All the players in the West Indian dressing room had only praise for Kavem Hodge, who scored his first Test century against England at Trent Bridge, Nottingham, on Friday July 19 ropeward.
Hodge made his way to the pitch in the 25th over and the West Indies were 84/3. It was the 42nd over in the inning Mark Wood’s over that Joe Root dropped the right-handed batter on 16. From there on, it was a class act as Hodge and Alick Athanaze partnered to produce a brilliant 175-run fourth wicket stand off 225 balls.
Hodge took 85 balls to reach his half century. The 4th ball of the 66th over saw him strike a four at mid-off for his first century in tests. In celebration of this feat as a right-handed batter he jumped up with glee, he attracted a standing ovation from the West Indian dressing room following his dazzling century ball’s impact.
The WI dressing room reactions to @kavemHodge22's maiden Test ton!💯👏🏿#ENGvWI #MenInMaroon pic.twitter.com/d8C3ALcgGs
— Windies Cricket (@windiescricket) July 19, 2024
Chris Woakes trapped Hodge in the 75th over for a leg before wicket. Despite that he did his job before he left. The young batter made 120 runs in 171 balls with 19 fours during his session and his dismissal put West Indies at 305/5.
West Indies mounted a comeback on the second day of the second Test
On the other hand, Vice-Captain Ollie Pope scored an outstanding 121 while his colleague Ben Duckett contributed 71 followed by skipper Ben Stokes’ 69 contributing to England 416 in the first innings.
In the opening test series of the tour, the West Indies were able to knock 257 runs together before tying the game. But determined play took a stand; 48 runs were scored by Kraigg Braithwaite as his captainship came into play when the visitors batted second time for their survival.
Alick Athanaze also stood tall in ending just one run shy 100 for himself in an innings where he made 82 off 99 deliveries while Kavem Hodge was scaring the bowlers at other end with own 100+ innings.
The West Indies were 351 for the loss of five wickets when stumps were drawn on the second day, still trailing by 65 runs. On the crease are Jason Holder (23 not out) as well as Joshua Da Silva (32 not out), who will want to maintain their good form with bat into the third day’s play towards ensuring that West Indies achieve a healthy first innings lead.
Get the latest cricket news here, like us on Facebook, and follow us on Twitter and Instagram for more such updates.