Windies Humiliated by England Demolition Job
Men in maroon were no match on Test tour and suffered ignominious ‘whitewash’ defeat to old adversaries
Blink and it was over. The highly-anticipated mouthwatering whistlestop tour of England by the West Indies turned out to be a one-sided affair. And that love affair with Caribbean cricket appears to be over for many supporters.
There will surely be an inquest as to the dearth of cricket from the Windies, who failed to make it a truly competitive tour. Two of the three Tests were each completed in the space of three days.
No wonder the usual array of vocal fans who traditionally cheer on the Windies stayed away in their droves. This was a set of embarrassing contests, and had they been boxing matches then the referee would have stopped them early.
Fortunately the pain was short-lived as the West Indies were whittled out in all six innings, only once showing any grit at the crease, which resulted in three hefty Test defeats.
Following the opening Test debacle at Lord’s there was considerable improvement for the 2nd Test at Trent Bridge. But it was another slaying in the final Test at Edgbaston for the men in maroon with a 10-wicket defeat yesterday (28 July).
Yet it was not all doom and gloom for the tourists, as six batsmen scored a half century during the tour. Jayden Seales was named as the Windies player of the series with 13 wickets, at an average of 26.38, which included a milestone 50th Test wicket for the Trinidadian.
Lord’s, the home of cricket, was a woeful start to the Tour for the Windies. England powered their way to 371 all out and then demolished the tourists, who were whittled out for 121 and then 136, to seal success inside three days.
There was a glimmer of hope for a battle at Trent Bridge. After England were dismissed for 416, the Windies turned on the style at the crease to respond with a formidable 457 all out. Dominica duo Kavem Hodge (120) and Alick Athanaze (82) plus Trinidadian Joshua Da Silva (82no) were in the runs. England slugged it out in the middle to hit 425 in their second innings, then simply crushed the tourists by bowling them out for 143 to wrap up the series.
With only pride to play for in the final Test, the Windies failed miserably and once more tasted a humiliating reversal within three days. Things had looked reasonably promising at Edgbaston from the outset. Skipper Kraigg Brathwaite led by example with a solid knock of 61 as opener, and fellow Bajan Jason Holder scored 59 as the Windies reached 282 all out.
England appeared to be on the ropes in reply at 54-5 in the 12th over. It took a spirited fightback to finish on 376 all out. Joe Root (87), captain Ben Stokes (54), Jamie Smith (95) and Chris Woakes (62) all come to the rescue.
With the hosts inspired by their heroics with the bat, their bowlers tore through the West Indies’ second innings after opener Mikyle Louis (57) from St. Kitts was back in the pavilion with the score standing at 125-4. Apart from Hodge’s stoic knock of 55, the rest of the Caribbean batsmen looked hapless in the middle as the team crumbled to 175 all out.
Cricket West Indies (CWI) will surely have a rethink about who to select as squad members for the two-Test series and trio of T20 matches against visiting South Africa next month, with a quick fix urgently required.
Test captain Brathwaite admitted: “We have a lot to learn. It would be easy to give up and say ‘nah I can’t get it done’.
“We know where we have to improve, myself included, and we have to do our best. The key is to stay tough mentally, and believe in yourself.”
ENGLAND DEFEATED WEST INDIES 3-0
1st Test (Lord’s, London) | England won by an innings and 114 runs
England 371 all out (90 overs)
WI 121 all out (41.4 overs) & 136 all out (47 overs)
2nd Test (Trent Bridge, Nottingham) | England won by 241 runs
England 416 all out (88.3 overs) & 425 all out (92.2 overs)
WI 457 all out (111.5 overs) & 143 all out (36.1 overs)
3rd Test (Edgbaston, Birmingham) | England won by 10 wickets
WI 282 all out (75.1 overs) & 175 all out (52 overs)
England 376 all out (75.4 overs) & 87-0 (7.2 overs)
WEST INDIES v SOUTH AFRICA
7-11 August | 1st Test (Queen’s Park Oval, Trinidad & Tobago)
15-19 August | 2nd Test (Providence Stadium, Guyana)
23 August | 1st T20I (Brian Lara Cricket Academy, Trinidad & Tobago)
25 August | 2nd T20I (Brian Lara Cricket Academy, Trinidad & Tobago)
27 August | 3rd T20I (Brian Lara Cricket Academy, Trinidad & Tobago)
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