Caledonia Dreaming or Ian38018 Sporting Travels: Sir Vivian Richards Stadium, Antigua

West Indies v England
(Second Test)

31st January - 2nd February 2019

Once I decided, pretty much on a whim, to attend a test match in the West Indies, I pondered long and hard where in the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium I would buy tickets for. The bargain basement ($15US) uncovered area was not an option for a chap like me whose skin burns in a crescent moon. Similarly the silly priced Party Area was not considered – there are few folks on the planet less of a party animal than myself.

The South Stand, I learned, is perpetually in the shade, so I plumped for $50US tickets in there. I need not have bothered, however, for once one was inside the ground no-one appeared to give a hoot where you sat. I could probably have purchased those cheapo standard entry tickets, and took up a premium seat in the sparsely populated centre of the South Stand. Oh well, one lives and learns.

Sir Vivian Richards Stadium, Antigua.

The opening ball (Broach to Burns) of the Second Test between West Indies and England
Antigua 2019

Day One

After the chastening experience suffered by England's batsmen in the first test, it was clear the openers here had no plans to take many chances early on. Thus it was we into the fifth over before Rory Burns succeeded in chalking up the tourists' first runs, with a boundary. England finally rediscovering test match patience, perhaps?

Unfortunately not, as Burns was dismissed just two balls later. His opening partner, debutant Joe Denly, nervously prodded his way through a further half-a-dozen or so overs, before being caught by Windies' wicket-keeper Shane Dowrich for just six runs, leaving England on a decidedly shaky looking 16/2.

Johnny Bairstow managed to steady the ship for a spell, making a hard-won half century, before being given out by the DRS on the second ball after lunch. Thereafter it was a parade of pretty inept batting, with the exception of the frustratingly inconsistent Moeen Ali, who also racked up half-century plus before being caught.

England's last realistic chance of achieving a remotely respectable tally disappeared when wicketkeeper Ben Foakes, who had hung around for over two hours patiently building his modest score of 35, got into an almighty fankle attempting to deal with a delivery by Shannon Gabriel. Foakes appeared to initially go for a strike, then to attempt to get out of the way of things, before settling for tamely knocking the ball onto his own stumps. That left England on 186/8, and a chap behind me summed the farcical dismissal up far better than I could with “Oh, you dopey bugger!”.

England succeeded in adding just one more run before Gabriel bowled Jimmy Anderson, to end what really had been a pretty insipid batting display. I did feel a bit sorry for Joe Root,though, who had been on the end of a pretty-much unplayable ball. And even then, it had required a two-man job to complete the catch.

All eyes on the big screen awaiting a DRS decision.

This looked frankly unsafe.

Panorama of Sir Vivian Richards Stadium.

The South Stand or The Sir Andy Roberts End.

Rear of the North Stand.

The Barmy Army generally congregated in the open Bleachers Stand.

Moeen Ali

Ali hitting a boundary.

Ali and West Indies' bowler Shannon Gabriel.

Two of the cameramen had towels over their heads.
I am not sure if this was to help seeing down the camera viewfinder, or a primitive form of sunblock.
Perhaps a bit of both.

For the final overs of Day One, both sides appeared to come to some tacit unstated agreement, whereby England would not seriously attempt to take a wicket, if the Windies undertook to maintain a modest run rate. And so the day plodded to a close with the hosts gleaning just 30 runs during the last 21 overs bowled.

Although when the umpires picked up the bails at the end of play, I noted with some annoyance that the scoreboard was suggesting a further six overs were remaining for the day. I would fine or ban these pesky slow-over rate bowlers were it up to me. They are robbing me of what I had paid for.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yQNDhH1W2No

The well-heeled Sandals All-Inclusive bods having fun in the Party Stand.

Sir "Master Blaster" Viv

Moeen Ali already looks deflated as Kemar Roach closes in on a catch.

There were loads of food stands around the ground.
As a veggie, little of their fare appealed to me. Although, I was intrigued as to what exactly Goat Water was.

I had not realised before just how odd Ben Stokes' bowling action is.
He sort of skips sideways just before releasing the ball.
So much so, I initially thought he was slipping on the surface.

Panorama of Sir Vivian Richards Stadium, Antigua.

******************************************************************************

And so to Day Two.

