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Shai Hope aims to beat the England team he might have played for

Shai Hope
Shai Hope of West Indies warms up during a net session at Kensington Oval. Photograph: Shaun Botterill/Getty

Shai Hope made his debut against England at the Kensington Oval four years ago and has since risen to become the West Indian batsman of whom they are truly wary.

A Test average of 28 might not suggest such but after those sparkling twin hundreds at Headingley in 2017 – the only time in the ground’s 129-year first-class history – the tourists know full well the numbers are misleading. What they may not be aware of, however, is that Hope once briefly considered throwing his lot in with them.

In the afterglow of the right‑hander’s storming of Leeds, much credit was given to a scholarship at St Bede’s in Sussex, after being scouted by the county’s former batsman Alan Wells in 2012. He spent two years tearing up schools cricket and forging friendships for life, little surprise given his polite and diligent demeanour.

It was during this time that he gave some thought to staying in the UK permanently. His friend and fellow Bajan, Chris Jordan, had already taken the leap following a similar scheme at Dulwich College, while Jofra Archer, another chum, is ticking off the days until he becomes England qualified by way of residency.

It was a thought. [But] I never really wanted to do that. I always wanted to play for the West Indies

But having learned his cricket playing with his (since similarly Test-capped) brother, Kyle, on the beaches of Barbados and the backyard of their home in Christchurch, Bridgetown – first using a bat made by his father, a joiner – Hope’s heart was always in one place only.

Speaking at training on Monday, he said: “You’ve got to look around at your competitors and see who’s vying for the same positions as you. And at that particular stage it crossed my mind.

“It was a thought. [But] I never really wanted to do that. I always wanted to play for the West Indies. You look at your options – you want to play international cricket – but, having said that, as a West Indian you want to play for the West Indies. I wouldn’t do anything different. I’m pleased with my decision.”

Hope has no issue with Jordan or Archer – “They’re human beings, they have a mind for themselves” – and was quick to reply that stemming the talent drain from the Caribbean is not something that’s on him. He can play his part, of course, by inspiring the next generation through his deeds on the international field.

Still only 25, Hope’s best years surely lie ahead of him and, if his Test returns have been a touch patchy, back-to-back centuries during a recent one-day series against Bangladesh mean he is coming into the series with some form of which to speak.

Not all the pressure will be on his shoulders, either. Kraigg Brathwaite will be looking to blunt the new ball from opener, having done so in that Headingley heist for a century of his own, while Darren Bravo returns following a two-year absence caused by his use of social media, rather than a lack of talent.

Shai Hope
Shai Hope celebrates after completing his century during the second day of the second Test at Headingley in 2017. Photograph: Philip Brown/Getty Images

“Darren is a quality player,” Hope said. “He definitely makes the dressing room feel a lot more confident with the batting. So it’s just key for him to settle in again. We know what he’s capable of, so we need to make sure that we grasp his knowledge as well.”

How competitive the series is will likely hinge on how the West Indies batsmen stand up. And while he is keen to take the attention away from his golden Test two years ago – “that’s history and in the past” – Hope fancies a similar mindset from the team this week could well be the way to go.

That five-wicket victory in Leeds was in direct response to the fallout from a crushing defeat at Edgbaston the week before and it was telling both he and Kemar Roach, the fast bowler who also spoke at training, stressed their “underdog” status.

Hope said: “I can speak for the guys here: having come off that loss the week before and with the series at stake, what they were saying about us, we just used that as a big motivator and put up a big performance. Everyone will be against us [this time] and we are so-called underdogs. But if we play our cricket, we’re going to beat these guys.”