Windies has tough task beating host England

Jul 05, 2020 Sports

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Since last series win in 1988 has lost 6 out of 7 series

By Sean Devers

The three Test series against England will be played behind closed doors in a bio-secure environment at the Ageas Bowl in Lancashire and Old Trafford where there are hotels at both venues.
The first Test starts on Wednesday from 6AM at Ageas Bowl, while the other two are scheduled for Old Trafford from July 16-20 and July 24-28 respectively.

West Indies have won just two Tests in England in 25 years and have not won a series there in 32-years since beating England 4-0 in 1988 after the rain-affected first Test was drawn.
The Regional team is in Quarantine at Old Trafford where the team train and had two practice matches among the 25-man squad before moving to Ageas Bowl for the opening Test.
In their last series against England last year in the Caribbean, West Indies won the Three-Test series 2-1 as Holder (202), Shane Dowrich (116) and Chase (102) got centuries, while Roach finished with 18 scalps, Alzarri Joseph (10), Shannon Gabriel (9) and Jason Holder (7).
West Indies, without Daren Bravo and Shimron Hetmyer will depend on Shai Hope, Kraigg Braithwaite, Roston Chase and Skipper Jason Holder with the bat if West Indies are expected to compete.
The bowling attack is West Indies’ strength as they aim for an unlikely series win for the first time in over three decades.
England were West Indies’ whipping boys throughout three decades (1970s, 80s & 90) and had never beaten them in a series since 1969.
However, West Indies’ 31 year winning series streak over their former Colonial Masters ended in the fifth and final Test of the 2000 tour to

England.
In 1928, West Indies achieved Test status, 51 years after Australia faced England in the first official test match in 1877.
But Carl Nunes, the first of 37 West Indies Test Captains, lost the three Test series 3-0 before West Indies won the Third Test of the 1929-30 tour at Bourda in British Guiana which was their first ever Test win.
After the fourth Test in Jamaica, which lasted 10 days (Apr 3-12, 1930) ended in a draw by agreement, the Four-Test series ended 1-1.
However, they had to wait for another 20 years to win their first series against host England on the historic 1950 series which the Windies won 3-1.
Jeffery Stollmeyer and John Goddard insisted that Ramadhin and Valentine, with virtually no First-Class experience, be selected.
The spin twins mesmerized the English batsmen while Alan Rae and Stollmeyer, rated only behind Gordon Greenidge and Desmond Haynes (who shared 16 century partnerships between them) as outstanding West Indian opening pairs, give their team solid starts for the three W’s (Weeks, Worrell and Walcott) to build on as the West Indies enjoyed their finest hour, winning their first match in England…at Lords.
It was the coming of age for West Indies cricket and West Indians residing in England celebrated the National achievement as a way of demonstrating that W

