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With the odds stacked against them and the unfriendly weather, they had persevered through the morning and afternoon.
A Test match can sometimes be likened as a tug of war. When one team shows off their strength and takes the lead in the game, the other team digs in and begins to crawl the rope back towards them. West Indies may have crumbled into an awkward heap at the finish, but they had caused England to struggle and perspire the entire way, even going so far as to threaten England’s chances of winning the match.
After being defeated in just seven sessions at Lord’s, nobody offered them an opportunity to compete on equal terms. In retrospect, few would argue that the West Indies had much chance of chasing 385 to win in this fourth innings. However, it didn’t appear to be finalised for England either, as Joe Root attempted to extract as many additional runs as he could from the tail.
With the new ball, England once more prevented early triumph as the chase got underway in a confident attitude. Before the game, Kraigg Brathwaite had urged his players to “find a way” with the bat, and he calmly drove Chris Woakes through cover point for four runs in the opening over.
The West Indies openers shared a fifty-run partnership for the second time during the game, marking the first time they had done so in England since 1991, as Brathwaite blasted away at a run a ball.
Thirty minutes into an extra evening session, which was scheduled to see 48 overs bowled, came the refreshments break. West Indies were 61 runs up without a loss, and they looked to be creating a strong foundation for themselves going into the fifth day of play. Who knows, maybe history may be created against an offensive that is playing together for the first time on a flat pitch?
On this one, though, it seems the doubters were correct. The turnaround was as quick and cruel as it gets in cricket, when three and a half days of hard work can be undone in 23.1 overs of spiralling insanity. A kick to the belly at the very moment when West Indies supporters could have dared to hope.
One brutal juxtaposition summed up a Test in which the West Indies batting seemed to take a giant step forward. Their highest Test total since 2014 was 457 in the first innings at Trent Bridge, helped along by a century from Kavem Hodge, but they were bowled out for the first time in a session for the first time since 2013.
Brathwaite felt compelled to construct blocks out of the debris. For his team, the upcoming months represent a unique opportunity for focused cricket, as they have a third Test match against England before trips to the Caribbean by Bangladesh and South Africa.
The high learning curve is the issue facing the West Indies. Next week at Edgbaston, all that’s left to play for is pride (and World Test Championship points) as the Richards-Botham Trophy is back in English hands. However, as the supporters in the Radcliffe basement would attest, pride is a serious matter. It’s time to rise, take a stand, and give them something worthwhile to sing about once more.