Joe Root, the England captain, believes his team is “in the presence of greatness”, after paying a handsome tribute to his “Mr Incredible”, Ben Stokes, for yet another display of bravado in the second Test against the West Indies .
Although England’s 113-race victory at Emirates Old Trafford was an excellent performance by the team, with key contributions from Stuart Broad, Chris Woakes and Dom Sibley, the contest was organized by Stokes’s immense total of 254 races and three wickets. , including Jermaine Blackwood’s vital scalp at the Tea Shot on the last day of the game.
And, after following his first inning 176, in which he took 255 diligent balls to reach his hundred, with a pioneering 78 who didn’t come out of 57 in the role of a pinch starter in the second, Root was sure Stokes The extraordinary ability to adapt his game to meet the party situation would ensure that performances on the rostrum would continue to arrive.
“He is the incredible lord. I suppose,” Root said after the match, referring to the cartoon superhero of the same name. “It looks a bit like it, and it will probably have the same shape as well.”
“I certainly think he can continue to act at this level. I think the sky is the limit for him really, when you look at how things are going, there is no reason why he cannot continue to do this consistently.”
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“Having such a complete game, and so many different gears at your disposal, allows you to keep improving. But more importantly, if you continue reading the situations as is, and maintain the confidence that you are playing at the moment, there is no reason why we can’t keep seeing performances as brilliant as we have this week, and in the last 12 months really. “
After leading the team in the absence of Root in last week’s First Test, and producing a par-40 in England’s four-wicket loss, Stokes quickened the pace of his performance with the series on the line, as he had done in a hugely ambient contrast at Headingley last summer, where his undefeated 135 led England to a wicket victory just as Australia seemed to be on the verge of sealing the ashes.
But while the competition had unfolded in front of a noisy local crowd at the height of an unforgettable summer in which Stokes had already sealed the glory of the England World Cup, the only live witnesses to his exploits this time were the players. and coaches from both sides. , and a handful of media, with the contest behind closed doors due to the Covid-19 outbreak.
“It is very difficult to compare the two at various levels,” said Root. “There was the magnitude of a series of ashes, a series on the line, running out of partners, running out of options, everything seemed to be dead in the water, and being able to carry us across the line.”
“Here he really showed a little bit more versatility, within himself, and the fact that he is now a more complete player. I think on a personal front he enjoyed this week in a different way than Headingley.”
“From the team’s point of view, it would be very easy for us not to appreciate how good this performance was, due to the lack of atmosphere on the ground. Well, I don’t think that’s the case. I think everyone understands that we are seeing a player at the peak of his powers, at the top of world cricket, delivering over and over again.
“We have to savor that, we have to appreciate that and understand that we are, without trying to pump your tires too much, in the presence of greatness.”
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