Shai Hope - That thing you do!!

When you’re Shai Hope of a team called the West Indies, you cannot simply afford to end a series with a century, and just that, marvellous that it may have been. 

You’ll have to dig deep. And you’ll have to realise that given the complexity West Indies cricket tends to operate in, where chop and change, often minus clarity, are a regular feature, where shuffles in the batting order provide more speechless moments than a Netflix thriller, there’s a great need to play anchor. 

And even as the great Ian Bishop may not necessarily feel that cricket needs an anchor role, you’d have to, as Shai Hope, lend solidity, which can only stem from hanging in there; not departing too early. 

Which is why the way the noted Barbadian began the series, in scoring a brilliant,  inspiring 127, his personal best against Pakistan (as also a first ton in Pakistan), he himself inspired hope that there was more to come. 

Just that Shai was there; but that hope to see more runs withered away as soon after the opening Multan game, innings of 4 and 21 followed. 

And that was that. 

Now while that afforded Shai Hope a third spot on the list of most runs scored in the three-match series, courtesy his 152 runs, with Imam and Babar leading the charts, respectively, it took away the charm of seeing what might have been had Shai Hope planted his feet firmly throughout the contests. 

There was time to do so. Moreover, there was an occasion to rise; a need to do well. 

And it was all, truth be told, gettable. In the second contest, the Windies didn’t quite require some mammoth 300 plus score. 

And in the final contest, they were in pursuit of a 270, which with the top order in some form and the power hitting down the order, seemed gettable, if not entirely impossible to chase. 

Yet all we see in front of our screens, on Facebook posts, amid mini sized twitter discussions are talks of that famous 127 in the opening ODI. And famous that ton certainly was; for not only did it see Hope carrying his bat nearly through to the end of an inning, departing close to the 44th over, it also in the process, brought up his 4000th ODI run. 

That’s no lame feat. 

For a cricketer who, in a matter of a few series down the line, shall be playing his hundredth limited overs contest for the West Indies, Hope’s record wields a batting average of over 51. 

That’s when Hope comes out to bat having kept the wickets for fifty odd overs, much like how a Kallis went about his business or say, Sangakkara. 

Shai Hope should command more respect than he does in that regard. And while some of evades him rather unfairly for much of our attention rests with those hitters of mind boggling sixes, a list that sees Akeal Hosein as a new entrant, a lot that isn’t yet coming through is down to Hope’s own fault. 

How’s that? 

In 2019, the batsman with a trailblazing penchant at scoring runs configured 1300 plus ODI runs. 

Since then, he’s scored a lot more though not at the same level of success or should one say, with the right conversion of starts into big ones the way he was getting it back then. 

The fault, often lies with Hope mishitting one when he’s least expected to do so. 

For instance, he hit just the sixth ball of his inning in the second ODI straight to Fakhar Zaman stationed at short cover off Afridi. 

The usually thoughtful batsman who likes to apply himself and take his time departed much too recklessly for his own food. 

What would’ve happened if he’d stayed on to accompany Kyle Mayers, who after a cameo of some scintillating strokes, managed to get going without much ado? 

But all of that again rests in the realm of the “what might”? 

Hope, precisely speaking, has to play just that role; to stay on, take responsibility of doing the bulk of run scoring as he so often does and must lead by an example. 

Something he’s done with rich aplomb in the 2017 Test in England. Something he did in that magnificent 2019 partnership with John Campbell against Ireland. 

And precisely something he did immediately upon arriving in the ODI arena back in 2016, when he fired a 101 against Zimbabwe in November. 

Six years on, we have amid us a batsman of world class repute but one who’s yet to fully hold the bull by its horns and turn things around as best as he possibly can. 

And while it may sound like a verdict being delivered from some soothsayer when it’s clearly not, there’s no reason why Shai Hope, 95 matches against his name along with 4051 runs and an average touching 52, cannot make himself count in the league to which only Kohli, Smith, Root and Williamson belong. 

At the same time, there’s a great lesson in finishing what he started well on a good note. 

Take the series against the Dutch, where much like how the Bajan began against Pakistan, Hope teed off with a spectacular 119. 

The next two innings were, well, akin to performances that seemed to have come from a worn out bat. 

Surely, there’s been pressure on the usually dogged right hander to up the scoring rate. 

It’s good on Hope that he’s kept up with that tradition. 

It’s timeless. One where you get your eye in first before unleashing yourself. Of putting a price on your wicket. Of being the mainstay instead of some creep who just likes to go wham-bam in a hedonistic pursuit of run scoring. 

Shai Hope is none of what the standard prototype of a modern West Indian cricketer is supposed to be; one who’s meant to entertain not compete as such. 

Which is why the gentle and calm-headed pursuer of excellence who can elevate himself to a stature of greatness must do what he does. And that’s without losing it all in the process. 

The first step toward the giant leap, however, will again be to go deeper and further in his great surge for greatness and not leave the crease early after scoring a sensational ton or two. 

That won’t do. Windies need more from him as does Shai Hope, perhaps!