Joe Root said his players are “in the presence of greatness” and watching “Mr Incredible” at work following the all-round masterclass from Ben Stokes that set up a series decider between England and West Indies on Friday.
England’s gripping 113-run final-day victory in the second Test was built on the sheer dominance of Stokes throughout, as contrasting scores of 176 and 78 not out with the bat – plus three key wickets – made the man of the match award a formality.
Root, who now has a selection headache as regards the bowlers following six wickets for the returning Stuart Broad and five from the impressive Chris Woakes, admitted he is a lucky captain to have Stokes at his disposal.
The England captain said: “From a team point of view, it would be very easy for us to not appreciate how good a performance this was this week because of the lack of atmosphere in the ground. But I think everyone understands that we are watching a player at the peak of his powers, at the peak of world cricket delivering time and time again. We have to savour that and understand we are in the presence of greatness.”
As well as calling Stokes “the ideal senior player”, Root earlier hailed Woakes as “Mr Dependable” after the all-rounder became the third fastest Englishman to the double of 100 Test wickets and 1,000 runs in his 34th appearance. Only Ian Botham, 21 Tests, and Maurice Tate, 33, have been quicker.
Asked how he would therefore describe Stokes, who has sustained the levels reached in 2019, Root replied: “Mr Incredible? I can’t think of a better one. He probably looks a bit like the cartoon character, too.”
Stokes, who confirmed a late injury scare was down to general stiffness and he would be fit for the third Test starting on Friday at the same ground, looked to shift the praise on to Broad after his three-wicket burst with the second new ball on Sunday.
It broke the game open for England and, after some pyrotechnics from Stokes as opener in the second innings, set up the day-five charge as West Indies were set an almost notional target of 312 in 85 overs. Stokes, who left Broad out of the first Test when stand-in captain, said it was great to see teammates leaving “the selectors scratching their heads” and players such as Dom Sibley, who made 120 in England’s first innings, make more progress.
Jimmy Anderson, Mark Wood and Jofra Archer, who all played in Southampton, are all available for the third Test, the latter after completing five days of isolation and two additional Covid-19 tests following his unapproved trip to Hove last Monday.
Archer was fined the equivalent of a match fee (£15,000) and given a written warning but Root considers the matter now closed for the fast bowler. Root said: “It was disappointing from our side of things but as far as I’m concerned he’s been through a disciplinary meeting, he’s very aware of the consequences of his actions and very remorseful. As a side and mates we’ve been there for him.
“He’s aware he made a massive error but once the disciplinary has gone through, now it’s time for us to look at him being available to be selected.”
West Indies, still able to claim their first series win in England since 1988, face headaches of their own. Their seam attack may need freshening up, while the opener John Campbell and Shai Hope have had disappointing series so far with the bat.
Phil Simmons, their head coach, bemoaned the failure of his batsmen to reach three-figures and on Hope, who has four half-centuries in 39 innings since his twin centuries at Headingley in 2017, said: “I am concerned. We’ll talk about it.
“We have to do something different. We must add to what we did in the first Test and subtract from the second Test. We had five half-centuries here but no one converted. Our bowlers have been doing their job – the batsmen have to stand up.”