Before West Indies' tour opener in England, Gordon Greenidge recalls his iconic double century at Lord's

The West Indies will enter the first Test against England at Lord's on Wednesday as the underdogs, with many new faces that will be difficult to recognize for the English fans. However, things were exactly the opposite four decades ago.
The West Indies greats of the '80s and '90s were regulars in English county circuit when the Caribbean team played a Test series against England on their tour in 1984, and the second Test of that tour at Lord's is still remembered for Gordon Greenidge's remarkable double century.
Throughout the 1980s, the West Indies remained undefeated against England in Test matches, securing victories in 17 out of 24 encounters and drawing the remaining games. However, Lord's Test in 1984 proved to be a closely contested affair.
England's Graeme Fowler and Allan Lamb both reached triple figures against a formidable West Indies bowling attack that included the renowned fast bowlers Malcolm Marshall and Joel Garner. For England, all-rounder Ian Botham contributed with eight wickets and a score of 81.
The hosts declared their innings on the fifth morning, a decision that some experts considered overly cautious by captain David Gower, who had called his batsmen off for bad light on the fourth evening, effectively ensuring a draw.
Despite this, in an era preceding the transformation of Test match run-rates by limited-overs cricket, the West Indies made the target of 342 appear trivial, finishing on 344-1 with approximately 12 overs remaining in the day's play.
Barbados opener Greenidge remained unbeaten on 214 off 242 deliveries, which included 29 fours and two sixes, following a blistering assault.
"Well, it's certainly not something you can sit down in the dressing room and plan," Greenidge told AFP during an interview at Lord's.
"You go out to bat, see what's happening and so on. You get one or two that hit the middle of the bat and feel good and comfortable with it, then things flow from there, so much so that you really can't account for how well it's going -- you just want it to keep going."
Greenidge's remarkable feat of batting for five hours and amassing the highest individual score in a successful fourth-innings chase in Test history remains unparalleled. His extraordinary performance propelled the West Indies to a record-breaking total, the highest ever achieved by a team batting in the fourth innings to secure victory at the iconic Lord's Cricket Ground.
Greenidge's partner, Larry Gomes, also played a crucial role in the West Indies' triumph. The left-handed batsman contributed an unbeaten 92, providing unwavering support to Greenidge as the pair forged an unbroken partnership of 287 runs.
"I was so sorry he (Gomes) didn't get his hundred as well," said Greenidge, now aged 73. "People were saying that we should have let him get his hundred, but he wasn't too bothered at all.
"He wanted to get the match over with and make sure you were on the winning team."
Greenidge and Gomes showcased their supremacy to such an extent that Viv Richards, the preeminent batsman of his era, was not called upon to contribute a solitary run in the team's resounding nine-wicket victory.
"Obviously, it was good to have guys in the background there that, should you lose a couple of wickets, they were good enough to hold up the innings and not lose the game," said Greenidge, with England's only success on the day the run out of Desmond Haynes.
Greenidge, who spent a significant portion of his youth in England and became a fixture at Hampshire, revealed that Clive Lloyd, the West Indies captain and a formidable attacking batsman in his own right, granted him the freedom to play his natural game.
"He did not inhibit the players in any way," explained Greenidge. "The players were allowed to play as free as they possibly wanted to. But not to say if they made a mess of it, he didn't have strong words."
Christopher Martin-Jenkins, a renowned cricket journalist, eloquently described Greenidge's performance, stating: "Greenidge pasted the ball about Lord's like a gifted artist pouring out his soul onto canvas, using every colour in his collection of oils." The analogy perfectly captured the essence of Greenidge's masterful display on the cricket field.
Derek Pringle, an England all-rounder who faced the brunt of Greenidge's onslaught, shared his thoughts with the 'Cricketer' magazine. He admitted to dropping a catch off Larry Gomes at first slip but remained uncertain about its impact on the match's outcome. Pringle acknowledged that it was Greenidge who truly dominated the game and caused the most significant damage to the England team's chances.
"He hit the ball very hard and very frequently... he played magnificently well."
Greenidge demonstrated that his performance at Lord's was not a one-off by scoring another double century in the fourth Test at Old Trafford. West Indies dominated the series, winning all five matches.