Hodge’s first Test century sparks West Indies revival against England

NOTTINGHAM, England – A remarkable maiden Test century from Kavem Hodge, coupled with a monumental fourth-wicket partnership with fellow Dominican Alick Athanaze, turned the tide for the West Indies in the second Test of the Richards-Botham Trophy Series on Friday.

Hodge’s magnificent 120-run knock helped the Caribbean side close the second day at 351 for five, trailing hosts England by only 65 runs at Trent Bridge.

Hodge, displaying immense courage against the English pacers, reached his milestone from 143 balls, driving England captain Ben Stokes through mid-off for his 17th boundary. The 31-year-old Windward Islands Volcanoes batsman, playing in only his third Test, celebrated his achievement with a loud yelp and a leap in the air. His only blemish came when he was dropped on 16 by Joe Root at first slip off a delivery from Mark Wood, who also struck Athanaze on the helmet with a searing delivery when the left-hander was on 48.

“It was amazing, and it felt good contributing to the team effort,” Hodge said in a TV interview after play ended. “Coming off the first Test where we did not do so well, it was really important that we put our heads down. Obviously, taking some info from the England first innings, it was really important that we made good use of a batting track.”

A difficult place after the first Test

He added: “ was a difficult place after the first Test but, to be fair, I personally felt that I was too aggressive, and I could have given myself a lot more time. Coming off the practice game, in which I got a hundred, it was important that I took up the responsibility.”

Hodge and Athanaze initiated a salvage operation for the West Indies, adding 175 runs for the fourth wicket and neutralizing the England attack. Athanaze, 25, the leading scorer in the 2019 ICC Men’s Under-19 Cricket World Cup, made a solid 82, while West Indies captain Kraigg Brathwaite supported with 48. Joshua Da Silva remained not out on 32, and Jason Holder was unbeaten on 23.

This strong response from the West Indies came after widespread criticism following their batting collapse in the first Test at Lord’s, where they failed to surpass 150 runs or bat 90 overs in total in their two innings and were defeated inside three days by an innings and 114 runs.

Careless batting in the final hour before lunch

“Batting through the tough periods pleased me most about this hundred,” Hodge said. “The partnership with Alick and I, facing Mark Wood, it’s not every day you face a guy that bowls every single ball over 90 miles an hour.”

Earlier, careless batting in the final hour before lunch undid the application shown by Brathwaite and Mikyle Louis (21) in the first hour of play. The two openers endured a testing spell from the England bowlers, including a fiery stint from Wood, who clocked his quickest delivery at 97.1 miles an hour. However, they were guilty of soft dismissals after putting on 53 for the first wicket. Louis was caught at long-on off Shoaib Bashir after a miscued slog-sweep, and Brathwaite was caught at short leg off a short ball from Gus Atkinson.

Kirk McKenzie defied the England bowlers for nearly 45 minutes for his 11 runs before being caught at mid-on off a delivery from Bashir. The West Indies went to lunch at 89 for three, but the session after the interval saw Athanaze and Hodge change the match's complexion with their resolute batting.

Their efforts have placed the West Indies in a competitive position, setting the stage for an exciting continuation of the Test match.