West Indies and Bangladesh keep Test Cricket exciting

When the First Test was heading for a predictable massacre of the West Indies, I couldn’t bear to watch. Having been brought up on the exhilarating cricket of Lloyd, Richards, Holding and company, it was embarrassing to see their successors perform so lamely at Edgbaston. I didn’t have any higher expectations for the remaining contests. So I’d like to extend not only my congratulations to the Windies for winning at Headingley but also for restoring my faith in the Caribbean team’s ability to compete at the highest level and maybe even in Test cricket itself.

Despite Shannon Gabriel and Kemar Roach restricting England to 258 on day one, then Kraigg Brathwaite and Shay Hope each striking centuries to take a 169-run lead, my lack of faith in Jason Holder’s team was so ingrained that I felt they were merely delaying the inevitable defeat until the fifth day. England’s serene progress towards declaring on a second innings of almost 500 reinforced that prediction. Hardly anyone scores over 300 to win these days so how on earth could the Windies do it? And in England??

Blow me, they succeeded! Again relying heavily on Brathwaite and the younger Hope brother, they managed to withstand all that Anderson, Broad, Woakes, Stokes and Moeen Ali could throw at them. More catches were dropped but maybe these errors were creeping in not through bad luck but the pressures of impending home defeat to a side ranked five places below them.

When the opener fell on 95, the team were still 125 short. Would England’s ace seam and swing merchants wreak havoc and restore the natural order?

Credit to Shai Hope, he didn’t revert to West Indian type and take restless risks T20 style. However, they couldn’t shut up shop completely as they had to keep an eye on the clock. It would be disastrous to end on, say, 290-6! Hope dug in for his second century in the match but, on 246-4, Jermaine Blackwood reckoned he had enough wickets in hand to play an attacking role. He’d made 41 off 44 balls when, charging Ali for the match-winning boundary, he was stumped by Bairstow. Never mind, young Shai merely shrugged that off and finished the job.

What a fabulous finish! It wasn’t just the successful run chase, it was the way the Windies went about it. Remarkably, Shai Hope not only boosted his Test average from below 20 to nearly 30 but became the first person ever to slam two first-class centuries in the same game at Headingley. Not even Hutton, Boycott or Bradman ever achieved that, and here was an inexperienced 23 year-old doing something the world’s greatest never could – and in a winning cause. Brilliant!

Nobody should blame Joe Root for his declaration. Setting a weak team a target of 322 on the fifth day was a perfectly reasonable decision to make. It’s just that the opposition at last showed some commitment and courage to meet the challenge and ensure the Windies had their first Test victory in England since 2000.

And meanwhile, over in Dhaka, Bangladesh also turned the tables on one of the big boys, registering an historic maiden Test defeat of Australia. It was a close encounter in which the spinners were mainly on top. Neither side could manage more than 260 but in the end, despite David Warner’s defiant second-innings 112, Australia were undone by that man Shakib Al Hasan. He claimed five wickets for the second time in the game to go with his first innings 84. As the Aussies found to their cost, when the world’s best all-rounder is on form, anything is possible.

So what do this week’s results signify? Will the West Indies and Bangladesh repeat the feat next week? Despite their efforts in Leeds, I really can’t envisage Joe Root’s team succumbing again. It remains to be seen whether they persevere with the struggling Tom Westley but their second innings 50s probably extended the Test careers of Stoneman and Malan. On the other hand, it is by no means impossible for a resurgent Bangladesh to claim a second success over Steve Smith’s men. If saving the series isn’t enough, Australia have the added incentive of winning to avoid slipping to sixth in the ICC rankings for the first time.

I don’t believe this week’s results have any bearings on the Ashes but they have definitely demonstrated that Test cricket is thriving and deserves to keep its status as the number one format.  

Aussies Suffer, Windies Thrive

It’s been a refreshingly mixed week of Test cricket. First we had the West Indies gaining a consolation victory over Pakistan, and then the Aussies came a cropper at the WACA. After Bangladesh gave England a bloody nose last week, the sport is looking encouragingly open again.

In the UAE desert, Pakistan may have won the series, but Jason Holder’s visitors did at least show signs that they are not mere T20 biffers and bashers, but a team capable of competing with the world number ones over four or five days.

I can’t believe Devendra Bishoo is already 31 years old. The Guyanan leggie has had a topsy-turvy career, and this latest series was in the same vein. Abu Dhabi was a trial, but that second innings 8-49 in Dubai so early set up a brilliant victory. Two weeks later, another seven wickets did contribute to success in Sharjah.

Skipper Holder also played his part, but it was Kraigg Brathwaite who garnered the headlines. A Caribbean rarity, a batsman who has never played a single senior T20 match, he boosted his Test average considerably by carrying his bat for 142 then making an unbeaten 60 to help see his side home. I was amazed to discover that no other opener had ever finished both innings of a Test not out. How has that never happened before?!