Up early on the morning of Day Two, I noted three cruise liners had arrived at St Johns.

I had travelled a third of the way across the globe for this match, and really, really wished to see at least four (five, preferably) days worth of cricket. So England's half-arsed display on Day One had left me in a bit of a quandary. I knew that if the the hosts built up a substantial score during their first innings, we could be looking at a three-innings match. Similarly, Windies being skittled out cheaply, as England had been, would equally result in a foreshortened encounter.

So what I ended up going into Day Two hoping for was for West Indies not to lose wickets quickly, whilst simultaneously not scoring too many runs. In other words, I wished for nothing much of anything to happen. Yes, Joe Root and his pals had certainly fucked up my day.

Of course, what we did get was a bit of what I was hoping for: a dogged West Indian batting display during which runs were accumulated at a rate best described as unassuming. Kraigg Brathwaite, John Campbell and Shai Hope were each dismissed just shy of their respective half-centuries, and by the close of play the hosts had built a modest(ish) lead of 85.

The tourists' cause was hardly helped by Jos Buttler having a real off day in the slips, dropping two eminently catchable opportunities. Cue the inevitable "Buttler-fingers" comments around me. Stuart Broad did take two wickets in quick succession just after lunch to reduce Windies from 151/2 to 155/4. But it was hard going in the sun, for all of the English bowlers

A home supporter in front of me had been laughingly taunting Jimmy Anderson throughout his overs, as being “too slow”, but Anderson certainly showed an impressive burst of speed to get into position to catch Shimron Hetmyer. And at that point Windies looked slightly vulnerable on 186/5. Surely, all that England required to do to prevent their hosts building up a sizeable lead, was simply to eliminate that pesky Darren Bravo.

And the rest of his teammates would assuredly tumble.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pBhAdKNWrgI&t=70s

Breakfast generally consisted of a slice of something weird and wonderful from "The Mystic Baker".

I jokingly enquired of him if there was any ganja in my cake. He just smiled non committally.

The wind picked up a touch on Day Two

The opening ball of Day Two was, according to Cricinfo:
Broad to Brathwaite, no run, length ball, angling in towards the stumps, tucked to midwicket.

The North Stand, or Sir Curtly Ambrose End, has the Antiguan flag picked out in the seat colours.

I spotted a saltire in the North Stand on Day Two, and decided I would sit across
there on Day Three and say "Hi" to my fellow countrymen.

In addition to the two huge electronic scoreboards, there was a manual one, which although it was updated assiduously,
served no purpose whatsoever. I wondered if it had come from the old ground, and represented a bit of nostalgia at play.

Jimmy Anderson

Kraigg Brathwaite

Sometimes the incoming Windies batsman used these stairs. Sometimes not.

I was tempted by these barbecued half-lobsters. But the possibility, however remote,
of a dose of the squits so far from home kept me to fruit, veg and cakes.

Panorama of The Sir Vivian Richards Stadium, Antigua.

The Barmy Army getting pinker of skin by the hour.

Panorama of The Sir Vivian Richards Stadium, Antigua.

Bravo disappoints Stokes.

Dancers jigging to The Proclaimers.

The South Stand concourse.

The official merchandise staff was delightfully low key.

The Bleachers Stand

Stepping over the seats I didn't half clatter this lady in red on the far left of the pic.
Her scowl would have turned milk.

A dismissed and disappointed Dowrich.

I lost count the number of times Darren Bravo was hit by the ball.

Panorama view.

End of Day Two, and we got the full complement of overs bowled...plus one.

Windies finished Day Two with a lead of 85, 24 of which I noted came from extras.
This contrasted with the solitary extra the Windies bowlers gave up during England's opening innings.

Going home at the conclusion of Day Two.

*****************************************************************************

Day Three

As I pitched up for Day Three I felt moderately confident that the match would reach a fourth day. The West Indies had closed the previous evening on 272/6, representing a lead of 85. Darren Bravo had been the real thorn in the flesh of the England bowlers, simply refusing to take any chances, content to patiently build up his tally. A home fan had delighted in his countryman's dogged display “That's fine. Six singles are as good as a six” he stated with unarguable logic.

England's occasionally desperate looking appeals were also mocked. “You have to earn your wickets, England!”.

