Hooper Cracks Maiden Test Ton...
A New Batting Star Is Born
ON THE evidence of the century scored in the third Test against India, at Eden Gardens, a new star has arrived to extend the line of great West Indian batsmen established by George Challenor and maintained in the present era by Vic Richards and Gordon Greenidge.
Hopper’s century, in only his second Test, was the third in West Indies’ innings, which Richards declared at 530 for five as soon as the 21-year-old Guyanese completed his triumph. In between Greenidge’s hundred and Hooper’s, Gus Logie contributed another in sparkling manner, he and Hooper sharing a fifth-wicket stand of 169 in 41 overs.
The two came together when West Indies’ fortunes, standing so high overnight, had suddenly ebbed, with Richards and Greenidge both falling in the first 25 minutes of play.
The situation in which Hooper, a fledgling, came in to join Logie, himself newlyarrived, was at least dramatic if not desperately critical and, regardless of skill which Hooper possesses in abundance, it needed steadiness of nerve to put the innings back on the rails, specially as Sharma and Kapil both had their tails right up.
Hooper and Logie were equal to the challenge. Logie was always very busy and Hooper, once he established himself, put on show the features which mark him out as such an outstanding prospect. Not the least of them was his footwork. He danced out to hoist Ayub for two sixes in the manner Greenidge did against the same bowler on the previous Saturday.
However, even these magnificent strokes were not to compare with a third six that Hooper hit after completing his 50, off 89 balls. With lightning footwork, he made room outside the leg stump and drove Maninder, with a full arc of the bat over extracover.
Hooper’s square-cuts and deflections off Kapil Dev were played with the poise of a class batsman, their base being perfect balance. These strokes were the bright interludes of an innings which fitted into the pattern of remorseless accumulation set on the previous afternoon by Greenidge and Richards.
Thus, Hooper’s century was 171 balls in the making. It would be harsh to highlight the time he took, for the Indians tactically bowled their overs at a very slow rate, delivering no more than 14 an hour, although 48 were sent down by the spinners.
Hooper had certainly acquired enough authority, as borne out by his three sixes, to assault the Indian bowling more vehemently if greater aggression was necessary to strategy.
Not the least significant facet of this enjoyable stand between Logie and Hooper was their running between the wickets, so quick-witted and speedy. It did a lot of undermine to an already frustrated attack.
Logie had 15 fours in his century, the majority of them coming from waspish square-cuts, although he played a memorable cover-drive off Amarnath and a blow to long-leg off Shastri which was half-hook and halfsweep. No sooner had Logie reached his hundred than he drove at Maninder without getting to the pitch of the ball and returned a catch as simple as the one which the same bowler missed when offered by Richardson.
Once Logie was gone, Dujon batted with the steadfastness needed to give Hooper the confidence to pace himself over the remaining 32 runs to his century.