SECOND INVESTEC TEST Root let down by
IT will be of comfort to Joe Root when he looks back on a trying first day at Headingley to recall the imposing sight of Ben Stokes raising his bat for his sixth Test century.
For when push comes to shove this winter, when England are four down and wobbling as history both distant and recent suggests they almost certainly will be, the knowledge he has a man capable of riding to the rescue from miles back will be reassuring.
Yet before England skipper Root is warmed too much by the presence of Stokes – who entered the field against the West Indies yesterday at 71-4 and hammered an imposing 100 to steer the hosts to 258 before England were all out – he will be worried sick about the men above him.
And with just one more innings here and one more Test at Lord’s between England’s top order and the bared teeth of an Aussie attack at the Gabba, he should be.
It is painfully clear England’s selectors have a difficult few meetings ahead after Mark Stoneman, Tom Westley and Dawid Malan all flopped again.
Most disappointing for Root will be that, on the eve of this Test, having challenged all three to grab their chance, not only did they all fail but they all failed to poor shots.
Having started the day hoping yesterday might clarify matters, it now appears the tail end of the County Championship will be a race to the plane.
Alex Hales, Haseeb Hameed, Keaton Jennings, Gary Ballance as well as the above are under starter’s orders.
England’s total was below par for all that West Indies have their work cut out, having battled hard to 19-1 at the close still 239 runs behind, Jimmy Anderson making the solitary breakthrough.
But it could have been so much worse for the hosts had Root and Stokes not made the most of all the luck they were AT HEADINGLEY generously given by the tourists. West Indies, abject with the ball at Edgbaston, delivered a more cohesive display here after losing the toss, hitting a better line and length and probing off stump.
Yet now they were abysmal with their hands, spilling four easy catches, two that proved costly.
Stokes provided for two of those drops – spilled by Kraigg Braithwaite at second slip when he had made nine and by Shannon Gabriel when he was on 98.
And Root, who equalled AB de Villiers’ record of 12 consecutive Tests with a half-century, hitting 59, was dropped by Kieran Powell at first slip when was on nine.
The later Stokes fumble mid-on and a terrible fluff behind the stumps off an edge from Stuart Broad cost two runs, but those earlier blunders cost West Indies 141 runs.
And on a that will increasingly returns, that be the match.
Alastair Cook had been pitch give sparse could at unable to repeat his efforts at Edbgaston – where he posted a double hundred – yet Stoneman and Westley had looked more than capable of doing just that. Opener Stoneman had moved to 19 before a loose drive at Kemar Roach took an inside edge to the keeper. In between the opening pair, Westley played uncertainly to leg at a ball from the same bowler that straightened, taking it right in front of his off stump on his back pad. It was Westley’s second lbw in
succession. Malan had come in at 37-3 and dug in to lunch.
But after 39 balls he was bowled for eight by the nagging – if not express – pace of Jason Holder. Malan got an inside edge on to his stumps.
On the one hand, it is still early days for this trio, with Stoneman averaging 13.5 after just two innings, while Westley averages just over 22 and Malan 18, both from six knocks.
Yet their nerves might not make it feel like that. And nerves are the biggest obstacle.
Perhaps they can also draw comfort from Stokes on a day when he was able to reach his target after being given a second and third chance.