Kavem Hodge’s Record Breaking Century Kept West Indies in Balance Against England on Day 2
With a stunning century from Kevam Hodge and a brilliant 82 from Alick Athanaze propels West Indies to take control of the Test match at Trent Bridge on the second day.
Chants of “Thunder” erupted over the opening thrum of AC/DC’s classic smash Thunderstruck, heightening the suspense before that signature high-pitched lead vocal began.
West Indies 351 for 5 (Hodge 120, Athanaze 82) trail England 416 (Pope 121, Duckett 71, Stokes 69) by 65 runs.
Mark Wood unleashed a barrage of fire that had the batters rocking and the crowded stands audibly in awe. This came on the most picture-perfect day for cricket at Trent Bridge, after the West Indies openers, Kraigg Brathwaite and Mikyle Louis, had eased their side to 32 for nought in the first nine overs.
Wood and he both went unrewarded for four overs in which their velocities never fell below 92 mph, but what a curtain-raiser it was for the day’s main event—Kavem Hodge’s first international century. Had Hodge cried out, “I got caught…,” The tone of his ecstatic scream would have fit right in with the scene as he punched Ben Stokes inswinger for four through long-off to raise his ton in the middle of a railroad track.
He was dismissed for 120 at the close of the day, lbw to Chris Woakes, in an outcome that was affirmed by the umpire in the evening session.
By the end of the day, Wood’s followers and England were willing for him to take just one wicket because they believed that after his 14 overs of gutsy effort, he earned it. Rather, about 35 minutes before the end, he exited the field one ball into his fifteenth, ostensibly as a precaution after feeling his hamstring.
Alick Athanaze and Hodge shared half of an extremely thrilling combination that was worth 175 for the fourth wicket. Athanaze fell for 82 later in the evening session, but not before he contributed to bringing the West Indies to within 65 runs of England’s 416 in the first innings. Despite losing the first Test at Lord’s by an innings, they performed bravely to put their side in a much stronger position despite having only played ten Tests together.
Joe Root stopped Hodge at slip when he should have been out for sixteen, even to Wood. After adding 123 runs in the middle session, he and Athanaze both had half-centuries to their names as England went wicketless.
When a Wood short ball smacked Athanaze flush on the helmet at 91 mph on 48, exactly near to the badge, his ears must have been ringing. At the other end, Hodge’s stunned reaction was exactly the same as that of his batting partner. It was Wood who asked, “Are you ok?” Before the doctors arrived to perform official tests, England’s fielders also came over to see how he was doing. However, Gus Atkinson deemed him fit to proceed, and two balls later, he scored his first Test fifty with a push off the hip for two.
Athanaze proceeded to unleash some exquisite cover drives, and in the last over prior to tea, he produced a magnificent slog-sweep for six over midwicket off Shoaib Bashir. But in the evening session, as he pursued a bigger delivery on 82 and cut to Harry Brook at gully, Ben Stokes prised him out with a century looming.
Jason Holder began his run scoring immediately, even though the remainder of his evening would be somewhat of a trial. He guided his first ball for four through the slips cordon and, two balls later, cleared cover where the small figure of Ben Duckett leapt somewhat belatedly and in vain as the ball sailed over his reaching hands and to the boundary.
After rejoining the assault, Wood produced a brilliant outswinging yorker to beat Hodge’s outside edge on 92. However, he couldn’t help but smile when the final ball of that over spun away for another near-miss. Hodge persisted, scoring 46 runs with Holder before leaving after reaching his century, which he achieved with that tremendous drive off Stokes.
Also Read: Ollie Pope’s Century Propels England to 416 on High-Paced First Day of the 2nd Test Showdown
With just one over remaining in the day, Stokes took the second new ball. After he gave it to Atkinson, Joshua Da Silva hit four fours past midwicket to end the day with Holder on 23 and him at 32 not out. After the first hour, West Indies were 48 without a loss thanks to Brathwaite and Louis’s ability to withstand Wood’s earlier attack. However, with Athanaze and Hodge’s innings still in their infancy, they were 89 for 3 at lunchtime due to wickets taken by Bashir and Atkinson.
Wood entered the field in the tenth over and succeeded in creating some swing, which on Friday had been nonexistent up until that moment. But as he twice approached 96 mph and hit 95 mph twice more in the over, it was his unrestrained speed that had everyone spellbound. In his second over, Wood was just as quick, hitting 94 mph five times and 95 mph once, testing lines and beating Brathwaite’s outside edge twice.
The audience at Trent Bridge erupted in applause when they saw the scoreboard show that Wood’s fifth delivery in his third over had traveled at an astounding 97.1 mph. That was a maiden, of course, and his numbers after three overs were 3-1-5-0.
Despite Wood’s fourth over still having some lightning speed in it, Brathwaite found the boundary, directing the ball fine off his ribs.
Shortly after the drinks break, in the fifteenth over, Bashir made the breakthrough when Brook produced an unnerving long-way-to-right catch from mid-on to remove Louis for 21. After not bowling in this series’ first game, it was Bashir’s first wicket in two home Test matches.
Replays later revealed the ball would have struck the top of leg stump, but Bashir could have got his second in his next over when he whacked Kirk McKenzie, who was on nought at the time, on the pad and appealed. Neither the umpire nor England seemed to be persuaded.
After Atkinson replaced Wood for his second stint, he quickly dismissed Brathwaite for 48, attempting to turn a short, straight delivery down the leg side but instead looping it straight to Ollie Pope at short leg off the bat’s shoulder.
Just before lunch, Bashir did indeed take his second wicket, as McKenzie gave Stokes an easy catch at mid-on. However, hours later, you couldn’t help but feel that England was the one who staggered off, rather taken aback.
