The Best of 2017: Most exciting Test match of the year

2017 changed the perspective of the fans who believed that the white-ball cricket is the best format of the game. There were a lot of fiercely competitive Test matches played between the two countries and the matches went down the wire until the final hour on the fifth day. Few matches were literally breath-taking in terms of the action on the 22 yards as Australia competed at its best in India. The series was also touted as one of the best in the recent times though the visiting team lost it.

However, when the action shifted to the summer in England, their series against South Africa didn’t live up to the expectations as all of the four matches were one-sided. Even Pakistan won their first ever Test series in Windies in emphatic fashion as the last pair of the hosts crumbled with only six balls left on the final day to play out a draw.

England also hosted Windies for a three-match series in the whites as the hosts were expected to roll the visitors over. Though the Brits won the series but one of those matches was brilliant when the spirited Windies pulled off an amazing victory after being pushed to the corner by their opposition. Here we have picked the second Test match between England and Windies at Headingley, Leeds as the best Test match of the year.

Leading into the game

Windies were never expected to pose a threat to England in their own den and they proved it by a lacklustre performance in the first Test which was played under lights. The match was no less than an aberration to the visitors they were bowled out twice in 92.4 overs as the ball swung a lot under lights. But the way they capitulated was disheartening to see as a cricket fan. The skipper Jason Holder though stood by his side and hoped for a better performance in the next game. Very few had given them a chance to even fight against the more equipped England side.

The Second Test: An epic fightback

First innings

England skipper won the toss and elected to bat first with an aim to post a huge total on the board first up. But Windies bowlers used the new ball and the conditions cleverly and scalped quick wickets to reduce them to 71/4. Joe Root and Ben Stokes then added 69 runs for the fifth wicket as the former was sent back to hut on 59. But his partner kept on batting until the end and scored a defiant century to propel his side to 258 in their first essay. Kemar Roach and Shannon Gabriel led the way and picked four wickets each.

Windies, in response, stuttered early on by losing three top-order wickets with only 35 runs on the board. But the duo of Kraigg Brathwaite (134) and Shai Hope (147) batted beautifully and slammed centuries for their side thereby changing the momentum of the game. They stitched a partnership of 246 runs for the fifth wicket and also earned a crucial lead for Windies. The lower order batsmen then added some important runs before they were bowled out for 427 with a hefty lead of 169 runs.

England come back strongly

The home side was never going to succumb to the pressure and came back strongly in the second innings. All of their batsmen scored runs and as many as six half-centuries were scored which frustrated the opposition. The more dominating of them was Moeen Ali who played magnificently well and scored an attacking 83 off just 94 deliveries.

Chris Woakes also supported him well with a 61-run knock at the fag end of the innings. Eventually, Root declared with a lead of 321 runs aiming to win the game and the series expecting the visitors to crumble under pressure. They, unfortunately, were unable to bowl them out after keeping them under the lid for the most part of the second innings.

Shai Hope the hero

Very few had given Windies a chance to chase down the 300+ target as it was never performed at Headingley and they had to defy history to make history. They started decently but lost Powell and Kyle Hope in quick succession with only 53 runs on the board. The first innings heroes Brathwaite and Shai Hope then got together and resurrected the innings. They once again added 144 runs for the third wicket to create a glimmer of hope for the visitors. But Moeen Ali scalped the much-needed wicket of Brathwaite on 95 with 125 runs still needed.

The possibility of a collapse was shrugged off by the determined Hope who stitched partnerships first with Roston Chase (30) and then with Jermaine Blackwood (41) to take them close to a historic win in the Test cricket. Shai Hope, meanwhile, slammed his second ton of the match, a mature knock one that will make him proud throughout his career. He made sure his team chased down a huge total of 322 and remained unbeaten on 118 taking his match tally to 265.

He was the hero for the team from the Caribbean nation as they proved their mettle after being thrashed by everyone following the first Test match. The series-levelling victory at Headingley was a reminder to everyone that they belonged to Test cricket and they were here to stay. They lost the third Test and the series as well but their fightback was the most talked about point during the series. Nevertheless, it was also a great advertisement for the five-day Test matches and it is imperative for the teams like Windies to perform consistently the way they did to keep the format alive and popular going forward.

Here are the brief scores of the Test match:

England 258 (B Stokes 100; S Gabriel 4/51, K Roach 4/71) & 490/8decl (M Ali 84, J Root 72; R Chase 3/86)

Windies 427 (S Hope 147, K Brathwaite 134; J Anderson 5/76) & 322/5 (S Hope 118*, K Brathwaite 95)

Result: Windies won by five wickets

Man of the Match: Shai Hope