Review by Eric McClymont
Due to a lack of warm up matches this second test seemed the West Indies were just getting into the stride of test cricket. With weather set fair they took this test into 4 days and performed reasonably better with the bat: the bowling wayward and short at times did produce some exciting phases of the test. I was pleased with Athanaze, Hodge, Da Silva and Jayden Seales who all performed well especially in the first innings. Seales was exceptional and deserved more wickets – his time at Sussex definitely gave him confidence with the Dukes ball, his legs strong and he looked robust and delivered some very good spells with the ball.
Hodge seemed to like the Trent Bridge pitch and cashed in on a very good 120 – although he got some luck along the way. Athanaze, just like in Beckenham, was set for a hundred and a lapse of concentration and experience left him short of what would have been a good hundred. I was again disappointed with Braithwaite. It’s hard to believe he has played 91 tests and averages 34.04 with all his experience and he did play at Trent Bridge for Notts in 2018. He is no way the same player who batted for 6 hours at Headingley in 2017 with Shai Hope and scored 134 in that 246 run stand for the fourth wicket. He seemed impatient and gifted his wicket away with loose shots in both innings with a test 50 insight who knows what may have been especially with Hodge, Athanaze and Da Silva all scoring over 50 in the first innings. I expected more during the run chase as he batted for 75 minutes and seemed to have settled into a rhythm till undone by Woakes for 47 which was laced with 8 fours out of a total of 48 balls. He has do better and get some runs. Let’s hope he can at Edgbaston.
Another veteran who has done very little is Jason Holder – 66 tests, and an average of 29.10 way below his potential. I get the impression Holder may not be to fussed if he plays test cricket or not, his batting can be electric at times but more often it looks laboured. Although he flatters to deceive with lusty blows his contribution with bat has been wanting for sometime now, I am not expecting much from him on this tour which may be his last. As the West Indies should return in 2028 he will be 37 and probably finished with test cricket. He has been as an all rounder who has promised so much and delivered little as the lure of T20 and franchise cricket seems to now suit his game. Again despite playing some four day cricket with Worcestershire in very cool and trying conditions I really expected much much more especially with Kemar Roach having to pull out due to injury.
So if we rule out, Braithwaite, Holder, Da Silva and Alzarri Joseph, we have a combined total of 41 tests played by the other relatively new test players and again with very low first class games played among them. You can see the pickle that West Indies Cricket is in, ravaged by poor infrastructure, leadership, and a very weak domestic setup. I guess it’s more of the same unless we get a true leader in the region who will collectively look at youth cricket and providing a more competitive pathway into test cricket. Although however talented many of these guys are, you simply cannot learn test cricket on the job, the preparation for this tour has been atrocious and the ICC must take some blame along with the ECB for shoe horning an important series into less than 30 days with no competitive matches for the tourists to play – it’s not fair and the players deserve better.
In closing I must ask why was Jimmy Adams not appointed head coach? He has far more playing and coaching experience than Andre Coley: the roles should be reversed. Adams represented West Indies and has been a very good and successful head coach at Kent and served as technical director at Cricket West Indies. Although Coley is interim coach, Adams gets my nod as head coach.
Off to Edgbaston and I see Motie returning and if the West Indies stick with Kirk Mckenzie it will be a a testing time for the youngster before they depart to South Africa for two tests in August. He needs some runs in the bank. Weather permitting I see a similar pitch to Trent Bridge but with something more for the bowlers.