West Indies succumbs to defeat against England in a three-match Test series: Player Ratings for the Visitors
Going into the three-match Test series, West Indies had great aspirations of putting up sensational performances to climb up the World Test Championship points table from the bottom. However, they were humbled by England, who, under the leadership of Ben Stokes, won all three Test matches to re-establish their domination in the purest format of the game.
The tour kick-started with the West Indies team delivering a poor batting performance by scoring only 121 and 136 runs across two innings and losing the match by an innings and 114 runs. The visitors weren’t much better in the second Test as they lost by a massive 241 runs while the last game saw them getting defeated by ten wickets. Despite the dismal show, there were a handful of West Indies players who managed to stand out, let’s have a look at who shone in the dark skies:
Top Order
Kraigg Brathwaite (4/10): One of the most experienced batters in the West Indies line-up, Kraigg Brathwaite was expected to lead from the front. However, the opening batter failed to live up to the expectations as he succumbed to pressure and ended up scoring only 166 runs in three matches.
Mikyle Louis (3.5/10): Just like his opening partner Kraigg Brathwaite, Mikyle Louis also had a forgettable ride during the three-match series. Playing all three matches, he could score only 162 runs at an average of 27.00.
Kirk McKenzie (0.5/10): With only three Test matches to his name before the commencement of the series, Kirk McKenzie had a golden opportunity to outperform against England and solidify his place in the playing XI.
However, the top-order batter failed to materialise the opportunity provided to him as he scored 0 and 1 runs respectively in the first Test match. He was no better in the next two matches as the second and third Tests saw his recording scores of 11,1,12 and 8 runs, respectively.
Middle Order
Kavem Hodge was the top run-scorer for West Indies against England
Kavem Hodge (7/10): The only West Indies batter who shined on the England soil was Kavem Hodge. The middle-order player ended up as the highest run-scorer for his teams and third-highest in the overall list after Joe Root and Ollie Pope with 216 runs to his name in six innings at an average of 59.75.
It was during the second Test at the Trent Bridge that Hodge, who has featured in only five Test matches so far, delivered one of the finest performances of his career by smacking a century. His knock of 120 runs off 171 balls helped his team post a good score of 457 runs on the board in the second innings.
Alick Athanaze (2.5/10): It was a series to forget for the middle-order batter Alick Athanaze as he could score only 142 runs in six batting innings at a poor average of 23.67. The only good performance by the batter came during the second Test where he scored 82 runs off 99 balls with the help of ten boundaries and one maximum.
Jason Holder couldn’t make much of an impact against England
Jason Holder (5/10): Jason Holder has been the main man for the West Indies, both with the bat and the ball in the past few months. While the player looked in decent form, he failed to deliver an extraordinary performance that could help West Indies win even a single Test match.
That being said, Holder was the 11th-highest run-scorer in the series with 155 runs under his belt in three matches at an average of over 25. His bowling stats aren’t impressive either, as he picked just three wickets in three games at an average of 78.00 and an economy rate of 4.18.
Joshua Da Silva (4/10): Coming to bat at number seven, Joshua Da Silva was excellent in the second Test but couldn’t do much throughout the series. The wicketkeeper-batter ended up with only 159 runs in three matches at an average of 31.80.
Bowlers
Alzarri Joseph (5/10): Alzarri Joseph was decent in the three-match Test series against England as he ended up as the second-highest wicket-taker for the visiting nation. In three matches, Joseph took ten wickets at an average of 45.40 and an alarming economy rate of 6.12.
Gudakesh Motie (4.5/10): Gudakesh Motie delivered a decent spell during the first Test match against England as he picked up two wickets in the form of skipper Ben Stokes and Joe Root while bowling at an economy rate of 2.6. Despite the decent performance, the spinner missed the second Test because of health concerns.
He made a comeback to the team for the final Test match but it was not a good outing for Motie. During West Indies’ first bowling innings, he could dismiss only one batter, Joe Root, when he was playing at 87 runs. It was the only success for the left-arm orthodox bowler as he didn’t get a chance to bowl in the second innings.
Shamar Joseph (1.5/10): It was a series to forget for Shamar Joseph as he bowled a total of 60.1 overs in three matches but failed to make any impact. The right-arm fast-medium bowler picked only four wickets at a poor average of 64.75.
Jayden Seales (7.5/10): The 22-year-old Jayden Seales ended the three-match series as the highest wicket-taker for West Indies while occupying second place in the overall list just after Gus Atkinson.
He picked up a total of 13 wickets in three matches at an average of 27.23 and an economy rate of 4.58. It was during the only bowling innings of the first Test that Seales delivered his best spell of the series by picking up four wickets and conceding 77 runs in 20 overs.
Kevin Sinclair (6/10): In the second Test match, Kevin Sinclair was included in the playing XI in place of Gudakesh Motie and the spinner did a good job considering it has only his second Test match.
The 24-year-old dismissed Harry Brook and Gus Atkinson during the first innings at an economy rate of 3.3 and followed it up with one more wicket of Jamie Smith in the third innings while conceding 78 runs in 15 overs.