Gabba win has given us a sense of belief that we have as a team: Hodge

Despite not having Test regulars Shamar Joseph and Gudakesh Motie, West Indies put on a show against a select County XI in Beckenham on Wednesday (July 3). Led by a Kavem Hodge century [112], West Indies put 339 runs on board despite a nippy weather that favoured the bowlers. 

The visitors were without Joseph and Motie, who couldn’t make it to the start of the clash because of Hurricane Beryl, which caused mayhem. But the duo are expected to reach England by the start of the first Test at Lord’s on July 10. 

West Indies haven’t had the best of records in England, but Hodge, who is looking forward to living his dream of playing at Lord’s, insisted that the Gabba win has inspired the team in general. 

"It's always a dream to play that at Lord's," Hodge said after the day's play, reported ESPNCricinfo. 

"Something growing up as a kid that you sit and dream about, you watch a lot of cricket at Lord's. It's something I am looking forward to: getting the opportunity to sit and watch the game, play there with the crowd, the prestige, the home of cricket, it's something that every cricketer aspires to do."

West Indies had the odds stacked against them in the two-match Test series against Australia, but they pulled out a rabbit out of nowhere at Gabba. Defending a paltry 216, an inspired performance from injured Shamar, who finished with figures of 7/68, led the Men in Maroon to an inspirational eight-run win. 

Also Read: How West Indies beat all odds to break a 27-year-old jinx at Gabba

"It [the Gabba win] has played a big role in the sense of belief that we have as a team. Going into a Test match against Australia with [several] debutants [on the tour], I don't think much people give us a sniff, but it proved to everybody that the belief that we have as a team, we prepared well.

"I must big up Andrew Coley [head coach] and his backroom staff, they put in a lot of work and a lot of work that people don't see, but it showed there on the field. So it's something that really pushed us and we just continued to ride off that."

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