England vs Windies 1st Test: Who said what

The first day-night Test match in England was a huge occasion for everyone included and it ended within three days as Windies showed no fight. The Caribbean team lost 19 wickets in a day and showed no resistance whatsoever in front of a lethal bowling attack that the hosts possess.

All the misery for Jason Holder’s team started on day 1 post-lunch when skipper Joe Root and the opener Alastair Cook. The only time the visitors looked in the game was the first session when Roach dismissed Stoneman and Westley cheaply. Root and Cook took full advantage of the freebies offered by the opposition and added 248 for the third wicket. Cook continued to stamp his authority scored a magnificent double hundred and England declared on a whopping 514/8.

In reply, Windies started off cautiously to finish day 2 on 44/1. But day 3 proved to be a nightmare for them. The swing king James Anderson found his line and length early and literally made their batsmen struggle for each run. In turn, batsmen lost their patience and gifted their wickets, not once but twice in a day. Apart from Jermaine Blackwood, no batsman looked to stay put on the wicket. Windies were bowled out for 168 in just 47 overs. James Anderson was the pick of the bowlers who picked 3 wickets.

England enforced the follow-on and the second innings of the Caribbean team was even worse. No batsman looked to grind out and went for their shots unnecessarily. The pink ball did a bit under lights but the visitors committed hara-kiri in both the innings.

Root was extremely pleased with the near perfect performance and showered praises on the double centurion Cook. He also congratulated Broad who went past Sir Ian Botham in the wickets tally.

Joe Root said:

“Very remarkable day. Very pleasing. I thought the way we batted was excellent. We were ruthless. He (Broad) had a fantastic career today sure there’s many more in the tank. It’s one of those days he will remember for a very long time. He has got the ability to turn the game on its head and today is a fine example of that. He is very skillful and got different deliveries. As a whole squad we are finding ways to improve and continue to get better. It’s great to see the senior guys leading from the front. We have got some runs here. It’s been an exciting week for us and we have got some time before the next game.”

Holder, on the other hand, was disappointed by the lack of fight shown by the team. He also believed that his team will make a comeback after reflecting on what went wrong in this match.

Jason Holder said:

“Very disappointed. We didn’t show any fight. Need to work on our lengths when bowling. England are a quality side and we were outplayed. We got to just believe, we need to formulate plans on how to counter England’s plans. It’s not all lost now. We just got to believe in ourselves, regroup and come back strong for the next Test. Maybe a bit of nerves on the first day, but a great partnership between Cook and Root took the game away from us. Blackwood is playing his first Test match after quite a while. He was positive and that’s the way he plays. We have just asked him to be selective and play his natural game. Hopefully Shannon (Gabriel) is fit to play for the next game. We will look at what changes we should make in the next few days.”

Alastair Cook was adjudged Man of the Match and he too was happy to get some runs under his belt before the Ashes. This is the same ground where the veteran has got his highest score.

Cook said:

“I have enjoyed batting here. Pretty unusual. To get another double at a ground where you got your highest score and…especially after the South Africa series was pleasing. That South Africa series the pitches doing all sorts and some quality bowling…so it was really tough for the top order. First day, it was a good toss to win and the sun was out. Just needed to see through the first half-an-hour and from thereon I just carried myself. The pitch was quite helpful here and it’s always nice to get some runs.

Experience keeps you grounded. You do like thinking that you cannot go wrong and that keeps you grounded. The way I hit the throwdowns is the same way I hit in the middle. To cash in like the way I did, it was really pleasing. I have really enjoyed the summer so far. I loved spending time with Essex, my county side and I enjoyed my break after the series in India. To get away from captaincy for 7 months was quite pleasing.

You bide your time a little bit and then you plan how to go about it. Rooty and I have known well each other for very long. He is my mate and I always love batting with him. You cannot ignore anything he says. You can say whatever you want and take no offence. I was probably terrible with that (regarding the reviews).”