The West Indies started last summer's Test series in England with a humiliating defeat at Edgbaston and it was a loss that extended their winless run in away Tests to five years, with a host of former players and pundits quick to criticise Jason Holders' beleaguered side in the wake of their morale-crushing defeat in Birmingham.
"This West Indies lot are the worst Test match team I have seen in more than 50 years of watching, playing and commentating on cricket," said a seething Geoffrey Boycott, never a man to mince his words. "They can't bat and can't bowl."
The Windies went on to Boycott's home ground of Headingley for the second Test with their tails between their legs and expectations at an all-time low as they searched for an unlikely first win in England in 17 years.
Holder's men started brightly enough in Yorkshire by skittling England for 258 in the first innings before replying with an impressive 427 that was underpinned by a sublime maiden century from Shai Hope, who boasted a paltry average of 18.90 from eleven previous Test matches before thrashing 147 in Leeds.
However, a series of dropped catches from the West Indies' fielders in England's second innings ensured Hope's efforts had appeared to be in vain and England's captain, Joe Root, could declare on 490 for 8, thus setting the tourists a formidable 321 runs for victory - only two teams had ever successfully chased more in England.
The scene was set for a comfortable, series-clinching home win on the final day but the efforts of a 23-year-old Barbadan would turn the match on its head as Shai Hope made history with another superb hundred.
Oozing cool with his collar turned up, the talented right-hander was comfortable driving through the covers on the front or back foot and he was quick to clip deftly off his legs when the England bowlers strayed. Ably supported by a dashing 95 from opener Kraigg Braithwaite, Hope would eventually make an unbeaten 118 and he appropriately hit the winning runs as West Indies surpassed their target of 321 with five wickets and 28 balls to spare.
Hope had written his name into the history books as he became the first man to score a century in both innings of a first-class match at Headingley - a quite remarkable feat when you consider that 127 years of first-class cricket, encompassing 534 matches, had regularly borne witness to Yorkshire legends like Boycott and Len Hutton, as well as the great Don Bradman.
Hope had finally delivered on the promise that had convinced the West Indies selectors to hand him a Test debut as a raw 21-year-old and he had played a central role in helping his team successfully chase the 20th-highest fourth innings total in Test history. He had gone to Leeds as a kid but left a man thanks to a coming-of-age performance in that fourth innings.
The tourists' win at Headingley levelled a series that England would eventually win courtesy of victory in the third Test at Lord's but Shai Hope had left an indelible mark that gives the West Indies genuine cause for optimism going forward. Hope springs eternal for cricket in the Caribbean.
