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Kavem Hodge came to the West Indies' rescue, as he scored his maiden Test century and kept England from taking a significant first-innings lead in the second match at Trent Bridge, Nottingham, on Friday, July 19.
Batting at No. 5, Hodge produced a strong showing as he stitched a 175-run stand with Alick Athanaze (82) to floor the English bowling line-up. He amassed 120 runs off 171 balls with the help of 19 fours.
The West Indies will start Day 3 at 351/5 with Joshua de Silva (32*) and Jason Holder (23*) at the crease. The hosts scored 416 in their first innings.
Interestingly, Hodge ended the Caribbean batters' century drought in England, as he became the first Test centurion for the visitors after nearly seven years. Let's take a look at what transpired when a West Indies batter last scored a red-ball century in England.
West Indies' Shai Hope scored a century in both innings against England in 2017
Before Kavem Hodge, veteran batter Shai Hope was the last centurion for the West Indies in England. It happened in August 2017 in the second Test of the series at Headingley. The hosts came into this game after winning the first match by an innings and 209 runs.
The Joe Root-led side won the toss and decided to bat first in the second game. Their top-order could not respond well to the Caribbean pacers, as they were struggling at 71/4. However, Root (59) and Ben Stokes (100) led the charge for England and helped them post a respectable total of 258. Kemar Roach and Shannon Gabriel picked up four wickets each for the visitors.
In response, the West Indies were also in a similar spot of bother, as they lost three wickets for just 35 runs. Neverthless, opener Kraigg Brathwaite and Shai Hope assessed the situation well and steered the team on the right path. Brathwaite (134) and Hope (147) dominated the opposition bowling unit by stitching a 246-run stand and helping the team score 427 runs, thus securing a lead of 169 runs. James Anderson picked up a five-wicket haul for the home team.
In their second innings, England bounced back strongly, as six of their batters crossed the 50-run mark. All-rounder Moeen Ali was the top-scorer with 84 off 93 balls, as the hosts declared the innings on 490/8 and set up a target of 322 runs.
Certainly, the West Indies had to decide whether to go for the target or play for a draw on the final day. Interestingly, they chose the first option.
Losing two early wickets didn't deter the confidence of Shai Hope and Brathwaite, as the pair tormented the English bowling attack once again. They added 144 runs for the third wicket before Brathwaite was dismissed for 95.
However, Hope continued his imperious knock, while getting support from Roston Chase (30) and Jermaine Blackwood (48). In the end, Hope remained unbeaten on 118 off 211, with 14 fours, as West Indies secured a thrilling five-wicket victory to level the series.
Shai Hope created history by becoming the first cricketer to score a century in both innings of a first-class game at Headingley.
