It was a long wait but the end was rewarding. Cricket got just the advertisement it needed in its much-anticipated return as England and West Indies played out a thrilling Test in Southampton. The match ended in the final session of the fifth day, and it was Jason Holder’s men who notched up a victory worth remembering.
There’s a lot riding on this series. It took a great amount of courage from the Windies camp and the promise of a bio-secure bubble to green light this tour. With the T20 World Cup and Indian Premier League among the big tournaments waiting in the wings, a safe completion of the three matches will be a huge win for the sport.
All eyes heading into the first Test were on what the new normal looks like. The most glaring change, of course, was the absence of spectators. And the empty stands did take some time getting used to.
Another big adjustment is the ban on the use of saliva to shine the ball. To the players’ credit, there wasn’t any instance of this rule being broken. The ball was rubbed on the back every now and then in search of some extra moisture, which isn’t really a common sight, but that was about it. The effect created by the absence of saliva on the movement of the ball is something that will have to be gauged over a period of time.
Then there was the additional review given to both teams which, in hindsight, was a smart move by the International Cricket Council. Umpires Richard Kettleborough and Richard Illingworth seemed rusty, to put it mildly, and DRS was used extensively to get correct decisions.
Moving on to the cricket itself, the visitors can be proud of the performance they put in. They were hungry and relentless from start to finish. The first game of a three-Test series is always crucial and it’ll be the hosts who’ll be playing catchup now.
Here’s a look at some of the key talking points from the match:
Holder trumps Stokes
It was the big matchup. Captain versus captain. The battle between the two highest-ranked allrounders in Test cricket. And it was Holder who put in a performance that justifies his position at the top of the tree. This isn’t to say that Ben Stokes had a poor match. Stepping in for regular skipper Joe Root, who is away for the birth of his child, he impressed with both bat and ball.
The gorgeous drives Stokes hit in both innings served another reminder of his class. Perhaps, they were particularly refreshing considering the not-so-pleasing techniques of several batsmen in this England side. The star allrounder, however, will be unhappy with himself for not carrying on after getting to scores of 43 and 46 in the two innings.
With the ball, too, Stokes did reasonably well and picked up six wickets in the match. But he couldn’t land the killer blow, which is something one can’t say for Holder. The Windies captain led the way for his team right till the end.
One of Jofra Archer’s biggest strengths is his ability to surprise batsmen with his pace. The England fast bowler seems to amble in before hurrying batsmen on a regular basis. It is this element of surprise that’s a key attribute of Holder’s bowling as well. Just like Archer, he jogs towards the crease in the most unthreatening manner but his deliveries end up doing a lot more than expected. He releases the ball from a ridiculous height, can swing the ball late and both ways, and also gets the extra bounce.
Holder’s six-wicket haul in England’s first innings set up the match for his team. He ran through the hosts’ middle order with an incredible exhibition of swing and seam bowling. The majestic delivery that got Stokes will be spoken of for years to come. And with the bat as well, he made up for missing out in the first innings by being composed and unbeaten in the second.
Inexperienced English batting
Five of the top seven batsmen for England – Rory Burns, Dom Sibley, Joe Denly, Zak Crawley and Ollie Pope – have played a combined 51 Test matches. That inexperience was there for all to see in Southampton.
The hosts were playing catch-up the moment they were reduced to 87/5 in their first innings. The second innings saw them put up a better performance, with Sibley and Crawley getting half-centuries, but none of the batters could convert their starts into big scores.
Even the manner in which their top-order batsmen got dismissed will worry England. There were inside-edges on to the stumps, leaves offered to straight balls and simple catches handed after getting starts.
The over-dependence on Stokes was evident, with Jos Buttler out of sorts as well, and England would hope their youngsters start making the most of the chances offered to them. A quick comeback from Root will help as well.
Gabriel and Co deliver
Shannon Gabriel was declared the player of the match and rightly so. The right-arm quick was superb in both innings, picking four wickets in the first and five in the second. As Kemar Roach played the holding role, it was Gabriel who attacked and put the English batsmen on the back foot. The fact that six of the nine wickets he took in the match were either bowled or LBW shows just how aggressive he was.
Overall, West Indies’ bowling attack of Gabriel, Holder, Roach, Roston Chase and Alzarri Joseph used the dry Southampton pitch to greater effect. As far as England were concerned, the big decision by them was to leave out the experienced Stuart Broad. They relied on the pace of Mark Wood to do damage but the right-arm quick could manage just a wicket each in both the innings.
James Anderson had a quiet game as well by his standards. He did his thing, moved the ball around, hit the right spots and beat the bat a bunch of times. But England needed more from him. The most successful fast bowler in Test cricket was impressive in the first innings and returned with a three-for, but he went wicket-less when his team needed him desperately on the final day.
England’s standout performance with the ball came from Archer in West Indies’ second innings. The Barbados-born pacer was devastating with the new ball and his opening burst was the only real glimmer of hope for his team. Although it must be said that young off-spinner Dom Bess showed promise as well. The 22-year-old has a wonderful action, he isn’t afraid to toss it up, and gets good drift and turn. Definitely a talent worth looking forward to.
Brilliant Blackwood
West Indies were 27/3 when Jermaine Blackwood walked out to bat on Sunday. They needed 173 more runs to win with Archer and Co smelling blood. Not many would’ve backed Blackwood to get the job done. The right-hander had thrown his wicket away with a loose shot in the first innings and has a reputation of going for his shots no matter the situation. The visitors needed a calm hand at that point.
Blackwood, though, knew better and he went on to deliver just the right knock for his team. After a streaky start in which he edged the ball several times, he settled in and played some excellent, audacious strokes. His use of the uppercut was particularly impressive and his innings was a counterattack that took the hosts by surprise. The 28-year-old was the highest run-scorer in West Indies’ domestic championship and he repaid the faith the selectors put in him by providing a match-winning performance of 95 runs off 154 balls.
England will definitely rue the fact that they gave Blackwood three chances early on. Wicketkeeper Buttler dropped a catch down the leg side he should’ve taken when the right-hander was on 20. Soon after, he was given two more lives at 29. First, Zak Crawley missed a sure-shot run-out chance after fumbling the ball at cover as Blackwood and Chase got stranded together in the middle of the pitch. Rory Burns then let a thick edge go straight through him at short gully.
It can be argued that England would’ve won the match had any of these three chances been taken. Blackwood’s knock was the clincher.
You can watch highlights of the match below:
