England will bring a sledgehammer and a scalpel as they bid to defeat the West Indies in a full Test series for the first time in 20 years.
The big breakthrough comes in the form of Mark Wood, who Ben Stokes says “has the potential” to reach speeds of 100mph after a blistering performance at Trent Bridge that saw all-rounder Kevin Sinclair suffer a broken arm and miss out on Friday’s third Test at Edgbaston.
And the scalpel is symbolic of England’s more forensic approach with the bat as Bazball enters the next phase.
Head coach Brendon McCullum said after the 4-1 defeat in India in March that his team needed to “refine” their style, and the second innings in Nottingham was the first of 19 in which they failed to hit a six. Stokes, meanwhile, sounded eager to emphasise his team’s greater “smarts” in the early stages of the long road to the 2025-26 Ashes.
It is a combination that, again, should have been too much for a match but which has limited the West Indians, who are still reeling after losing all 10 wickets in the second innings at Trent Bridge in 23 overs, turning the possibility of a historic victory in five days into humiliation in four.
Ben Stokes (pictured) seemed keen to emphasise his team’s greater ‘smartness’ ahead of their third Test match against the West Indies
England can secure their first Test series over the West Indies in almost 20 years
They will use a sledgehammer and scalpel tactic for the final test at Edgbaston
England have named an unchanged team for a match that sold out tickets for the first three days before Christmas. A crowd of 25,000 will cheer on Wood as he attempts to break his own national record of 97.73mph, set in Melbourne during the otherwise bleak Covid winter of 2021-22.
How about the legendary 100mph? ‘He’s got it,’ Stokes said. ‘He seems to be getting closer and closer. To be able to keep up that pace is pretty phenomenal. It’s all very well trying to bowl over 90 once, but every time for England he’s over 90, and that’s a great thing to have as captain.
“He’s got the heart of a lion. He runs in spell after spell, ball after ball. Although he didn’t get the rewards he wanted last week, he knows he’s affecting the game with more than just wickets. I think someone will pay up this summer, either West Indies this match or Sri Lanka.”
Should Wood reach 100mph, he would be entering uncharted territory for a Test match. He once clocked 100.42 at Lord’s in 2015, although a faulty speedgun was immediately blamed. Instead, the fastest delivery legitimately recorded in the format is 99.6mph, by Australia’s Mitchell Starc against New Zealand’s Ross Taylor in Perth in 2015-16. Three bowlers – Pakistan’s Shoaib Akhtar and Australian duo Brett Lee and Shaun Tait – have reached triple figures in one-day internationals.
Mark Wood (pictured) will be the harbinger as the bowler shone at Trent Bridge
Stokes backed Wood (pictured) to become the fastest bowler in history and break 100mph
Wood has been working in the gym to improve his speed after suffering several serious injuries over the years
The pace bowler averaged 91.2mph during the second Test at Trent Bridge
For England’s batsmen, by contrast, there seems to be less and less need for pace. If Bazball’s early phase contained passages that some critics found too hectic, it was part of what Stokes saw as a necessary correction to the stiffness that preceded it. Under the captain’s own guidance, England often pushed themselves to the limit, if only to discover what was possible.
Now it seems the point has been made. They are still scoring at a rapid pace: their run-rate for the series is 4.47. But Stokes believes the partnership of 189 in 41 overs between Joe Root and Harry Brook in the second innings at Trent Bridge provided a template for proactive, sensible batting.
“They adapted to the rapidly changing conditions, but they were also able to keep the scoreboard moving without it looking like it was dot, dot, dot, crushing,” he said.
‘We still want to apply as much pressure as possible, even when the bowling conditions are in the opposition’s favour. But I think you can see there’s a bit more cleverness in the way we’re playing. The run-rate is the same, but it just doesn’t feel as expansive, if that makes sense?’
‘West Indies threw everything at us. I just thought it was a brilliant partnership and a sign of the progress we’ve made in the last two years.’
England have not won a Test series against the West Indies since 2004, when Michael Vaughan led them to a 4-0 victory. Their first-innings defeat in Nottingham was the basis of a thin sandwich that resulted in totals of 121, 136 and 143.
The scalpel will come in the form of the English batting line, with the English batters slowing down their Bazball approach to scoring
Harry Brook (pictured) made his maiden Test hundred on home soil at Trent Bridge
West Indies captain Kraigg Brathwaite (pictured) urged his team to ‘always keep going, not just the first three days’ after their ordeal at Trent Bridge
And while the series has been decided, there are still points up for grabs in the World Test Championship. West Indies captain Kraigg Brathwaite urged his team to ‘always go all out, not just the first three days’ after their ordeal at Trent Bridge.
Sinclair’s absence sees the return of left-arm spinner Gudakesh Motie, who sat out the second Test through illness. With Shamar Joseph also ill and likely to miss, the West Indies have called up uncapped Barbadian quick Akeem Jordan, who has been playing for West Bromwich Dartmouth in the Birmingham & District Premier League.
Nothing short of another entertaining victory will do for England as Test cricket looks to dominate the headlines of the Hundred, the fourth edition of which began on Tuesday. Another thunderbolt from Wood will illuminate the game’s biggest format in fine style.