West Indies bounced back in the second Test against England brilliantly on the back of a ton from middle-order batter Kavem Hodge, who also added a 175-run stand with Alick Athanaze. The duo led West Indies’ strong reply to England’s 416 in the first innings setting up the rest of the Test match as well. However, skipper Kraigg Brathwaite had asked for an improved batting performance and the duo of Hodge and Athanaze did it well.

“We always bat good together, play for the same franchise back home, we’ve had a lot of big partnerships. He’s more aggressive than I am, I’m more of an accumulator, so I tend to go under the radar and go about my business quietly. Always good to spend time with him at the wicket,” said Hodge at the end of the day’s play while reflecting on the partnership.

However, Hodge, playing his fourth Test match, got a maiden Test hundred and was happy as well. The highlight of the innings was his on-field battle against a stunning Mark Wood who fired bouncers at will at a high pace as well. At one point it also hit Athanaze on the back of the helmet leaving Hodge concerned as well.

“It’s a dream come true, you play the game as a youngster, that’s something that you want to do, especially at the highest level – in England against England. I’m really happy and satisfied about it, especially also the position of the team, it’s always good to help the team’s cause,” he said. “I flinched. I thought I was going to get hit before him but it didn’t happen like that. But kudos to him that he bounced back well and was able to stand his ground and push on further.”

A day to remember for Kavem Hodge.❤️

A maiden Test Century at Trent Bridge.💯 #ENGvWI | #MenInMaroon pic.twitter.com/pfwQUFHHEI

— Windies Cricket (@windiescricket) July 19, 2024

However, at the end of the day, Hodge had the last laugh while looking back and even shared a joke that he had cracked to Mark Wood amid the spell which ultimately made the hundred all the more ‘satisfying’ as well.

“It was brutal. It’s not every day you rock up and you face someone that’s bowling more than 90mph every single ball. There was one point, I made a joke to him, I said: ‘Hey, I have a wife and kids at home.’ But I think that made the century a lot more satisfying. Test cricket is brutal, it’s challenging, it’s mentally draining. To experience that, facing guys like Mark Wood, it was tough but it was satisfying,” Kavem Hodge concluded.