Saturday 25 April 2015 23:35, UK
England are back to winning ways away from home. An incredible performance on the final day of the second Test in Grenada saw them romp to a nine-wicket win, their first overseas since December 2012 against India in Kolkata.
Here’s what we learned from England’s triumph…
With the match seemingly heading for an inevitable draw, at one stage a salute was the most entertaining thing provided from four days of Test cricket. Billed best by Nasser Hussain as ‘the cool, calm Marlon Samuels, against the fiery red-head, Ben Stokes’ – these two got right up eachothers noses in this Test. Samuels initially took exception to some sledging from Stokes on day one and hadn’t forgotten about it when said fiery red-head came out to back. Stokes fell cheaply for eight and even though it wasn’t Samuels who took the wicket, he ensure he was on hand to give Stokes a proper send-off. Stokes was a little tamer in response – offering a polite applause – as Samuels fell on the final day but we haven’t seen the end of these two which is great news.
England’s captain hit half centuries in both innings – the best he’s looked at the crease in an England shirt for some time. Sure he missed out on a first Test hundred since May 2013 but he now has five fifties in his last five Tests which represents a marked turnaround in fortunes. He’ll still want that century and the monkey off his back before the challenges of the summer, but his watchful 76 in England’s first innings was bettered by a more fluent 59 not out in the second which sends him into the third Test in Barbados in confident mood, as will an England win.
His match figures of 4-209 may not jump out at you, but Devendra Bishoo got through an incredible 51 overs in England’s first innings, doing a magnificent job for his team in controlling one end in the manner that Sulieman Benn was not capable of in the first Test. He tired toward the end of his efforts but his second spell of 22 consecutive overs on day three was his most impressive, it cost just 56 runs and included the wicket of Jonathan Trott. With Sunil Narine’s action reported once again, the West Indies are in need of a spinner to step up and Bishoo seems to be the man.
A legspinner like Bishoo could liven up England’s samey attack. They have one in Adil Rashid but he seems to be permanently confined to the role of ‘benchwarmer’ for now after a poor performance in the warm-up game before this series meaning he’s not currently trusted. England are crying out for a bit of variety in their attack though, one which was easily blunted by the West Indies batsmen on a slow pitch on day four. A certain Jimmy Anderson got them out of jail with a terrific spell on the morning of day five but England can’t rely on him all the time and might need to make a change. If not a wrist spinner added to the mix, how about the pacey aggression of Liam Plunkett – he might be called upon for the final Test, maybe denying Chris Jordan his Barbados homecoming.
He was the story after the first Test, passing Sir Ian Botham to become England’s leading Test wicket-taker, but Jimmy fancied the spotlight for a little bit longer. After a devastating inswinger to dismiss Kraigg Brathwaite in his second over of the match, Anderson struggled for long periods on a slow, lifeless pitch. Ever the proud Lancastrian, a dozy run-out which denied Joe Root a second Test double-ton will have lost him a few more fans in Yorkshire but Anderson’s efforts in the morning session on the final day of the Test were incredible, and crucial to England’s win. He was involved in all six wickets to fall as the West Indies crumbled from 202-2 to 282-8 – taking three, catching two and running out one.
Shout-outs for Stuart Broad – who returned to form with 4-61 in the first innings – and Gary Ballance for back-to-back fifties. Kraigg Brathwaite also stepped up for the West Indies with a terrific 116 to thwart England’s efforts on a docile pitch on day four. Sure his wicket started the precession on the next morning and he appears to have a slight issue with the short ball, but his fighting innings was another example of the growing resolve of this West Indies side.
