West Indies became the first team to clinch the Botham-Richards Trophy with an emphatic 10-wicket victory over England in the deciding third and final Apex Test match at the Grenada National Stadium on Sunday. Captain Kraigg Brathwaite had the honor of hitting the winning runs when he clipped a ball from Saqib Mahmood through the onside for two as the home side reached their target of 28-0 in the morning session. It was the West Indies’ first win at the idyllic venue in the fourth Test match played here.
Brathwaite became the first man to lift the Richards-Botham trophy which was presented by Ricky Skerritt, President of Cricket West Indies, and Dwain Gill, President of the Grenada Cricket Association.
Brathwaite was the leading batsman in the series – built around his monumental century in Barbados and was named the Apex Player of the Series. Joshua Da Silva was named the Apex Man of the Match for his remarkable maiden Test series.
“It has been remarkable…it’s a total team effort, I must commend everyone. In every game, someone put up their hand and played a great role and did the job. We will learn a lot from this series, to show the fight and the attitude, from the get-go to the warm-up. It is for us to keep building,” Brathwaite said. “The support here in Grenada has been amazing and I want to thank everyone for the way they backed up and showed their full support.”
West Indies commenced the fourth day four with victory and almost certain formality following Joshua Da Silva unbeaten maiden Test century and Kyle Mayers’ five-wicket haul on the third day. England added just 17 to their overnight score of 103-8, leaving West Indies with a simple task to make 28 for victory.
Chris Woakes was sent packing for 19 early in the day thanks to a stunning catch by Jason Holder. Woakes flick a shot into the leg-side off Kemar Roach’s first ball of the day, but Holder stretched out his long arms to take a blinder of a catch at leg-gully. The final wicket also fell to Roach when Jack Leach edged a catch for Joshua Da Silva to snap up the offering behind the stumps to end Leach’s 55-ball stay at the crease.
Openers Kraigg Brathwaite and John Campbell reached the target of 28 with the minimum of fuss to record a famous victory, replicating scenes of the duo doing the same in Antigua 2019 when West Indies defeated England in the Caribbean to secure a series win.
This victory also sent the West Indies up the World Test Championship Standings with its first victory of this 2021-2023 cycle leaving the team on 30 points after seven matches and three series. Please see the standings here: https://www.icc-cricket.com/world-test-championship/standings