An Oddsworth Opinion
What made Shai Hope's record chase so commanding?
The story
West Indies chased down India's target in New Chandigarh through Shai Hope's unbeaten hundred. The report calls it a record chase; his control through the finish offers a stronger way to understand the innings than its final score alone.
ESPNcricinfo · 4 October at 04:07 BSTHope 162* beats Rahul 129* as West Indies pull off record chaseRead the full storyShai Hope's 162 not out took West Indies past India's target of 352 in New Chandigarh, despite Rahul's 129 not out. Hope faced 144 balls and was still there when West Indies reached 352 for five in 48.2 overs. That is the centre of this record chase: he stayed with the pursuit long enough to finish it himself.
India's 351 for seven in 50 overs demanded sustained scoring. Hope gave West Indies a batter around whom the chase could keep moving, and he remained at the crease when the target was passed. The innings earns its place in the conversation about great ODI chases through that command of the finish.
Pace with staying power
Across men's ODIs over the last two years, Hope has averaged 56.52, against 32.98 for top-seven batters. His strike rate of 95.4 is also above their 85. The combination gives this chase a context: scoring at a useful pace while remaining difficult to dismiss has been a sustained part of his batting. A large target gave both qualities room to matter.
His recent innings have not all looked like this one. He made two from three balls against New Zealand in July and 12 from 11 against India in September. Then he made 104 from 94 balls against India in the second ODI, followed by this unbeaten 162. Those two hundreds put his control of the final chase in the context of a batter who had already found runs against India.
Career average 49.9Not out
A different demand
West Indies had made 405 for seven in the second ODI, only for India to reach 406 for two in 43.3 overs. India had also won the opener by eight wickets. This time West Indies had to pursue a large target themselves. Hope's presence through the finish gave them an anchor for a task India had denied them in the previous match.
Our ratings make India the leading men's ODI side, with a 72% chance of beating an average side. West Indies are eighth, with a 41% chance. That gap adds weight to the result, just as the target adds weight to Hope's innings. Hope is the batter West Indies should trust with their next daunting ODI chase.