Kavem Hodge's hard-fought debut Test century brought the West Indies back into contention in the second Test against England at Trent Bridge, Nottingham, on Friday, July 19. Hodge's impressive innings featured a well-compiled 175-run partnership for the fourth wicket with Alick Athanaze, rescuing the tourists from a precarious 84 for three.

Playing in only his fourth Test match at the age of 31, Hodge rose to the occasion with a stellar performance. Reflecting on his achievement, Hodge expressed his joy: "It's a dream come true, you play the game from a youngster growing up that's something that you want to do, especially at the highest level, in England against England. I'm really happy and satisfied about it, especially also the position of the team, it's always good to help the team's cause," Hodge said, as quoted by ESPNcricinfo.

Adding to the drama, England fast bowler Mark Wood bowled the fastest recorded Test over by an England bowler on home soil

Hodge described facing Wood's fiery pace: "It was brutal. It's not every day you rock up and you face someone that's bowling more than 90mph every single ball. There was one point, I made a joke to him, I said: 'Hey, I have a wife and kids at home.' But I think that made the century a lot more satisfying. Test cricket is brutal, it's challenging, it's mentally draining. To experience that, facing guys like Mark Wood, it was tough but it was satisfying," he added.

Reflecting on his journey to the Test team, Hodge shared his struggles: "There were times when you start to doubt yourself, when you weren't getting the opportunity. There were times when to make the Test team, because of Covid, we had something called the best vs best, when they would bring the guys in and then split the squad into two and have warm-up games to select the team. I think I've taken part in that six or seven times and every time a selector or the coach would come to me and say 'We're not going to select you, we're looking in this direction.'"