The odds of West Indies pulling off a series win against England at home when the two sides clash in the highly anticipated three-match test series beginning July 8 at the Ageas Bowl are pretty slim.
They are not doomed to defeat because anything is possible in the world of sports but history suggests that Jason Holder and his men are up against it. West Indies last won a Test series in England, almost 32 years ago when Sir Vivian Richards in 1988 led his side to a commanding 4-0 series win.
That 88th series, as records and clips show, was a relatively quiet one. The first test was a drawn encounter at Trent Bridge where Carl Hooper missed out on a ton, recording 84. Malcolm Marshall grabbed 6-69 in England’s first innings. It was a man of the match performance.
West Indies won the second test by 134 runs and the third by an innings and 154 runs on the back of another special performance by Marshall who snared 7-22 during the host’s second innings. Roger Harper top-scored with 74 during West Indies’ 384 – 7 declared, obviously their lone innings in that match
The fourth test at Headingly, Leeds was another significant triumph for West Indies who won by 10 wickets and they closed out the series by condemning the host to an eight-wicket defeat at the Oval.
The next two series encounters on English soil ended in 2-2 draws; in 1991 and 1995. The latter saw Brian Lara amassing over seven hundred runs at an average of 85 while Ian Bishop (27 wickets), Courtney Walsh (26), Kenneth Benjamin (23), and Sir Curtly Ambrose (21) ran riot. That is what it took to manufacture a drawn series.
Those were the latter years of West Indian dominance and it feels like a mighty long time ago. But since then, both sides have led contrasting paths with the English improving via systematic methods while West Indies has failed to replicate those glowing successes of the past. England is currently ranked fourth in the world while West Indies stands four places lower.
Too many talented players have slipped through West Indies reins, lost altogether, or while others have found a habitat in T20 leagues around the world, perhaps disregarding the reverence for the game’s purest form. The foregoing is part of the reason for West Indies’ continued decline.
In hindsight, a West Indian test side inclusive of Chris Gayle, Dwayne Bravo, Kieron Pollard – who had a promising start to his first-class career -, Sunil Narine and Andre Russell, void of the T20 distraction along with a few of the current crop would be a mouthwatering prospect.
But even as optimism refuses to allow me to concede a series defeat before a ball is delivered, failed trips to the UK resulting in series losses in recent years – 2000 (3-1), 2004 (4-0), 2007 (3-0), 2009 (2-0), 2012 (2-0) and 2017 (2-1) – doesn’t inspire much hope.
It’s going to be tough for Holder and his troop to reverse history. But can they pull it off?
