By Karthik Krishnaswamy
TO perk up West Indies fans after their 2-1 series defeat in England, here are five of their most memorable Test wins from the 21st century, leaving aside the obvious candidates: St John’s 2003 and Headingley 2017
Won by 155 runs v India, Kingston, 2002
After the first four Tests of a draining, seesawing series, the decider seemed to hinge as much on who had more left in the tank as on cricketing skill. Only 18 wickets fell across 444 overs during the fourth Test in Antigua, and India, who had bowled second and bowled 248 overs – with Anil Kumble injured and off the field for the bulk of them – were running on fumes by the time they got to Sabina Park.
They chose to bowl first on a greentop, but couldn’t make use of the conditions, and Wavell Hinds and Chris Gayle punished them with a century-stand that laid the platform for a total of 422. Mervyn Dillon, Cameron Cuffy, Pedro Collins and Adam Sanford formed one of the least nightmare-inducing pace quartets in West Indies’ history, but they bowled with verve and discipline to secure a match-winning 210-run lead.
It was a matter of time, but the weather threatened to dampen their party. The start of the final morning was delayed, but rain kept away for just long enough for West Indies to secure the series win. Half-an-hour after they’d taken the final wicket, a torrential deluge, which lasted 11 straight days, enveloped all of Jamaica.
Won by seven wickets v Sri Lanka, Kingston, 2003
This was a fast bowlers’ Test over the first three innings, which produced totals of 208, 191 and 194, five-wicket hauls for the slingy Fidel Edwards, on debut, and the fast and erratic Prabath Nissanka, and a seven-wicket haul for the accurate Corey Collymore.
Then, with West Indies set a seemingly tricky target of 212, with Chaminda Vaas and Muttiah Muralitharan to contend with, the script changed abruptly. Ramnaresh Sarwan coasted to 82 off 110 balls, and Brian Lara cracked an unbeaten 80 off 90, as West Indies romped to victory at nearly five runs an over.
The unfortunate Nissanka bore the brunt of the punishment, conceding 64 in eight overs, as Sri Lanka’s hopes of a maiden Test and series win in the Caribbean went up in smoke.
Won by 128 runs v South Africa, Port Elizabeth, 2007
West Indies hadn’t won a single Test out of their last 20. They’d never won a Test in South Africa and had lost eight of their nine previous Tests in the country. No one expected a thing from them. They had a new captain, though, in Chris Gayle, and he made the earliest and loudest statement he could possibly have made, slashing 66 off 49 balls after South Africa chose to bowl first.
That was followed by more substantial contributions from Marlon Samuels (94) and Shivnarine Chanderpaul (104), and West Indies posted a more than competitive 408. Then they were in dreamland, three wickets each from Jerome Taylor and Daren Powell and a tail-mopping four-for from Dwayne Bravo securing a 213-run lead.
South Africa bowled a whole lot better in the second innings than they had on an erratic first day, but that still left them chasing 389, and that was just too steep a task, despite the best efforts of Jacques Kallis and AB de Villiers.
Won by five wickets v New Zealand, Kingston, 2012
After winning the first Test comfortably, West Indies were under the pump in the second. New Zealand made only 260 after being sent in, but they had four fast bowlers and had reduced the hosts to 17 for 2 when Marlon Samuels walked in.
Wickets kept falling at the other end – it was 113 for 6 at one stage – but Samuels kept playing his shots, scoring 45 of the 47 runs that the last three wickets contributed to West Indies’ total, and finished with 123 off 169 balls.
New Zealand still led by 51, but West Indies kept clawing back courtesy of off-spinners Sunil Narine and Narsingh Deonarine, who shared seven wickets to bowl the visitors out for 154 in their second innings. It was still anyone’s game with a target of 206, but Samuels – who was having an extraordinary year in which he averaged 86.60 in Tests apart from winning the World T20 final almost singlehandedly – was not done yet. His 52, and forties from Chanderpaul and the nightwatchman Kemar Roach steered West Indies to a five-wicket win.
Won by five wickets v Pakistan, Sharjah, 2016
In the entire history of Test cricket, only one opening batsman has batted twice in a Test match and finished not-out both times. In a Test match in which 35 wickets fell for 28 runs apiece, Kraigg Brathwaite batted twice and faced 429 balls without being dismissed. First, he carried his bat and scored 142 to guide West Indies to a 56-run lead.
Then he made 60 to ensure they got to their target of 153 with five wickets in hand. All this led West Indies to their first away win, outside of Bangladesh, in almost nine years. (ESPN Cricinfo)