Shai Hope‘s twin hundreds at Headingley in 2017 can rightfully take a place among the finest batting achievements in the history of the game. No man had ever scored a century in each innings of a first-class match – never mind a Test – in over 100 years of cricket played on the ground before Hope did so, in the process leading West Indies home to a memorable five-wicket win.
But the marker has also become something of a millstone around Hope’s Test career, symbolic of what he could still become rather than the moment he arrived. In the two-and-a-half years of international cricket since, Hope’s coruscating ability has shone most brightly in the one-day arena, where he has scored eight hundreds and averaged 55.52 (while keeping wicket, too); but he has yet to raise his bat on reaching three figures in another Test.
The 265 runs Hope scored in Leeds three summers ago currently constitute almost 18% of his career total. Yet, despite an average of 27.23, his wicket will rank alongside that of Kraigg Brathwaite (who narrowly missed out on pipping Hope to Headingley history with 134 and 95) as the most important for England’s bowlers to target.
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“We want to change that around,” Hope said of how his Test numbers pale in comparison to ODIs. “Red-ball batting is definitely my favourite part of the game but the runs and the stats aren’t exactly where we want them to be, but I’m working towards that. I can’t pinpoint anything [wrong] at this stage, because I wouldn’t say my preparation has changed. I don’t think it’s anything major when it comes to my technical side of the game. There are certain things you can tweak, as you go along. I would probably say it’s more of a mental thing. Hopefully I can turn it around and move on from there.
“Obviously you’re going to be hard on yourself, especially when you know you can get something done but it’s not really portraying on the stats. Just [need to] have the continued belief in myself, back my ability because I know I can get it done, it’s not like I haven’t done it before. Case of making sure I make the most of these opportunities and do whatever I can to make the team win.”
Hope’s ideal role within the Test side is perhaps still to be determined; his Headingley hundreds came at No. 5 (due to use of a nightwatchman) and No. 4, but he has since moved up to three and also batted down the order when deputising for regular wicketkeeper Shane Dowrich. “Regardless of which position I bat, I have to contribute in whichever way I can,” he said. “It doesn’t matter if I start at the top or the middle order, the case is to get as many runs for the team.”
With West Indies possessing the calibre of pace attack to make life hard for England, their chances of capitalising may hinge on how the batsmen fare. Missing Darren Bravo and Shimron Hetmyer, two players who contributed to beating England in the Caribbean 18 months ago, the burden of expectation is likely to fall on Brathwaite and Hope.
Opener Brathwaite, too, has experienced a dip in form since 2017, averaging 25.33 in his last 20 Tests. Roston Chase has enjoyed most of his batting success in the Caribbean, Jermaine Blackwood scored his only Test century five years ago, while players such as John Campbell, Shamarh Brooks and Nkrumah Bonner are relatively untested – but Hope said it was important for someone to “put their hand up” over the coming weeks.
“It’s very important, especially for the team dynamic that we have right now, we’re missing a few key players so it’s very important for us as top-order batters to get those runs on the board,” Hope said. “Especially first part of the game against the new ball, make it easier for the batters coming down the line.”
“It’s more a case where the performances will matter. Yes, we’re definitely going to miss those guys [Bravo and Hetmyer], they play a big role in the team, but it’s more the performances that we’re going to miss. Because they could be here and it just doesn’t go their way, that’s how cricket goes sometimes. We really just want someone to put their hands up, and I want to stress that. Just keep making sure that we as batters put those runs on the board.”
West Indies’ training at Old Trafford was interrupted by rain on Tuesday, but Hope said the players had settled in well and would be hoping to turn the heat up on England by the time the first Test rolls around on July 8.
“We expect the seamers to bowl some fire in the series. Pitches have been pretty decent, it’s just trying to acclimatise to everything, get used to the conditions and I think we’re settling in nicely.”