Despite a heavy defeat to West Indies in the first Test, Taha Hashim believes England should be given some credit for their risk-taking selections.
Fortune favours the brave … sometimes. West Indies’ 381-run victory in the first Test arrived in the most fitting of circumstances. The bowler, Roston Chase. The batsman, Sam Curran. England were 246 for 9, 382 runs behind the impossible win, a day and a bit away from the unlikely draw. And yet, that youthful vigour, that hearty aggression – symbolic of Root’s side – remained within the 20-year-old Curran.
As Chase strode towards the crease, Curran advanced down the track still looking to attack for runs. The tall, languid Chase, with seven wickets to his name, wasn’t to be outfoxed. He darted the ball down the leg-side, leaving Curran perplexed. Shai Hope obliged with a quick-fire stumping, sealing a staggering thrashing.
West Indies win by 381 runs.
Roston Chase, who had just 42 wickets from 26 Tests before this game, finishes with figures of 8-60.
A thoroughly deserved victory for the West Indies, who comprehensively outplayed England in every department. #WIvENG | #WIvsENG pic.twitter.com/sqAG1GUtlv
— Wisden (@WisdenCricket) January 26, 2019
A brief passage of play told a much larger story, for whatever England did over the course of four days in Barbados, little went their way. Amidst the backdrop of Shimron Hetmyer’s exuberance with the bat, Kemar Roach’s thrilling pace, and Jason Holder’s monumental knock at No.8, there was the constant soundtrack of pundits voicing concern over England’s selection mishaps.
The decision to drop Stuart Broad and play both Curran and Adil Rashid was one that staggered many. On commentary, Nasser Hussain spent much of day one in disbelief at the decision to leave out a man with 433 Test wickets to his name. For the BBC, Jonathan Agnew, reflecting after the defeat, posed the argument: “Who knows what might [have] happened if Broad had helped dismiss West Indies cheaply on the first day.”
After a defeat of such magnitude, it is worth remembering that England have won seven of their last nine Tests with a dogma of experimentation. From the viewpoint of a neutral, one hopes that they continue to throw surprises at the door, for this remains an enchanting team to watch, capable of both brilliance and maddening destruction. In a year which will hopefully see cricket find more of a spotlight amongst back pages – with both an Ashes series and World Cup on home shores – a desire for defensive pragmatism, be it with selection or style of play, should be avoided.
Regardless of the decision to leave out Broad, it was England’s batsmen who failed in this Test, succumbing to 77 all out. Mistakes were made across the last few days, and with Root’s words after the game, hands have been held up. While the word “leave” plagues the nation at this moment in time, Root’s principles of thinking a little differently and dreaming a little boldly should firmly remain.