est Indians were the equals of white Englishmen.
In 1988, West Indies, who had not lost a Test series since 1980, hammered England 4-0 in the Five-Test series which was to be the last time they beat England in England in a series.
Fifteen years of World dominance and glory ended with a 2-1 loss in the four Test Series to Australia in May 1995.
West Indies then travelled to England a month later for a Six-Test series which they drew 2-2.
The West Indies Squad was led by 33-year-old Richie Richardson and included Sherwin Campbell, Stuart Williams, Brian Lara, Carl Hooper, Jimmy Adams, Keith Arthurton, a 20 year-old Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Junior Murray, Courtney Browne, Otis Gibson, Winston Benjamin, Curtley Ambrose, Courtney Walsh, Kenny Benjamin, Ian Bishop and the lone spinner leggie Rajendra Dhanraj.
Winston Benjamin had been sent home after the second Test for disciplinary reasons and was replaced by Vasbert Drakes.
Lara scored three tons and three fifties from six Tests with a highest score of 179 and an Average of 85.00 but Hooper, who played as an opening batsman, made a century and a half-century and was the only other West Indian to score a century after missing the fifth Test due to finger injury.
Bishop (27), Walsh (26), K. Benjamin (23) and Ambrose (21) were the leading bowlers for West Indies who won the opening Test by nine wickets.
West Indies lost the second Test by 73 runs but rebounded to win the third Test by an innings and 64 runs as England were bowled out in 30 overs for 89.
West Indies lost the fourth Test by six wickets in four days despite Lara’s 89 and 145.
Pacer Dominic Cork (4-111) took a hat-trick in the first over of the third day; when he removed Richardson, Junior Murray (0) and Hooper (0) who batted at number seven due to injury.
The fifth Test was drawn as England made 440 with tons from Graham Hick 118* and Skipper Mike Atherton 113, K. Benjamin had 5-105.
Windies replied with 417 as Lara registered his second ton of the series with a masterful 152. England made 269-9, while West Indies reached 42-2 when the game ended.
In the sixth Test, England made 454 as Graham Hick made 96 and when Wilkinson was caught behind by Browne it was Walsh’s 300th wicket.
Windies reached 692-8 declared as Lara made 179 (3rd ton) and Hooper getting 127 after missing the 5th test due to injury. Campbell got 89, while Chanderpaul scored 80. England reached 223-4 with Atherton leading the way with 95 as West Indies retained the Wisden Trophy by virtue of the drawn series.
After this, West Indies toured England six times and managed to win just two Tests matches while losing all six series.
The tour to England in June 2000 was the breakthrough tour for the hosts as England won the Five-Test series 3-1 and celebrated an end to 31 years without a series win against West Indies. It was in 1969 when England had last won a series over West Indies.
The fifth and last Test began on September 4 with the visitors needing a win to the draw the series and retain the Wisden trophy.
England made 281 as Walsh 3-68, Nixon McLean 3-80, Ambrose and Nagamootoo had two each.
Windies were 75-8 before McLean 29 and Ridley Jacobs 26 not out added 44 for the 9th wicket to see them to 125 as Craig White had 5-32.
England made 217 with Atherton 108 and Marcus Trescothick added 159 for the first wicket before Walsh captured 4-73.
Set 374 to win Windies fell for 215 as nobody reached 50 as England won by 158 runs.
Darren Gough finished as England’s top wicket taker with 25 scalps which included five dismissals of Lara. Walsh was the top wicket-taker for the series with 34 wickets.
The 2004 tour saw England win the four Test series 4-nil although Chanderpaul scored a century and two fifties in his 437 runs at an average of 72.83 including 128 not out and an unbeaten 97 in the same match. Chris Gayle who made a ton and three fifties, scored 400 runs but Ramnaresh Sarwan who scored a hundred and a fifty, was the only other West Indian to reach three figures.
Dwayne Bravo had 16 scalps, while Pedro Collins had 10 wickets.
In 2007, England won the Four-Test series 3-0 after the opening Test was drawn.
Chanderpaul was again among the runs with 446 with two centuries and three fifties at an Average of 148.66, while Corey Collymore took 11 wickets, Darren Sammy and Daren Powell took nine wickets each.
In May 2009 England swept Windies 2-nil in the two Test series as Sarwan scored the only century but still ended with 136 runs from his four innings, while Fidel Edwards was the most successful bowler with seven wickets.
In 2012 West Indies lost 2-0 after the first Test was drawn. Marlon Samuels scored 386 runs with a century and three fifties, while the consistent Chanderpaul, who scored two fifties, made 225 runs which was the second most by a West Indian. Ramdin and Sammy scored hundreds, while pacer Tino Best made 95 in his only innings.
Kemar Roach was the leading wicket-taker with 8 wickets, while Sammy had 6.
In their last tour in 2017 West Indies lost 2-1 after the tourists won the second Test by five wickets when Shai Hope made 147 and an unbeaten 118.
England made 258 as Ben Stokes made an even 100 and Roach and Shannon Gabriel had four wickets each.
Windies replied with 427 as Hope’s ton was supported by Kraigg Braithwaite’s 134 as Anderson took 5-76.
England, in their second innings amassed 490-8 declared as five batsmen got half-centuries as Roston Chase had 3-86 and Holder and Gabriel two each.
West Indies, set 322 to win, reached 322-5 with Hope’s second ton of the match leading the fight. Braithwaite missed a second hundred by five runs.
West Indies head into this with a record against England of 157 Tests between 1928 to 2019 with 57 wins, 49 losses and 51 draws and only need to draw the series to retain the Wisden Trophy.

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