Dear Editor
Please permit me to use this medium to congratulate the West Indies Cricket Team on their recent outstanding defeat of England. Under the captaincy of the world’s number one Test all-rounder Jason Holder, they defied the COVID-19 challenges and hammered England in England’s own backyard.
It was so pleasing to see the resumption of Test cricket after one hundred and seventeen days, and more so the Caribbean team, with the words “Black Lives Matter” boldly inscribed on their collars, giving a knee at the Ageas Bowl.
It has been a long time since the West Indies Team defeated a team ranked above them in a Test match away from home. Also, it was the first time since 2000 that the West Indies defeated their opponent in the first Test match of a series in England.
The team from the Caribbean dominated the match, apart from two brief periods, when they batted the second time and were 2 for 7 and 3 for 21. Gabrael, Blackwood and Holder were outstanding, although several others chipped in with valuable contributions with both bat and ball at diverse stages of the match.
It was truly a great team effort. However, there were too many dropped catches; missed run-out chances; poor communication in running between the wickets by the tallest man in the team, Jason Holder, and the shortest person, Jermain Blackwood; too many batsmen got good starts but did not move on to bigger scores; and a few tactical blunders were made by the skipper himself.
Conversely, the victors gained from several dropped catches, run-out opportunities, and a few no- balls that could have resulted in the loss of a wicket.
As we jubilate, we must remember that England will come back at us with blood in their eyes in the upcoming Tests. There is a saying that England would prefer to lose a battleship than to lose a Test match. They will also posit that one swallow does not mean that it is summer. However, it is always nice to be first among equals. As we move towards a ‘blackwash’, we must remember that there is hope.
Best regards,
Clinton Conway
Former Assistant
Commissioner of
Police
