Spectacular Hope gives Windies historic win

Tue, Aug 29, '17

It was a brilliant final day of what has been a brilliant Test match at Headingley. While there are threats to the longest format of the game, spectacles like the one seen in Leeds over the past five days prove that it can still enthral and entertain with the best of them. All four results were still possible heading in to the final hour of the day but Shai Hope's brilliant unbeaten century, his second in the match, led the Windies to a historic five-wicket victory.

It was a fine recovery from the tourists after the horror show at Edgbaston in the first Test that they lost by an innings and 209 runs. It was Windies' only fourth Test victory away from home, excluding Zimbabwe and Bangladesh, in their past 88 overseas Tests and their first in England since 2000. It is also the second-highest successful chase ever in Test matches at Headingley and now gives them a chance to win the series at Lord's.

In Kraigg Brathwaite and Hope, they have two batsmen of real Test match pedigree who they can build around for the next decade. The pair put on 144 on Tuesday (August 29) to put their side within sight of victory, and Hope, who became the first player ever to score hundreds in each innings of a first-class match at Headingley, with Jermaine Blackwood then saw them to their target of 321. Together, Hope and Brathwaite put on 390 runs in the match.

read more at cricbuzz