against Bangladesh and Zimbabwe, had they emerged victorious.
All the while, Windies had history against them; only three times in 87 away Tests before this one, excluding those against Bangladesh and Zimbabwe, had they emerged victorious. © AFP

Windies were written off as hopeless after the calamitous first Test at Edgbaston. Beaten in three days, it was the "worst team" to have arrived on these shores ever, said some. An embarrassment to Test cricket, said others, after Windies lost 19 wickets on the final day. Relegate them to a second division of Test nations, a few argued.

Not anymore.

This was a performance of skill, determination and, above all, character from Windies. In the brilliance of Kraigg Brathwaite and Shai Hope with the bat, the pace and aggression of Shannon Gabriel with the ball, the indefatigable over-after-over of captain Jason Holder, the tourists regained their pride and proved to England, to the world, and to themselves that they are a Test nation alright.

The final day at Headingley on Tuesday (August 29) was important for what it said about the character of the tourists. By pushing England for four days, they had already recovered from the Edgbaston debacle; they had already proved some people wrong. It would have been easy for them to capitulate, get bowled out cheaply, thinking they had done enough to garner some praise and head to Lord's with their heads held high.

Not for this Windies side. Not this week.

Chasing an improbable 321 runs to win or needing to bat 96 overs for the draw, their task was tough. But from the first ball, the tourists were determined to meet England's challenge head on. Brathwaite and Kieran Powell played with discipline early on as James Anderson and Stuart Broad roared in, swinging and seaming the ball. Later, when Shai Hope joined Brathwaite in a partnership of 144, they scored freely.

At Tea, they needed 123 runs to win with seven wickets in hand. Moeen Ali was spinning the ball and there would be a new cherry due for Anderson and Broad before the close. Where they had taken risks at Edgbaston and succumbed to pressure with a rash shot or three, at Headingley, Windies' batsmen accumulated steadily and everyone chipped in. Hope and Chase put on 49 and then Blackwood joined Hope to add another 74.

In the first innings of the match, Gabriel and Kemar Roach set the tone with the new ball. Gabriel's pace was discomforting and Roach's accuracy had improved from Edgbaston. Both bowlers bowled excellently for four wickets apiece. Holder raised his game too. They would have bowled England out for 250 in the second innings if the fielders had held their catches but generally this was a far more disciplined and purposeful effort by the bowlers.

"In the past we had formulated plans but we'd not been able to stick to them for long enough," said Holder. "I urged particularly the bowlers to be more consistent and patient. I thought Shannon was outstanding and Kemar, probably wasn't at his best in this game, but still did a really good job."

All the while, Windies had history against them; only three times in 87 away Tests before this one, excluding those against Bangladesh and Zimbabwe, had they emerged victorious. Sir Don Bradman's Invincibles in 1948 are the only team to have chased a bigger score to win a Test at Headingley. Windies had not won a Test match in England since 2001. That is all academic now.

This was not a blemish free performance by any means. Windies' catching was abysmal - it could have cost them the match - and some of Holder's captaincy, such as under-bowling legspinner Devendra Bishoo in England's second innings, was bizarre. There are a number of players who are not contributing with the bat and the bowlers still lack the stamina to make their dominance count.

Yet, this was a brilliant riposte to their critics. Windies are developing a young and talented side. It was clear to anyone who had seen their performances against Pakistan earlier this year that they were starting to gel, beginning to understand what's necessary at Test-match level. Edgbaston was a horror show, of that there is no doubt, but it was always unlikely to be a true reflection of their ability.

"It feels really good, especially after the game at Edgbaston. A lot of teams could have crumbled and not given England the fight we gave them," said Holder. "We had plenty of time to reflect. We were really hard on ourselves. It wasn't a situation where we could panic, we had to find solutions. We sat down as a team and had a really good meeting after Edgbaston and I could see most of the guys understood what was required of them. We needed to highlight areas where we went wrong and formulate plans for this game."

The surprise is that they improved so dramatically, so quickly. Head Coach Stuart Law said before this match that his side had had some honest conversations after the defeat in Birmingham and him and his staff had given them some pointers as to how to improve. Importantly for Windies' long-term prospects, the players seem to have heeded those words diligently and quickly. If they can continue to do so, they will continue to get better.

Law's impact should not be underestimated. During the Australian's time with Bangladesh as coach, Tamim Iqbal was full of praise for Law's impact and was surprised when he left his post. Law seems to be improving these young and vastly inexperienced players, guiding them well, ensuring they learn lessons from defeat. This was a quite brilliant Test match and a quite brilliant victory. They have done the Caribbean proud.

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