England's Dominance Exposes Disparity: West Indies Seeking More Test Cricket Opportunities

West Indies suffered a humiliating innings and 114-run defeat by England in the first Test at Lord’s last week, with the hosts wrapping up victory before lunch on the third day as they went 1-0 up in a three-match encounter.

But the difference between the two teams is about far more than on-field performances.

England are one of international cricket’s ‘Big Three’ financial powerhouse nations, together with India and Australia, while the West Indies are one of the economically poorer members of the Test-match elite.

The gulf between England and the West Indies is also reflected in their respective fixture lists, with Tests still largely a matter of bilateral arrangements between competing teams — the International Cricket Council merely specifies a minimum of two matches for a series.

Thursday’s second Test at Trent Bridge will be England’s seventh of 17 fixtures in the format this year, whereas the West Indies will be playing their third of nine in 2024.

“It’s a challenge. I mean, we’re longing for more Test cricket,” West Indies captain Brathwaite told a pre-match press conference at Trent Bridge on Wednesday.

“I think the more you play it, the faster you will learn. If it’s drawn over a long period of time, playing two Tests here, two Tests there, you will take longer to learn. We need more Tests.”

The 31-year-old added: “All I can do is keep preaching for it. I don’t know how hard it is to put on a Test series for the West Indies but all I can do is keep asking. I just hope the powers that be that may control the schedule pertaining to white ball and T20 tournaments, can fit in five or six more Test matches for us per year.”

A more immediate issue for the West Indies if they are to be competitive in this series is how to ensure an improved showing by their batsmen.

At Lord’s they were bowled out for just 121 and 136, with experienced opener Brathwaite managing just 10 runs in total during what was his 90th Test.

“It’s pretty simple what we’ve got to do — we’ve got to bat a lot better,” said Brathwaite, who made a Test hundred in England, at Headingley, seven years ago.

“We’ve got to find a way. We’ve just got to put runs on the board. I know what I have to do and it’s obviously important to lead this team and lead the batting.

“We’ve just got to keep learning.”

(AFP)