After the second Test match, England captain Joe Root praised West Indies skipper Kraigg Brathwaite, saying, “It was infuriating how excellent he was.”
The second Test match of a three-match Test series between the West Indies National Cricket Team and the England National Cricket Team, which is part of the ICC World Test Championship 2021-23 cycle, ended in a tie.
In the two innings, the West Indies captain batted remarkably well, scoring 160 and 56*. He faced 673 balls in total throughout the match, the highest ever faced by a West Indian hitter in a single Test match. In addition, during the course of his two innings, he hit for 15 hours and 45 minutes.
Meanwhile, after the victory, Joe Root praised both the West Indies skipper and the West Indies squad for putting up a valiant fight in the second Test match, and expressed hope that the series finale will be just as good. He went on to say:
“How excellent he was was bothersome; he played beautifully in both innings and didn’t offer us many chances.” He sank us to the ground. He’s the perfect fit for a pitch like that. He immerses himself in it again and again. He had a clear strategy and executed it flawlessly. It’s aggravating, but there’s a lot of admiration for the way he handled it.
“It felt like a new-ball wicket; you wanted to make an impression while the ball was tougher, but we couldn’t quite push on after three magnificent breakthroughs.” West Indies deserve credit for fighting valiantly in two outstanding Test matches, and the series finale should be as impressive.”
He’s been fantastic, in my opinion — Dan Lawrence vs. Joe Root
The performance of “selfless” Dan Lawrence, who has been superb throughout the series, particularly delighted England skipper Root. Joe Root said, “
“I believe he’s fantastic.” One of the most wonderful aspects of this series is how unselfish he has been. He’s always tried to put the team first, and he did it again this morning, making sure we got as many as we could as early as we could, so we could have the greatest chance of getting 10 wickets this afternoon.”
Lawrence, who was dismissed for 91 in the first innings, will soon hit a century if he continues to bat as he did in the second match, according to him. According to Root,
“I don’t believe he’ll be around for long if he continues playing like that.” He’s unquestionably a gifted player. He seems to be gaining confidence all the time, and I’m sure it won’t be long until he puts himself in such situations.
Joe Root was pleased with England’s total of 507 runs in their innings. He declared:
“It was just so satisfying to see us put up a significant first-inning total for the first time in a long time.” May it continue for as long as possible. It has given the lads a lot of confidence, and maybe we will be able to repeat it again and again.”
The English captain praised debutants Matt Fisher and Saqib Mahmood, calling them “amazing” for their efforts in non-seam circumstances. He said, “
“I thought they were fantastic. The two wickets we’ve played on haven’t been ideal for seam bowlers, but the two boys have showed tremendous passion, determination, and skill levels – although a different sort of skill level than what they’re accustomed to in England – to hold a game and build pressure. It was fantastic to watch their cheeks light up as they each got their maiden wickets.”
Root went on to say that he is the red-ball captain of the England National Cricket Team:
“We’ll have to observe what sort of pitch we receive and consider our options for taking 20 wickets.” But it’s gratifying to watch Jack perform as well as he has. You can see he’s having a good time out there, bowling with superb control and always looking menacing. It’s also encouraging to watch him start to find his feet and seem at ease at this level.
“Isn’t it usually a difficult one?” You’re constantly trying to balance that, but I don’t believe you want to go too near because of how little this ground is and how fierce the wind was.
“It’s easy to go back and say, you know, could we have pulled out 10 overs sooner, but would it have made much of a difference in the end?”