It is joyful to see that cricket has returned after a long, unprecedented halt in the avatar of cliffhanging Test series between England and West Indies. Cricket fans all over the world had many questions in their mind, but considering the safety protocols the series is very much safe. In the first Test match at Southampton, West Indies surprised everyone with their brilliant team effort but England bounced back in the second and proved that they have a strong team. They performed well in all the departments of the game.
England was compelled to play Jofra Archer in the second Test. They could not be excluded for much longer. A player like him can prove to be a great power of any team. It is possible to include him in place of either Chris Woakes or Sam Curran. I am sure that England’s team management will be able to convince them. Now it is up to Jofra Archer either to rest in this match or play an important role in the pursuit of sealing the series.
Ben Stokes, the talismanic all-rounder, impressed the critics as well as the viewers with his all-round performance at the Old Trafford. Owing to his strong performances, England has won many matches throughout the season. With all these qualities, he has become the number one all-rounder in the ICC Test Ranking, surpassing Jason Holder. Even in the batting rankings, he has moved up to third place following Steve Smith and Virat Kohli.
His only problem is that he is raw in handling the captaincy, which probably stems out from the lack of leadership experiences. Joe Root’s absence in the first Test showed the discrepancies in this department. A regular captain knows better how to manage the team members. He also gets a better feel for his players’ abilities.
Nevertheless, I will still defend Stokes, since a new captain takes a while to settle down, not to forget the fact that Joe Root’s leadership got the deliverables. In both these matches, teams were dependent on their bowling arsenal. England has used their battery in the home conditions efficiently.
The third Test is scheduled to begin on Friday at the same ground in Old Trafford. England would like to make the most of their conditions in this match. It is possible to have a green top wicket this time. The performance of the West Indies will majorly depend on how Holder and Gabrielle perform. However, Kemar Roach, another ace bowler of the Caribbean side, cannot be taken lightly. He is supposed to be the best bowler in the team but in this series, he is off his colors. The swing for which he is known is somewhat missing.
It may be because of staying out of touch from the practice matches amid the pandemic. As most of the players have managed to keep themselves fit by doing gym, weight training, and cycling during the lockdown, they have not been able to achieve their cricketing rhythm.
Lately, R. Sridhar, the bowling and fielding coach of India, said that preparation of at least four weeks is essential before the player participates in any international fixture. I think something similar is happening with Campbell and Shai Hope in this series. The problem with WI cricket is that they do not have many options. If we look at the performance of WI in recent years, it has been satisfactory in T20 and ODI only, while their play in Tests has been mediocre. It should be noted that in the Barbados, young talent is either going into football or basketball
As far as winning the series is concerned, taking maximum advantage from the home conditions, England’s chances are greater.
The Author is a coach of Virat Kohli and a Dronacharya Awardee.