England captain Joe Root praised Stuart Broad and James Anderson, saying it has been a privilege for them to play with two of the best fast bowlers in the world. Root said he and his teammates realize how lucky they are to play with experienced pacemakers.
Stuart Broad picked up a 10 wicket run in the recently concluded test in Manchester to help England seal a 269-race victory over the West Indies. England won the test series after falling 0-1 after the defeat at the Southampton Test, which also marked the return of international cricket after the forced breakdown due to the new coronavirus pandemic.
Broad became the seventh bowler and the fourth player to join the 500 wicket club in Tests when he picked up the Kraigg Brathwaite wicket on Tuesday. Notably, the 3rd Test first saw 2 bowlers with 500 Test wickets each playing for the same side in the history of the sport.
Broad ended the series with a total of 16 wickets despite being ruled out for the first test. Broad came up with an emotional reaction to his ax at Southampton, but he came back strong and led England to their first home win in a 3-game series of tests after going 0-1 down since 1888.
“We are playing with two of the best England players of all time. I have said this before, we have to understand how lucky we are. It is a real privilege to play alongside them,” said Joe Root moments before lifting the Wisden Trophy.
“For him (Broad) coming back and having the impact in these two games is a testament to how good he has been as a player. I couldn’t be happier for him, especially the way it ended today.”
“Running in the first innings, 500 wickets, is a phenomenal achievement. The type of player he is, he wants to be part of the great occasion. More than anything, he takes the great moments of the series. He wants to take the ball in difficult situations. Ash series, South Africa in Johannesburg, this series, many more, “said Root.
It was a challenge in the bio-secure bubble: Holder
Meanwhile, West Indies captain Jason Holder said he couldn’t understand what went wrong after the Southampton Test. England beat the West Indies in the second round by 113 runs and dominated the visitors in the third and final round despite rain rampaging through all the action on Day 4 in Manchester.
“I’m not sure what changed (after Southampton). I didn’t get the runs we were looking for. I had a lot of starts. I got 40, 30 but I didn’t kick. In contrast, when Stokes came in and some of his players went in they got big.” Holder said.
Players from England and the West Indies have lived and trained in biosecurity bubbles for more than 2 months during the historical series and Jason Holder said it was not easy for players to be confined to hotel rooms away from home.
“It has been a challenge in the bubble, mental exhaustion. The same hotels, the same rooms. It has definitely been a challenge,” Holder said.
She is a freelance blogger, writer, and speaker, and writes for various entertainment magazines.