When neither of your senior batsmen like Darren Bravo and Marlon Samuels boast an average above 40, you know you have problems in the runs department. The pacemen aren’t exactly prolific in the wickets league either. Never mind, a win is a win. If only the Windies didn’t have the whole winter without a chance on building on the confidence this result should have given them.

Meanwhile, the tasty encounter between Australia and South Africa has served up a spicy first course in Perth, However, the home side must be feeling rather sick. After being stuffed 3-0 in India, now it’s the turn of a sub-par South Africa to extend the Aussies’ loss sequence to four.

There was nothing between them on first innings totals, yet neither reached 250. Faf du Plessis opted to bat, and SA slumped to 32-4. Only Bavuma and de Kock rescued them from a disaster. The Aussie reply was even more lop-sided. Openers Warner and Shaun Marsh put on 158, but the rest of the team collapsed for 86. The absent AB de Villiers wasn’t missed second time around as Elgar and Duminy shared a third-wicket partnership of 250 en route to a 500+ total. Even without the seriously injured Dale Steyn, South Africa couldn’t fail to dismiss Australia on the final day.

21 year-old quick Kagiso Rabada stepped up to the plate with a five-for, but the patient 40-over spin workload of Keshav Maharaj also kept up the pressure. Only Khawaja and Nevil passed 50 and South Africa’s third consecutive WACA win was duly achieved. Not since 1988 have the Aussies lost the first of their summer Tests and they have some work to do in Hobart.

Across the Tasman Sea, it will be interesting to see whether New Zealand can give Pakistan a challenge on pitches less conducive to spin. Meanwhile, Sri Lanka are enjoying a predictably easy game against Zimbabwe and then there’s a small matter of England’s visit to India. I don’t think it’s going to be as straightforward for Kohli and co as the British media are making out.

2014 Cricket Review: Tests

In 2014, Test cricket has been a roller coaster ride. England went from Ashes meltdown to redemption of sorts at home to India, the only top Test nation not to win a single series all year. Australia also defeated India and South Africa but, even without Smith and Kallis, the latter remained number one in the ICC rankings. New Zealand have won a record five Tests but now need to prove their new-found winning formula against the top three. All credit, though to the Aussies for coming through the grieving period after Phil Hughes' tragic death.

So who were the individual stars of 2014? In all first-class cricket, Chris Rogers was the only batsman to aggregate more than 2,000 runs and the world's top wicket-takers were Bangladeshi spinner Taijul Islam (89) and ever-reliable Michael Hogan (88). However, at the highest level, my pick of the openers were David Warner and young West Indian Kraigg Brathwaite. The abrasive Aussie smashed six centuries and 1,136 runs while Brathwaite's average in five matches is an excellent 77.88.

The middle-order is typically competitive. Brendon McCullum, Steve Smith and Kane Williamson enjoyed great years but for consistency, my next batsmen are Kumar Sangakkara and Younus Khan. The Sri Lankan out scored all other Test players with 1,493 runs at more than 71. The Pakistan veteran finished with a similar average and produced a purple patch this autumn, grabbing more than 700 runs in four matches against Australia and New Zealand in the UAE.

Next up are Joe Root and Angelo Mathews. In a topsy-turvy year for England, the Yorkshireman demonstrated his value many times and the batting line-up will surely be built around him for many years to come. His average for 2014 was a stupendous 97. With the Sri Lanka big three looking shaky, Mathews has stepped up to the mark, not only as captain but also as someone who can deliver big scores, not just useful 50 not outs. Only team-mate Sanga scored more Test runs and Angelo's average of 87.80 is mighty impressive. He also gets the captaincy.

MS Dhoni retires from Tests with loads of plaudits but Pakistan's Sarfraz Ahmed edges him and Brad Haddin to the wicketkeeper berth. A better batsman than Akmal, he is also improving his glovework.

My team boasts four specialist bowlers alongside part-timers Mathews and Root. Rangana Herath's tally of 60 wickets was easily the most in 2014, claiming no fewer than six five-fors. Apart from his problems with the arm inspectors, Saeed Ajmal took only 17 at 44 apiece, so three pacemen complete my XI. Dale Steyn continued to take wickets (39) and with a sub-20 average. James Anderson boasted one more scalp, averaging an impressive 22 but star 'quick' has to be Mitch Johnson. His year ended in a bout of daft 'verbals' with Kohli but it began with such pace, bounce and venom that England didn't just suffer an Ashes whitewash but also lost two of their three finest players of recent times, Swann, Pietersen and Trott.

So, to sum up, here is my Test Eleven for 2014:-
Warner (Aust), Brathwaite (WI), Younis Khan (Pak), Sangakkara (SL), Root (Eng), Mathews (SL, *), Sarfraz Ahmed (Pak,+), Johnson (Aust), Steyn (SA), Anderson (Eng), Herath (SL).

ODIS and T20s to follow....