Ben Stokes said he now understands why Joe Root struggles to sleep during Test matches, but insisted there were no regrets over the two big calls he made at the start of England’s four-wicket defeat to West Indies.
Root is back from paternity leave this week and, with his side 1-0 down, must now mastermind a series win from back-to-back Tests in Manchester starting on Thursday. Stokes, meanwhile, returns to the ranks with an appreciation of what captaincy entails.
“Joe is one of the best players in the world so he is a big miss when he doesn’t play. Next week I don’t need to make any of the decisions, so good luck Joe,” Stokes said. “Last night was the only night that I really struggled to sleep because there was a lot to think about: how the game is going to end up, what’s going to happen. I can see why Joe loses a lot of sleep because he’s got to do that every game.”
Asked about the omission of Stuart Broad, who shared his anger at being left out during a mid-Test interview with Sky, Stokes replied: “I stand by my decision. If I didn’t, what kind of message does it give to the guys we picked? I felt pace was going to be beneficial in the long run and obviously we lost, but I stand by it
“. I thought Stuart’s interview was absolutely brilliant,” Stokes said. “To see the emotion and desire he still has burning inside him is great to see as a senior player. And it shows he’s nowhere near done.”
On choosing to bat at the toss before England were 204 all out under heavy skies in their first innings, Stokes added: “I stand by the decision we made to bat first. We weren’t ruthless enough. A basic of Test match cricket is getting big first-innings runs. The positive from it is we’ve got a young lad in Zak Crawley who [scored 76 in the second innings] and showed the potential of someone who can be around for a long time.”
Jason Holder, whose West Indies now hold the upper hand after their fourth victory over England in six Tests, hailed a “massive win” for the tourists and said the absence of home support helped level the playing field when it came to tackling the run chase.
On Jermaine Blackwood’s crucial knock of 95, Holder added: “Outstanding. I was just as disappointed as he was when he got out. That’s the way he plays, I guess. He is always a guy I can cross the rope with. Today was his big moment.”