England v Windies, 3rd Test- 5 Talking Points

Surprising outcomes, personal milestones, career U-turns, racist hatred- the series had it all, and finally, it has come to a conclusion to provide the English and the Windian supporters some much-needed rest, something they were constantly deprived of because of the gut-wrenching action. The home side, Three Lions have finally put up a performance which matches the level of expectations of the fans, and have defeated Windies in the third and final Test of the series.

With this, they have pocketed the series which saw the peak of the mountain and the depth of the ocean. While the English side won the first match of the series, the men from the Caribbean pulled things back unexpectedly in the second Test. In a low-scoring final game, the home team managed to enlist their name as winners. From James Anderson entering the 500-wickets club to Kemar Roach’s come back fifer, the match was in the perfect balance for the neutral to cherish.

Responding to Windies’ 123 in the first innings, England took a lead of 71 runs. Windies needed a fightback in the second innings, but that was not the case to be as Anderson entered his name into the record books. Tom Westley and Mark Stoneman’s knocks took them smoothly to series victory. Here are the 5 talking points from the game:

1. When all is at stakes, Stokes is there to deliver

In the first innings, Windies had a good start to the game, owing to stable knocks from Shai Hope and Kieron Powell. But Stokes was there to ensure a smile on Joe Root’s face, as the Windian batters fell like nine pins. He completed his 6-wicket haul by giving just 22 runs. But the big guy’s performance didn’t end there, as he proved why he is considered as one of the best all-rounders of the current era. When England

When England were struggling at 24/4, Stokes was the rescuer again as his 60 runs should be compared with pure gold. He was the one who put England in the driver’s seat which eventually proved match-winning.

2. Kemar Roach’s fifer

Though he ended on the losing side and attained the status of a ‘tragic hero’, one has to give the Windian pacer credit for his stunning fifer. Roach ran rings through the English batting line-up in the first innings, as batters like Alastair Cook, Mark Stoneman and Jonny Bairstow had no answer to his performance de extraordinaire. If only he could have scalped Stokes, the complexion of the game could have been different.

3. James Anderson reaches 500-club in style, with a 7-wicket haul

If you are registering your name in the record books, make sure you register in a fashion Jimmy Anderson did, by picking up career best figures. After sending the top order back to the dressing room, Anderson made sure that there is no faith left in the Windian camp, by dismissing their last hope in the form of Shai Hope. He now has 506 Test wickets besides his name, something he can show to his grandparents with pride.

4. Cook-Stoneman’s quick fire opening stand

Windies needed early wickets, and the first step towards a fight back would have been by sending either Cook or Mark Stoneman back to the pavilion within the first few overs. The two English openers had the entire time of the solar system to the reach the target and implemented exactly what they should have- quick runs.

Digging deep in the iconic Lord’s 22 yards would only have increased their problems, and hence they went for a fiery start. By the time Cook was dismissed in the 8th over, England already had 35 crucial runs on the board and then on, there was no looking back.

5. Tom Westley- The Finisher

There has been a lot of talks centring the 28-year-old Cambridge born batter Tom Westley, whether Root is giving him more opportunities than he deserves and whether he is good enough to don the English jersey. But today (September 9), he glorified the phrase “Cometh the hour, cometh the man”.

Though Cook and Stoneman laid a good foundation, England needed someone to finish off the innings, else a similar nine pins tragedy could have meant severe humiliation. But thankfully for Root, Westley stayed there till the end and alongside Stoneman, finished off the innings. He was six runs short of his half-century, but that shouldn’t be much of a worry now that England have won the series and his critics are hiding in the bushes. All’s well that ends well.