Windies pulled off a sensational victory over England in the second Test at Headingley, Leeds as they chased down 322 on the last day. Former England captain and cricket commentator Michael Atherton said it was the biggest upset in the all the cricket that he has seen.
After a crushing defeat by a margin of an innings and 209 runs, not too many would have given Windies a chance to win the next match. But the young side led by Jason Holder scripted a historic win. Atherton reckons it was one of the great modern day Test matches.
“A resurrection… of a once-proud cricketing nation fallen on hard times. This was one of the great modern Test matches, one that produced a truly astonishing result,” wrote Michael Atherton in his column in The Times.
“In my time watching, playing and commentating on Test cricket I cannot think of a bigger upset when taking into account the low expectations for a team with a horrendous away record who had subsided to a three-day defeat only the week before,” he added.
Brathwaite and Hope represent the future
The two major influence in the victory for the visitors were Kraigg Brathwaite and Shai Hope. Brathwaite scored 134 in the first innings and 95 in the second. On the other hand, Hope made 147 in the first innings and the match-winning 118 during the chase. On both occasions, the duo bailed the side out of trouble and scripted a majestic victory.
“No one gave West Indies a prayer before the match, nor before the last day. These two players, 24 and 23 years of age respectively, represent the future of West Indies cricket and, on this evidence, greener pastures lie ahead. Brathwaite will become a high-class accumulator, but Hope has the chance to be even better than that, stylish and fluent as he is,” Atherton added.
