Shai Hope hits stunning century as West Indies punish England in thrilling second Test at Headingley

West Indies successfully chased down 322 to win by five wickets

England were punished for their poor fielding in the end (Getty)

What a victory by West Indies. What a performance from Shai Hope and, last but not least, what a Test match.

For now the inquests for England can wait. This was a thrilling, fluctuating contest over five days that not only gave a welcome shot in the arm to West Indian cricket but to the game’s oldest format itself.

A group of players that were humiliated and denigrated in equal measure following their innings-and-209-run capitulation in the opening match of the series at Edgbaston have, just ten days later, pulled off one of the great Test-match victories.

They will now travel to Lord’s next week level at 1-1 and with confidence they can secure their first series win in this country since 1988. From where the tourists were after Edgbaston, this five-wicket triumph represents a truly astonishing turnaround.

Brathwaite helped steer the Windies to a winning position (Getty)

No team other than the fabled Australians of 1948, Don Bradman’s Invincibles, have chased down more than the 322 runs West Indies did here to win a Test at Headingley. It was probably apt that this result was forged on the back of a truly magnificent and historic performance from a man named Hope.

Nobody had score centuries in each innings during the previous 534 first-class matches on this ground. However, Shai Hope defied history by following up his first-innings 147 with a magnificent unbeaten 118 that got his team over the line to reach their target with 4.4 overs to spare.

The Bajan, still just 23 and playing only his 12th Test, achieved what team-mate Kraigg Brathwaite narrowly missed out on earlier in the day when the opener was dismissed on 95 having made 134 in his team’s first innings.

And it was that pair’s two huge third-wicket stands in this match, the partnership of 144 on this final day following up the 246 they posted on the second that ultimately proved decisive.

Root was left frustrated with some slack fielding (Getty)

It’s hard to overstate how big underdogs West Indies were before this match began. They had not won a Test in England for 17 years. In that period they had before this, won just two matches away from the Caribbean against opposition other than Zimbabwe or Bangladesh.

And, after overturning a first-innings deficit of 169 to set West Indies a target that looked out of reach when this final day began, England will be shell-shocked.

Many might argue Joe Root, in just his second series as captain, got his declaration on the fourth evening badly wrong.

However, Root must not be judged harshly. After all, this was the third-highest successful Test run chase in England. Instead, West Indies, and Hope in particular, should be credited for achieving something that seemed improbable when they began the day still needing another 317 to win.

Carlos Brathwaite's 95 got the Windies to a strong start (Getty)

England will point to the early drop of Brathwaite by Alastair Cook as key. Had the former captain held on to the chance at slip created by Broad when Brathwaite was on just four things may have been different.

Yet the hosts did make progress in the first session, Broad having Kieran Powell caught at fourth slip in the tenth over of the day to reduce West Indies to 46 for one.

Broad was then the beneficiary of some extraordinary luck when he ran out Kyle Hope for a five-ball duck. It came via a drop off his own bowling, Brathwaite given another life on 29 but then seeing the ball ricochet into the stumps at the other end to dismiss his partner.

That brought West Indies’ other Hope to the crease and the tourists, on 86 for two, reached lunch needing 236 more for victory.

Broad and Anderson struggled to cope with the West Indies batsmen (Getty)

Hope and Brathwaite’s alliance drove England to distraction, home frustrations illustrated by the sight of Broad being warned for kicking a lump out of the pitch in the 46th over of the innings. At that stage the partnership was worth 102, the Windies now needing 167 more to win.

However, Moeen Ali broke it on the stroke of tea, Brathwaite caught at slip after being tempted into the drive five runs shy of his hundred. West Indies began the final session needing another 123 to win in 32 overs.

The equation was 76 from 20 overs after Mason Crane, on as a substitute fielder for Broad, pulled off a stunning catch at mid-on off Chris Woakes to dismiss Roston Chase for 30.

Shai Hope hit a fine century to see the West Indies over the line (Getty)

With just four overs until the second new ball, the uber-attacking Jermaine Blackwood now joined Hope at the crease. Blackwood made his intentions clear when he smashed the second delivery with the new ball, from Anderson, for six.

Hope then brought up his moment of history with a single off Broad to leave his side 46 short of victory with 14.3 overs remaining. Blackwood’s skittish innings of 41 took West Indies to within two of victory before he was stumped charging Moeen.

It finally came when Hope hit Woakes for two to spark manic celebrations from the men from the Caribbean.