Bravo had taken a particularly sore-looking one on the arm during Day Two, and I am sure he was hit on various parts of his body on three further occasions in the opening hour of Day Three. With the obdurate Bravo having taken what seemed like an age to reach 42, it appeared likely his day would end when partner Joseph was caught by Burns for just 7.

But out limped into the field the clearly injured Shannon Gabriel to help Bravo reach his half-century, which the latter achieved with aid of a mighty six (the only one of his innings) off Moeen, before clipping the required single, a few balls later.

Bravo's 50 had taken him just over 5 1/2 hours, facing 216 balls in the process. A real labour of love. I was not in the least surprised to later learn this was the slowest ever 50 by a Windies' batsman in a test.

As Denly and Burns wandered out to begin England's second innings, following the brief 10 minute break, I remembered that the taxi driver who had dropped us off at the ground had stated “see you, this afternoon”. Did he know something we did not? I had not hoped to see him again until early evening.

As in his first innings Denly looked a skittish chap, he slashing and swiping away at balls to little effect, and we were six overs down before he got off the mark. And yet, it was his (only marginally) more experienced partner who was first to fall, to Holder's first delivery of the day. But it was Joe Root's dismissal, following an appeal, which had the Windies chaps dancing with delight. That wicket left England on 56/3, and I think the hosts realised at that point the match was theirs. And probably today.

Denly eventually settled into a competent-looking session, although gleaned just 17 from 62 balls, before falling to local lad Azzarri Joseph, the Englishman doing that embarrassing “shouldering arms” thing.

By that point Burns, Bairstow and the aforementioned Root had already said their farewells. Ben “Never Learns” Stokes' dismissal eight overs later, left the tourists on 88/5, and heralded a dismal procession of even cheaper dismissals The sole question remaining at this point was: would England squeak sufficient runs to make Windies have to bat again? And the Barmy Army, to their sort of credit I noted, did possess sufficient gallows humour to cheer this modest achievement, when it arrived.

Thus we had to, (although I noted large numbers of folks chose not to) sit through the formalities of the Windies casually harvesting the 13 runs required to seal the win. Which they duly did, requiring, coincidentally, 13 balls to do so; John Campbell almost contemptuous picking up the winning runs with a six. This immediately after England had fatuously and pointlessly appealed for a clearly non-existent lbw..

Thus did Windies win the three match test series, with a match to spare. Does this result herald a renaissance of West Indian cricket? Well, perhaps not.

The third, inevitably slightly anticlimactic, Third Test was won by England by a whopping 232 runs. A test during which, it should be recorded, Shannon Gabriel disgraced himself during a sledging incident which simultaneously immeasurably elevated Joe Root in the eyes of pretty much every decent person on the planet.

Or, at least I hope it did.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BYUiBfWud2o

Outside my accommodation.

I found it a bit telling that, whilst the West Indians warmed-up for the match practicing their bowling, batting and fielding technique.....

.....the English lads played football.

Opening ball of Day Three: Broad to Holder.

Taking up my seat in the North Stand, I noted my fellow countryman
had moved to the South Stand for Day Three!

Then I noticed another saltire.

New Caledonia in Antigua!

Further evidence of the inevitable eventual dominance by Scotland of world cricket !
Why else would we have a Tunnock's ad in the Caribbean?

The South Stand.

This, I think (my notes are all over place by Day Three) was Joe Denly
performing one of his unorthodox swipes at the ball.

One of my abiding memories of Antigua, is this vendor and her bird-like
call of "Peena Peena Peena" ringing around the stand.

All that scribbling on the arms would suggest to me that this is Ben Stokes.

Stokes again?

Sir Vivian Richards Stadium, Antigua

A few of the England bods peer out and ponder the unfolding train smash.

Mr Stokes hitting his solitary boundary during his second innings.

Panorama of Sir Vivian Richards Stadium.

I was initially puzzled as to what this green snake was, then I thought "What do the Barmy Army have lots of?"
Answer: empty beer cans.
I though it rather fitting the chain broke at the very instant Moeen Ali was dismissed by Kemar Roach.

This little celebratory huddle was initiated by the dismissal of Ben Foakes after a review.
I was surprised at just how many Not Outs became dismissals following appeals.