West Indies played things perfectly against England.
For two Tests, they weathered blows from the tourists, showing patience – first through Nkrumah Bonner, then Kraigg Brathwaite – to earn hard-fought draws on flat pitches in Antigua and Barbados.
Then, they travelled to Grenada, a venue less familiar to England, who have not visited since 2015, and produced a pitch that promised a result in front of a crowd much more in their favour than the first two. The number of England fans in Barbados might just have been touching five figures, in Grenada it was only just into four. Despite the result, they cannot have had a bad time on a jewel of an island.
Anyway, Windies won the toss for the first time, stuck England in, and took control of a topsy-turvy game. They held their nerve when England could not.
It was a reminder of why England have struggled to win in this part of the world (once since 1968!); conditions are unpredictable, and can vary wildly across a diverse region.
The series was a reminder, too, that the much-parroted notion that cricket is no longer popular in the Caribbean is overplayed. The islands are still producing Test players: since England last toured, Joshua da Silva and Jayden Seales have emerged, emphatically, from Trinidad.
It was not just on the field that the Windies played a blinder. This was a fine tour on which England’s travelling thousands had a wonderful time on three beautiful islands.
One request, though: it is time to mix things up in terms of where England visit. Because England are unique in bringing travelling support, the temptation is to fill the fixture list with games on the tourist islands most easily accessible from the UK. Series are shorter now, with five Tests in the 1990s becoming three in the 2010s; even this series was only as long as three because an extra match added to say thank you to the Windies for touring England in 2020, during the pandemic.
But that has meant it is 13 years (or three tours) since they last played a Test in Jamaica or Trinidad, and 25 (five tours!) since they last made it to Guyana. These are hotbeds of the game in the Caribbean with iconic venues, producing players. Antigua, where Cricket West Indies are based, and Barbados have hosted a game on each of those tours.
There are fans on those islands desperate to see the Windies play an historic rival. Grenada, who have hosted fewer England games, and turned out in greater numbers, producing an atmosphere totally different to Antigua and Barbados. The local authorities seemed to have made more effort, too: advertising for the event was more visible around the island, while the in-ground experience – with a carnival parade at lunch on day one – was superior, too.
It has meant this series has lost a bit of its colour, not least because in Antigua – which always seems to host a fixture – now hosts its games at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium, which is out of town and lacks the atmosphere once seen at the Rec.
It is right that CWI look to maximise the financial opportunity England visiting represents, but perhaps a compromise can be found: two Tests of each trip on tourist islands (one being Barbados) and a third at the sort of traditional venue taken out of England’s schedule. Perhaps a fourth island should be used for warm-up match(es); Antigua and Barbados have hosted those on recent tours.
Anecdotally, it appears that there is appetite among England fans to visit new places. The Barmy Army’s boss Chis Millard has publicly stated they are keen to see different islands.
Wherever they go, mind, England will have to play mighty well to win.
