Kavem Hodge becomes only the second Dominican cricketer to score a Test century

Kavem Hodge leads Caribbean charge against formidable show from England in second Test.

Kavem Hodge becomes only the second Dominican cricketer to score a Test century

Kavem Hodge, image courtesy: X

It was a delightful show from Kavem Hodge who became the first centurion for West Indies against England since 2017 while also registering the first century in the threads of the Islanders since February 2023. With West Indies battling for dear life after a rocky start, it was the partnership of two fellow Dominicans, Hodge and Alick Athanaze who steered the boat to safety for the visitors.

Batting first England piled up 416 on the cards before the Caribbean bowlers could roll them up. The visitors found themselves in uncharted territory with the top three returning to the pavilion in quick succession. Eventually, it was Kavem Hodge and Athanaze who took over the reins and reinforced the war for the visitors with the English bowlers breaking a mighty sweat despite a formidable total on the board.

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Over the span of the last year and a half, West Indies didn’t see a Test century. The one that preceded the one from Hodge saw Kraigg Brathwaite and Tagenarine Chanderpaul racking themselves centuries back in February 2023. Finally shattering the jinx with a rollicking strike against Ben Stokes, Hodge rewrote the record books for the Dominicans.

Walking out to bat with his team in trouble, Hodge had to go through a rocky spell of play before he could finally ease himself in. Hodge had an early lifeline when he was grassed by Joe Root in the slip cordon. However, following that, he looked a lot more comfortable and barely placed a foot wrong.

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How West Indies fought back against England in the second Test?

Kraigg Brathwaite and Mikyle Louis did get off to a flying start as West Indies made good use of the flat surface in Trent Bridge. The early salvo instilled the belief in the fans and the experts that this may not be a repeat of what happened in the first Test where the visitors were crushed in the first three days.

Kavem Hodge
Kavem Hodge and Alick Athanaze, Image courtesy: X

Much to their surprise, however, they lost Brathwaite, Louis and an incoming Kirk McKenzie in a span of 30 runs, reducing them to a troublesome 84/3.

With the déjà vu of another collapse sinking in, Kavem Hodge who looked in solid touch against Australia earlier in the year stepped up and was well supported by Alick Athanaze. The duo totted 175 runs for the third wicket, helping West Indies fight back before a strong close to the day’s play with Jason Holder and Joshua da Silva calling the shots aggressively.

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