"As an admirer of the great West Indies of old, the decline pains me" - Fans react to West Indies' dismal innings defeat to England in 1st Test

[Credit: Getty Image from CMS, @penoir767 X handle, @mogodonman X handle, @blackrodblue X handle]
[Credit: Getty Image from CMS, @penoir767 X handle, @mogodonman X handle, @blackrodblue X handle]

The West Indies suffered a dismal thrashing at the hands of England by an innings and 114 runs in the first Test at Lords on July 12. Coming off the high of beating Australia at the Gabba the last time they donned the whites, the Caribbean side resorted to their worst with the bat.

West Indies were bowled out for a paltry 121 in the first innings on the opening day, with pacer Gus Atkinson bagging figures of 7/45. They showed a glimpse of a fight with the ball, dismissing England for 371.

However, with a massive first-innings deficit of 250 runs, the West Indies succumbed to the pressure to be bowled out for 136 in the first session of Day 3. No West Indian batter even crossed 40 in either innings as the embarrassing display had fans fuming on Twitter.

Here are some of the reactions:

The reactions continued to flow in for West Indies' appalling display with one fan saying:

"A fine performance by England...but what a poor side West Indies look nowadays...their re- emergence as a Test Cricket force does not appear to be close at hand."
"Not sure where West Indies Test cricket goes from here. T20, IPL, the 'big three' have not helped for sure but the decline stems from the mid 1990s long before those were factors," said a fan.
"West Indies fans will drag youngsters but the senior players who’ve played dozens of tests and many in England get a free pass. I am tired," a fan tweeted.

"Disappointed with ourselves scoring just 100 odd batting first" - Kraigg Brathwaite

West Indies captain Kraigg Brathwaite admitted that the side's first-innings batting put them behind the eight-ball in the first Test against England at Lord's.

The Caribbean side batted under 48 overs in both innings and combined to barely score over 257 runs for the loss of 20 wickets.

At the post-match presentation, Brathwaite said:

"Obviously disappointed withourselves scoring just 100 odd batting first. We were pretty much behind the game. Still a positive was our bowling. I do believe that we have got what it takes to win a Test here in England but it's also important that guys believe in themselves as well. Just got be be mentally strong. Some of the guys had the T20 World Cup. Some times it takes a bit of time, especially the fast bowlers. I believe so but it's also about being disciplined."

West Indies endured a similarly horrific defeat in the opening Test at Australia before bouncing back with the Brisbane win earlier this year.

They will look to repeat similar heroics in the second Test to level the series at Trent Bridge, starting July 18.

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Edited by Ankush Das