Naming an unchanged side’s ‘easy’, says Stokes
ENGLAND captain Ben Stokes insists it was an “easy decision” to stick with an unchanged side as they look to seal a series whitewash in the third Test against West Indies at Edgbaston today.
An unchanged XI means Nottinghamshire seamer Dillon Pennington’s wait for a Test debut goes on, while Matthew Potts also sits out.
Pennington has taken 31 wickets for Nottinghamshire in Vitality County Championship Division One this season - a total bettered by only three players.
England have already handed Test debuts to Jamie Smith and Gus Atkinson in this series and Stokes says Pennington’s first cap will “naturally” come with the demands of Test cricket.
Mark Wood was forced out of the bowling line-up on day two at Trent Bridge due to fatigue, but the 34-year-old has been deemed fit enough to go again in Birmingham.
Stokes said: “Two-nil up and very good all-round team performances, pretty easy decision to stick with same 11 and want to wrap up the series and hopefully take it 3-0.
“That (Pennington’s inclusion) will come naturally with six Test matches, even though we have a decent break; fast bowling is hard so naturally we will see change in the bowling line up. It is tough not to play but for Potts and for Dillon it’s great for them to be in the squad - it’s tough but they work incredibly hard so if the opportunity comes around for either of them they will be ready to go.
“We’ve stuck with the same team for the first three games because we don’t feel a necessary opportunity to change. Though he (Pennington) hasn’t got the opportunity, we know how hard he works out in the middle, there’s no doubt an opportunity will come for him and he’ll be ready to go.”
Following knee surgery last year, Stokes is stepping up his duties as a full all-rounder and, after he bowled 12 overs in the first innings, the England captain felt he was not needed in the second as England tore through West Indies on day four.
He added: “I’m very happy, in a good place with my all-round abilities; being able to bowl is massive for me and I know it affects the make up of the team.
“I wasn’t required to bowl in the fourth innings just because of how well (Shoaib) Bashir bowled and the ball got reverse swinging quite nicely, when I looked at Woody and Gus, I thought those guys would win us the game because of reverse swing.
“Even though it’s only one option it feels like four or five more because I can manipulate the bowling attack a lot more and try use two guys at either end.”
Meanwhile, speaking on Wednesday, Harry Brook said he was determined to be his own man as he brushed off comparisons to cricketing greats following his first Test century on English soil.
The 25-year-old scored his first ton in England to help inspire the hosts to a crushing victory by 241 runs over the West Indies at Trent Bridge
Brook had four previous Test centuries to his name, achieved overseas against Pakistan and New Zealand, but his speedy 109 from 132 balls further cemented his name in England’s top order.
The Yorkshire batter reached his hundred alongside club-mate Joe Root, who also helped himself to his first Test century of the summer.
Brook played a major role in helping England come from 2-0 to rescue an Ashes series draw against Australia last summer, scoring 363 runs and four half-centuries.
Asked whether his batting was a combination of the likes of Kevin Pietersen, Ian Bell and Jos Buttler, he replied: “I want to be my own batter, I want to be Harry Brook, not anybody else. But nowadays you have to take different parts of other batters and put it into your game.
“An example is Rooty playing the ball so late or AB de Villiers hitting all around the ground, Kevin Pietersen for his power. You do see little bits of other people’s games and try to fit it into yours. I’ve done a little bit of that, not too much. I mean Rooty has just gone eighth in the all-time Test runs list, so I’d be stupid to not be tapping into his cricket knowledge.
“I was glad to get it (the hundred) on the board, being my first in England. I was nearly getting to the spot where I thought, ‘God, I need a hundred in England’. I didn’t get a big one in the Ashes last year, but I was happy with my performances.”
England have four Test matches still to play this summer starting with today’s series finale at Edgbaston. It is followed by the visit of Sri Lanka at Old Trafford in August.
In a world where more players are now prioritising franchise T20 cricket, Brook admits Test matches are his priorities. He said: “Test cricket and playing for England is my priority.”
Gloucestershire suffered a Metro Bank One Day Cup defeat at Glamorgan last night, shortly before the Western Daily Press went to press. Set 188 to win by their hosts, the West Country side were all out for 160 after 30.1 overs. Today, Somerset welcome Kent to The Cooper Associates County Ground in Taunton, also in the same competition, 2pm.