Cricket : The Don considers the impact of great wins for the West Indies & Bangladesh

A truly incredible 24 hours for Test Cricket, with a resurgent West Indies defying huge odds to beat England at Headingly and then Bangladesh recording a first test victory over Australia.

Remarkable, unbelievable, historic....just three of the many adjectives that are used all too often to describe sporting normality - but in the context of West Indies' victory over England at Headingly, they barely suffice.

After a truly abject display in the day/night game at Edgbaston, culminating in the loss of 19 wickets in a day, many cricket commentators were prepared to write the obituary for West Indies Test Cricket.

So many reasons have been given for their demise over the years - the introduction of T20, the lure of other sports such as basketball, poor funding, chaotic administration. All are valid, but more than anything, enthusiastic Caribbean supporters have lacked real heroes in the five day game. Not a decent fast bowler in sight, let alone a true great that was the norm through the 60s, 70s and 80s. Hall, Griffith, Roberts, Holding, Croft, Garner, Marshall, Walsh, Ambrose - household names all. This century ….um….

Same story with the batting….Walcott, Weekes, Headley, Sobers, Greenidge, Kallicharran, Kanhai, Lloyd, Lara(I’m sure I’ve missed a few !) This century…..I’m struggling.