Sir Curtly slams ‘pathetic’ West Indies after ‘embarrassing’ defeat to England in first Test

Sir Curtly Ambrose labelled West Indies’ performance in the first Test against England as ‘pathetic’ and ‘embarrassing’.
In the first day-night Test match ever played on these shores, Joe Root’s side bowled the tourists out twice within three days to win by an innings and 209 runs.
Opener Alastair Cook led by example for the hosts, scoring a double century and combining with Root (136) as England posted 514-8 declared in the first innings.
Windies were then dismissed for 168 and 137 – losing 19 wickets in a single day – to go 1-0 down in the three-match series.
In a column for the Daily Mail, legendary fast bowler Sir Curtly said: “West Indies never challenged England. They never competed. They did OK in the first hour of the first Test when they took two wickets but after that it all went downhill. In the end it was totally embarrassing.
“I never saw any aggression from the West Indies players throughout the three days. There was no belief that they could compete, let alone beat England. They seemed to be waiting for England to make mistakes and at this level that is not going to work. Trust me, it was painful to watch.
“What happened at Edgbaston is nothing new. This has been going on for a number of years so I cannot say I was really surprised.”
The second match starts on Friday at Headingley and Ambrose admits he just wants Jason Holder’s side to compete after their ‘pathetic’ display in Birmingham.
“For now, I’m just hoping West Indies can compete at Headingley and Lord’s because what we have seen so far has been pathetic,” he added.
Sir Curtly continued: “They must realise that, apart from Jermaine Blackwood in the first innings and to an extent Kraigg Brathwaite in the second, this was a very poor effort from the batsmen, while the bowling lacked aggression and penetration.
“West Indies must go back to the drawing board and return much stronger in Leeds on Friday. Losing one Test doesn’t mean they are out of the series. Come back with aggression, confidence and commitment.
“Our history and the pride we once had in our cricket demands it.” (www.metro.co.uk)