England captain Joe Root considers himself incredibly lucky and privileged to lead some of the best-ever English cricketers after his side thumped lowly ranked Windies by a massive margin of an innings and 209 runs in the opening Test at Edgbaston on Sunday, which also happened to be the first-ever Test match on English soil.
The home team began their dominance on the opening day riding on a brilliant 243 by Alastair Cook in the first innings which earned him the Man of the Match. England’s leading wicket taker in Tests, James Anderson then came strongly and removed three Windies batsmen while Stuart Broad became England’s 2nd leading wicket taker eclipsing the like of Ian Botham. James Anderson occupies the first position with 492 scalps.
The visitors were enforced the follow-on, as they were left clueless in front of a brilliant piece of fast bowling by the English pacers.
Root after the end of the match said,
“We all know the class and skill these guys have, and we’re so fortunate to have those guys rolled into one era.
“All three of the senior guys, the record-breakers, set the standard. To have the two leading (England) wicket-takers and the leading (England) run-scorer in the side, you have to be careful not to take that for granted.
“I’m extremely privileged to play in the same team as them — and what a place for young guys to learn, with that great experience and so many runs and wickets behind them.” The 2nd of the three-match Test series starts at Headingley on Friday.
The hosts will be eager to continue their dominance, and the Windies need a miracle to save them from the blushes even in the 2nd Test.
The Englishmen have been ruthless in the recent past, and after winning the series against South Africa by a 3-1 margin, they will look to put up an inspired performance in the Ashes scheduled to be held in Australia later in the year.