West Indies Tests at Edgbaston through the years

Some of the game's greatest ever players have been associated with West Indies cricket.

Brian Lara, Clive Lloyd, Courtney Walsh, just a few of the greats who have graced the hallow turf at Edgbaston. And in 2024, the latest crop of West Indies stars will visit Edgbaston for a five-day Test against Ben Stokes’ record-smashing England side.

Ahead of the visit, we look at some great England v West Indies Tests in Birmingham over the years. The countries have fought out ten Test matches at Edgbaston, a series which has delivered brilliant individual feats and great team performances and well as plenty of history in the making.

When the Windies paid their first Test visit to Edgbaston, in 1957, it was a historic occasion as the first match ever to be broadcast live by the BBC.

“Don’t miss a ball, we broadcast them all,” the corporation proudly announced, and the seed that was to become the great Test Match Special was planted.

The BBC picked the perfect place to start as those first commentators in ’57 had a truly amazing match to describe. England trailed by 288 on first innings but hit back spectacularly with a world-record stand of 411 between Peter May (285 not out) and Colin Cowdrey (154).

West Indies, totally dominant for the first half of the match, were set 285 to win on the last day and ended up having to fight like tigers to avoid defeat. They finished on 72 for seven from 60 overs.

The Calypso Kings’ most recent visit, in 2017, continued the historic theme and added to Edgbaston’s longstanding tradition as a home of innovation. It was the inaugural day/night Test in England.

Alastair Cook thoroughly enjoyed batting against the pink ball, to the tune of 285 not out as England piled up 514 for eight. Pace legends James Anderson and Stuart Broad then shared ten wickets as England cruised to victory by an innings and 209 runs.

That crushing win extended England’s superb recent Test record against the Caribbean side in Birmingham. West Indies have not won a Test win match there in 23 years.

In 2000, the tourists came out on top thanks to match-figures of 40-19-58-8 from the great Courtney Walsh. But four years later it was England in control thanks to Freddie Flintoff and the Bears’ own Ashley Giles.

The Hollies Stand was in overdrive as Flintoff smashed an incredible 167 from 191 balls. Giles then spun his side to victory with nine wickets in the match.

In 2012, the Test will be remembered for a memorable innings from an unlikely source as Tino Best, batting at number 11, hit 95 – at the time the highest ever score by someone at that position.

It was the same Test that included a bizarre moment when Denesh Ramdin marked his second Test century by brandishing a piece of paper criticising the former West Indies captain Viv Richards, with the words: “Yeh, Viv, Talk Nah.”

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