Kavem Hodge punched Ben Stokes past mid-off, whooped in delight and jumped into the bear-like arms of Jason Holder as he celebrated the hundred that sent England a defiant message: West Indies are not done yet.
They had begun the second day of this second Test knowing it was now or never: collapse, as they did twice at Lord’s, and thoughts would be turning to an English clean sweep at Edgbaston. They ended it on 351 for five, only 65 behind, and dreaming of a chance to bloody their hosts’ nose.
Yet when Kirk McKenzie drove what looked suspiciously like a no-ball from Shoaib Bashir to mid-on shortly before lunch to leave West Indies 84 for three, it seemed we were set for the latest instalment in the long lament about their fall from grace.
Had Joe Root caught Hodge on 16 off the luckless Mark Wood, whose rattling of the speedgun had awoken Trent Bridge from its slumber on the hottest day of the year, that lament would have gone into overdrive. Instead, tumbling low to his left at first slip, Root spilled the chance, and the day – possibly the series, too – took a different direction.
Hodge collected his thoughts, and set about repairing the damage – and restoring West Indian pride – with the help of Alick Athanaze, his fellow Dominican. The right-handed Hodge was powerful on the pull, the left-handed Athanaze elegant on the drive. It was a potent mix, earning a congratulatory tweet from Dominican prime minister Roosevelt Skerrit.
Kavem Hodge was the star of the show as he managed 120 runs off 171 balls at Trent Bridge
Hodge whooped in delight and jumped into the bear-like arms of Jason Holder as he celebrated his century
Shoaib Bashir finished the day as England’s top bowler with two wickets on Day Two
England were left frustrated following a difficult day on the wicket in scintillating heat
Together, the pair added 175 – their team’s highest stand for the fourth wicket at this ground since their first visit back in 1950, when Everton Weekes and Frank Worrell put on 283. If Hodge and Athanaze go on to achieve even half as much as those two, talk of West Indies’ terminal decline may have to be put on hold.
The 25-year-old Athanaze, playing only his sixth Test and with a previous best of 47, might have been first on the honours board, but on 82 flashed Stokes into the gully, where Harry Brook held a sharp chance. England’s captain roared his relief. Forget the Ashes: a battle was taking place right here, right now. Sometimes, it pays not to get too far ahead of yourself.
But English hopes that one wicket would bring a flurry did not materialise, and Hodge – aged 31 but playing only his fourth Test – pressed on. He pulled Stokes fine for four to move to 97, and three balls later drove him down the ground to bring up his maiden hundred, nearly taking Stokes’s head off as he brandished his bat in jubilation. At slip, hands on thighs, Root could barely watch.
The old ball, though, was starting to misbehave, and Chris Woakes was into his best spell of a below-par series, finally pinning Hodge leg-before for 120 – the game’s 15th wicket and the first not to fall to a catch.
As for Wood, he may grow old wondering how he failed to break through on a day when his pace drew gasps from the crowd, and one false stroke after another from the batsmen.
The day’s 10th over had been his first, and it was worth the wait: an average speed of 94.41mph was the fastest by an England bowler in a home Test since such things were first recorded in 2006. In his next over, Wood went even faster: 94.47mph. And when the fifth ball of his third measured 97.1, requiring smart evasive action from Mikyle Louis, the spectators’ disbelief was audible. This was cricket to stir the blood.
Later, Wood hit Athanaze on the head with a blow so fierce it had Hodge shuddering at the non-striker’s end. Then, deep into the final session, he beat Holder – groping at thin air – five times in a row, before eventually leaving the field after one ball of his 15th over with what he felt was cramp.
The applause that greeted his departure told the story: rarely can figures of none for 51 have been more misleading. But his discomfort sounded a familiar warning. England must strike the near-impossible balance between weaponising their fastest bowler, and wrapping him in cotton wool.
Alick Athanaze was caught just 18 runs short of what would have been a stellar century
Ben Stokes was frustrated with his bowling display as he managed just one wicket from 61 runs
Mark Wood touched 97.1mph with his deliveries at Trent Bridge but failed to take a wicket
If Wood’s efforts were precisely the kind England crave on pitches as flat as this, it was a mixed day for others. Bashir induced a horrible hoick from Louis that was brilliantly held by Brook, running back from mid-on, to end a promising opening stand of 53, and Gus Atkinson bounced out Kraigg Brathwaite, who prodded to short leg for 48.
But West Indies’ run-rate of 4.17 was not far behind England’s 4.70, and they never allowed the bowlers to settle, playing out just six maidens – three of them from Wood. Atkinson, who is likely to be rotated out of Edgbaston, returned to earth after his 12-wicket debut at Lord’s, and Bashir was milked with ease.
Not until England got the old ball to deviate did Woakes look a threat, while Stokes could have done with a bit of reverse-swing – only to be scuppered by an outfield kept lush by the wet summer.
As the shadows lengthened, West Indian wicketkeeper Josh Da Silva tucked into a tiring attack, leaving Hodge to salute an ‘amazing day’ and England to wonder whether their lack of ruthlessness with the bat 24 hours earlier may yet come back to haunt them.