Well, there was a series between England and West Indies. Not that many paid much attention to the series. As expected, England won the series 3-0. It is actually a big improvement for England against this particular opponent. For some reason, England and Pakistan are the only teams that still lose games to West Indies. England have infact lost the last 2 series in the islands and they somehow manage one defeat in England. This time however, the Ben Stokes and Bazball era has changed things for England. They were expected to win the series 3-0 and they did just that. The England West Indies series.
West Indies is not even a semblance of the all-conquering teams of the 80s and 90s. For that matter, they are not even as competitive as the early 2000 teams. Yet, they keep ploughing along. To their credit, they do notch up some impressive series victories against Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh but against the much tougher opponents like India, Australia, South Africa and New Zealand, they are not even close. Anyway, that is not the point of this blog.
The James Anderson swansong
James Anderson, the highest wicket taker among the seamers, chose this series as his swanswong and bowed out of international cricket at the end of the 1st Test. He will be remembered for a very longtime. A separate blog about him will be written later. He left the scene with bag full of wickets. Thanks Anderson for all the wonderful moments.
It is clear that Shoaib Bashir is thought highly by none other than the captain Ben Stokes. He has hardly played a handful of first class games. Now, he has become the main spinner for England. Jack Leach, who was the leading spinner until Bashir made his debut in India, was dropped from the squad. Bashir is tall and quite talented. He did not have a great debut series but is quite young and energetic. He has the skills to become a good bowler. His height is especially advantageous for him. Let’s see how far he progresses.
Openers and top order for England
Ben Duckett and Ollie Pope enhanced their reputation with some aggressive innings. 178 runs and 239 runs respectively denotes a solid series but not an extraordinary innings. However, against a side like West Indies, England will be hapy with solid series from their prime batsmen. It wasn’t song and dance for the other opener, Zak Crawley. He had a swashbuckling series in India but again, he has gone back to being inconsistent. How long will England endure him remains to be seen. They just cannot afford to take an inconsistent batsman at the top of the order to Australia.
The middle order for England
Joe Root is the exact opposite of Crawley. He is Mr. Consistent. When someone like Root walks in at number 4, it gives jitters in the minds of the opponents. They know that they have a battle on hand. He eschewed some of the shots of the Bazball era and stuck to what he does best. The 87 at Edgbaston helped take his side out of the bother that they found themselves in. Will Root go on and surpass Tendulkar and become the highest rungetter? It is not impossible but a touch difficult. Nevertheless, it will be interesting to follow him.
Harry Brook scored just that one hundred that proved to be match winning. He has been out of action for sometime because of personal issues and injury. Now that he is back and back at his pugnacious best, England will want him in form for Australia.
The keeper and the bowlers
For those fortunate enough to have seen him bat at domestic level, his batting displays will not have come as a surprise. Nor will his cool-headed approach to dealing with the razzamatazz of Test cricket. This is just another rung on the ladder he has been climbing successfully since boyhood. A few innings of note is proof that he is here to stay. The wicket-keeping though? Who expected the natural movement, the soft hands, the anticipation and the balance from a part-timer? He is only three Tests in, but the eternal question of who should take the gloves for England may be settled for the next decade.
Gus Atkinson had a wonderful debut and alongwith Mark Wood, they could form a formidable pair in Australia later next year. Both of them have pace and if Archer is fit, the next Ashes series will be a mouth-watering contest. As for Chris Woakes, I really do not know what his role is in the team. It will be better to hide him away from home.
Wrapping up the England and West Indies series
There was nothing to write about West Indies. They do possess genuine fast bowlers who are capable of bowling at 150KMPH throughout but the execution falters at crucial times. They need 6 good batsmen and 4 bowlers to remain competitive.
Blogs about West Indies
https://icricketcritique.com/west-indies-have-a-chance-to-win-games/
https://icricketcritique.com/west-indies-home-season/
https://icricketcritique.com/the-rise-of-the-west-indian-empire/
https://icricketcritique.com/the-fall-of-the-west-indian-empire/
https://icricketcritique.com/pollards-retirement-and-chahals-revelation/
https://icricketcritique.com/what-did-we-learn-about-england-against-west-indies/
https://icricketcritique.com/west-indies-cricket-chief-grave/