BRIDGETOWN, Barbados – Shai Hope, captain of the West Indies One Day International (ODI) team, expressed his deep sense of honor after scoring his 17th ODI century, a landmark that places him among some of the West Indies’ cricket legends.
The 30-year-old’s performance during the second ODI match against England at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in Antigua on Sunday earned him 117 runs, moving him into the prestigious ranks of West Indian cricket history.
This remarkable achievement means Hope now shares the third spot for the most ODI centuries by a West Indian, equaling the record held by Desmond Haynes, one of the team’s most celebrated opening batsmen. The only West Indies players with more centuries in ODIs are the iconic Brian Lara with 19 and Chris Gayle with an impressive 25 across his 298-match career.
His focus remains on winning games
Despite the milestone, Hope emphasized that his focus remains on winning games for the West Indies, not on personal accolades. Speaking at a press conference on Tuesday at Kensington Oval, he said, “It’s really not a big thing for me; the big thing for me is winning games. Yes, you have to respect history, and they’ve been around and doing great things for years, but if I’m scoring centuries and we don’t win, it really doesn’t feel like anything.”
For Hope, individual records hold value only when they help the team secure victories. “Yes, it’s a great achievement, but I want it to contribute to wins,” he added firmly.
Reflecting on his career since debuting against Sri Lanka in 2016, Hope noted that he didn’t foresee reaching such heights back then. “It wasn’t something I thought about at all. I just wanted to win games, and personally, if I get those big scores, it’s a plus,” he admitted. “It’s something that people like to talk about—it’s not one of my forefronts—but I wasn’t really thinking about scoring 17 or 20 hundreds for the West Indies in any form.”
He concluded by highlighting the privilege he feels to play the sport professionally and to represent the West Indies. “I’m blessed to be doing this. I’m getting to play the sport that I love, and I always wanted to play for the West Indies. Growing up watching all of the legends play and just replicating some of the things that they’ve been doing is a special thing for me.”
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