Headingley has a bit of form in the upset department and while only two days of this Test have been completed that reputation may be enhanced. When West Indies arrived in Leeds the general consensus was they did so with no hope alongside the brothers Kyle and Shai. Now they are, rather brilliantly, in charge of the game. They may not win it, but they are the strong favourites to do so. In a nutshell that is one good reason why we keep turning up.
With a composure that belies West Indies’ recent record and in stark contrast to their efforts at Edgbaston Kraigg Brathwaite and Shai Hope compiled a superb fourth-wicket partnership of 246, which enabled their side to be 71 runs ahead with five wickets in hand when a weary England side withdrew to their dressing room for some chastened contemplation. This was not in the script.
Brathwaite, resolute and organized in defence and occasionally impish against the spinners, posted his sixth Test century in a manner that must make England’s selectors envious. They would readily settle for him as Alastair Cook’s opening partner.
While Brathwaite’s qualities as a gutsy opener are well-established, Hope has only flickered in the past. A touch of class has always been evident but the figures have not matched that impression – a batting average of 18 after 11 Tests. Yet here he hit his maiden century in some style. Hope crunched a pull to the boundary on one leg in the manner of Gordon Greenidge to reach 99 before nonchalantly flicking the single, which took him to three figures.
This felt like a landmark innings. No doubt there will be hurdles ahead but he can play. The technique is sound enough but more impressive than that was his calmness in the face of adversity. When he joined Brathwaite the score was 35 for three and everyone was preparing for more of the same: Edgbaston – rather than paradise – revisited. Four hours later, this pair were still together with centuries to their names and Joe Root was running out of ideas despite using six bowlers.
In the morning, this state of affairs had seemed highly unlikely. There was some cloud cover, a newish ball and Jimmy Anderson on song. The nightwatchman, Devendra Bishoo, was stranded at Anderson’s end and he swished and missed at a long sequence of deliveries, which, as one old Headingley hero often observed, were “far too good for thee”. Eventually, Anderson’s worst ball of the morning, a little short and a wide, induced an edge and Bishoo was out for a plucky one from 33 balls.
Then Kyle Hope, Shai’s older brother, was superbly held at second slip by Root diving to his left off Anderson, who was still doing his Richard Hadlee impersonations: the run-up was smooth and purposeful, the seam high and the length unerring. Once again Anderson operated on a different level from the other England pacemen, who had an exasperating day.
Stuart Broad strove hard with a hint of impatience and nothing much happened. He was replaced by Chris Woakes, who looked more threatening. The Warwickshire all-rounder conjured more pace and swing and beat the bat several times with the ball often thudding into the upturned gloves of Jonny Bairstow. This looked terrific but there were no wickets and gradually his line deteriorated so that the batsmen could frequently allow the ball to pass harmlessly by.
Likewise, Ben Stokes began with more vim than accuracy. England needed to strike more than twice throughout that morning session since the clouds were dispersing and the ball was ageing. Root tried Moeen Ali who almost had Brathwaite lbw – the umpire’s finger was raised but the batsman’s review was successful and he celebrated by hitting the next delivery for six. It was a minor triumph for the tourists that they could have lunch at 109 for there.
By the time they resumed the sun was out and even Anderson yielded a few boundaries in his afternoon spell. Hope soon started to catch up with Brathwaite, his easy swing of the bat more pleasing to the eye and a source of joy for those such as Jeffrey Dujon and Stuart Law, who have been patiently championing his talents.
If this is a landmark innings for Hope in his 12th Test he will be in good company. Great batsmen who have averaged way under 30 after 11 Tests include Dennis Amiss (19), Martin Crowe (20), Jacques Kallis (23) and Graham Gooch (26).
Brathwaite reached his 50 and his 100 with a six, an oddity since before this match he had hit three sixes in Test cricket. Here, he revealed himself to be partial to off-spinners, Moeen in the first instance and then Tom Westley, who was deposited into the rugby stand when bowling his first over in Test cricket. Suddenly, Brathwaite comes out of his shell when the spinner emerges as if he has made a study of the batting of Misbah-ul-Haq.
England, now labouring in the Headingley sunshine, limped to the second new ball, which eventually delivered another wicket after a barren four and a half hours. Broad finally pierced the defence of Brathwaite with a delivery that jagged back between bat and pad. But Hope kept going, striking two crunching boundaries against Woakes, whose brief evening spell suggested that either he has a phobia of bowling up the hill here or has yet to readjust to the rigours of the five-day game after such a long lay‑off.
Stokes promptly replaced Woakes and soon dismissed Roston Chase, who has surely never sat with his pads on for so long in his brief Test career.
Hope remained strong while Jermaine Blackwood came out playing enough exotic strokes to suggest that it might be worth turning up on time on Sunday morning.
England are going to have to battle like fury to avoid defeat – just as no one predicted on Friday morning.
