Cricket legend lights a positive flame for struggling Windies as the first pink ball Test in England gets underway at Birmingham; Alastair Cook's 50 helps hosts to reach 108-2 at lunch
The West Indies team celebrate the wicket of England’s Mark Stoneman on Day One of the first Test at Edgbaston yesterday. Pic/PTI,AP
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Vivian Richards has insisted England are "beatable" as he urged the West Indies to restore a sense of pride during their Test series against Joe Root's men. The first of a three-match contest started at Birmingham's Edgbaston ground yesterday with the inaugural day-night Test in England.
Day One saw Alastair Cook and Joe Root in the familiar position of rebuilding the innings after the West Indies made early inroads at Edgbaston. England were 108 for two at lunch. Cook exactly 50 not out and captain Root, who won the toss, 40 not out.
Sir Viv Richards
Cook in fine touch
Former skipper Cook and successor Root had so far added an unbroken 69 for the third wicket. They joined forces at 39 for two after Test debutant Mark Stoneman and Tom Westley were both dismissed for eight. The fifth day-night Test worldwide saw Root win the toss at 1:30pm local time under blue skies and on a good pitch.
West Indies have not won a Test in England since 2000, just part of a miserable overall away record during the last 20 years. They have also arrived without several star players, the legacy of a bitter dispute with administrators and a clash with the lucrative Caribbean Premier League Twenty20 tournament. England come into the series fresh from a 3-1 home Test success against South Africa. But former West Indies captain Richards, one of the best batsmen cricket has known, said England had frequently under-performed, citing the hosts' defeat by eventual champions Pakistan in the semi-finals of this year's Champions Trophy one-day tournament as an example.
"Over the years, it's always amazed me with England," Richards told The Times. "They never win as much as they should," he added at an event staged by the Lord's Taverners cricket charity. "I look at the Champions Trophy — there was no better team for that format but they still fell short.
England have the right stuff in their teams but then they fall down at some hurdle or just don't jump high enough." Richards had some of his best days as a cricketer in England, including scoring two double hundreds in a 1976 Test series where he made 829 runs.
The Richards way
Known for his intimidating presence at the crease, Richards urged Jason Holder's side not to be overawed by England. "I hope the West Indies team can see that England are beatable," said Richards, who also helped West Indies win two World Cups in England.
"It does hurt that the glory days have been lost," he said. "I was doing some television work during the Champions Trophy and there was no West Indies there. No West Indies. That's like saying there would be no Chelsea or Arsenal in the Premier League. That's how it felt." Richards added: "I don't believe that many of the players of the modern day really understand the legacy of West Indies cricket and why they are playing for West Indies and why it matters so much."
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