Hyderabad: The recently concluded Test match between England and West Indies marked the return of international cricket -- and what a way it was to resume the gentleman's game -- with Jason Holder-led outfit staging an upset of sorts by pulling off a famous 4-wicket win at Ageas Bowl against the much-fancied British team.
Interestingly, the tournament opener between England and West Indies, stamped the return of 'game of fame' after an almost four-month hiatus when the Covid-19 pandemic first hit in March.
Everything about this series was unique, be it players from both the sides getting quarantined for 14 days or practising in the bio-secure environment. The match also started on a touching note with both English and Windies players taking a knee in support of the 'Black Lives Matter' movement.
West Indies and England players took a knee before the start of the match. And then there was rain -- something we rarely miss about cricket -- to delay the return a bit more longer.
Even though just 17.4 overs bowled on the first day, it was not less than perfect. It was like a teaser of how cricket is going to be post COVID-19 pandemic.
Going down the line when people will talk about the resumption of cricket during a pandemic, they will remember, England lost their first wicket before taking their first run. The cricket enthusiasts across the globe will also remember the mercurial that Jermaine Blackwood is. The man who drove West Indies to a famous victory and in the process scripted history.
It is the first time when West Indies have taken a lead in an away series against a major opponent. The last time when Windies was 1-0 up against Three Lions in their backyard was 20 years ago at Edgbaston. Before that, it was in 1995 and then who can forget Viv Richards' 1988 unit that took the lead and then went on to win the series. It was also the last time when Windies have manage to outclass the English team on their home-soil. And now, the Jason Holder-led outfit has invoked the possibility of a repeat of West Indies' 1988 miracle in millions in the Caribbean.
Before the start of this series, questions were raised over West Indies batters ability to face the likes of James Anderson and Jofra Archer in the English conditions. And boy, did they prove everyone wrong?
The cricket pundits were expecting Windies bowlers to do well, but their batsmen were the one who stole the limelight under pressure, with Blackwood emerging as a surprising hero. During West Indies' first innings, Blackwood was the only player who threw his wicket.
For a moment after watching Blackwood's dismissal, the viewers asked why was he picked in the first place. It was Blackwood's 29th red-ball match and he was already dropped six times by CWI. But the 27-year-old proved everyone wrong with his breathtaking batting display in the second innings and in the process he has cemented his place for the second Test.
Blackwood was dropped a couple of times by English cricketers who had forgettable 30 minutes post lunch. There is not much room for error when you are defending a total of 199. And there was also this staggering fact that the Windies have won 55 out off 61 games while chasing a target of 200 or less in the last innings of a Test match.
Stuart Broad and Ben Stokes. During Windies' second innings, the much-fancied England team were probably ruined by the absence of Stuart Broad as barring Jofra Archer, no English bowler was able to capitalise on the home conditions.
Archer was the only player, who was bowling with venom on the dry pitch of Southampton. He even bagged two early wickets and for a split second, English fans believed, the Barbadian-born cricketer might lead them to victory. Archer even did well with the bat. Even though he just scored 23 runs, but his partnership with Mark wood was crucial for the English team. However, after Wood's departure, he may have felt stranded. Man of the Match Shannon Gabriel took the final two wickets for Windies to bowl out England for 313.
On Sunday morning, the lead of 199 looked like a mammoth task after Archer's first spell. His first delivery struck in the foot of John Campbell, who limped off soon afterwards. The 25-year-old pacer then dispatched Kraigg Brathwaite and Shamarh Brooks in consecutive overs. And then Wood joined the part by removing Shai Hope to leave the visitors reeling at 27 for three with one injured batsman.
But after that Roston Chase and Blackwood joined hands to stabilise Windies innings. The duo added 73 runs and during that time stand-in England skipper Ben Stokes did tried almost everything to break their partnership. He shuffled his bowlers, and for a moment the viewers must have felt, that Stokes was a little reluctant to bowl himself.
Archer once again came handy for Stokes as he produced a perfectly controlled bouncer to removed Chase. Shane Dowrich looked uncomfortable while facing English pacer but he managed to accompany Blackwood for 17 overs. Dowrich was caught off at the slip-on Stokes bowling but that turned out to be no-ball. But Dowrich was not able to take advantage of the dropped chance as he was removed on the very next ball.
Windies still needed 32 runs to win that game when the ball started to swing a bit but it was a quite late as the visitors manage to win that game by four wickets.
Even though favourites England lost the match, the Test match proved out to be a success story for the return of cricket.
