Joe’s Stoked
MATCH-WINNER BEN HAS ROOT RAVING
BEN STOKES provided a fitting finale to a landmark Test to leave Joe Root beaming.
The all-rounder stepped up to the plate in stunning fashion by grabbing three wickets as England nervously scraped home.
Set against the backdrop of an appearance at Bristol Crown Court tomorrow to answer charges of affray, the Durham man could have been forgiven for his mind wandering to off-field troubles.
But he was fully focused as he ensured India fell 31 runs short of their victory target as England’s 1,000th Test lived up to the hype.
It left skipper Root smiling from ear to ear afterwards, puffing out his cheeks in joy – and paying tribute to his match-winner.
He said: “What a game! I’m still trying to soak it all in. It was a fabulous advert for Test cricket. Stokesy has got the knack – he wants to bowl in big moments of the game. It was a fabulous team performance.
“Whenever you are playing in close games you are desperate to be on the right side of it for so many reasons.
“One thing that stands out was the inner drive and belief. We got a few things wrong in this match – but we have got a belief in one another. I’m really proud of the players.”
The match was beautifully poised yesterday morning and the normally raucous Edgbaston crowd was in good voice from the first ball.
The equation was simple. England needed five wickets. India required 84 runs. And the hosts got off to the best possible start when Jimmy Anderson snared Dinesh Karthik.
The only person happier than the world’s No.1 ranked bowler would have been Dawid Malan. The Middlesex man dropped centurion Virat Kohli twice in the first innings and he partly redeemed himself with a fine grab.
But England then found life tough. The ball did not move as much as it had during the opening three days.
And with Kohli the dangerman at the crease there was always the chance that he would see the job through.
Anderson and fellow new-ball partner Stuart Broad had been seen off by the Indians who were steadily reducing their target towards the 50-run mark.
But with just his fourth ball, Stokes changed the course of the match.
India’s skipper moved too far over and the ball rapped him on the pads. There was an anxious wait as a review ended in England’s favour.
That sparked wild scenes of jubilation as fancy dress cavemen, bananas, netballers, traffic cones and sailors sensed the match had just reached a critical point.
That feeling was enhanced two balls later as England celebrated taking their eighth wicket.
Mohammed Shami only managed to edge a ball to wicketkeeper Jonny Bairstow and the finishing line was in sight.
The dangerous Hardik Pandya threatened to upset the party with a couple of lusty blows but Root brought Adil Rashid back into the attack – a brave move in the situation – and he trapped Ishant Sharma leg before.
That then sparked a cat and mouse game as England tried to take the final wicket.
Stokes obliged, having Pandya caught at first slip by Alastair Cook.
Root charged over from mid-off as the England players got themselves in a victory huddle at their most successful venue in domestic Test cricket.
That is nine straight international victories now at Fortress Edgbaston. And 17 Test matches have been played against Sri Lanka, Pakistan and India without the hosts once tasting defeat.
Root added: “We always felt that early wickets were going to be crucial.
“We felt if we took one, we were going to get two or three.
“The ball swung throughout and we were always in the game. Credit to India as well, the way both seaming groups bowled was outstanding. It was just a great cricket match.”