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England romped home in emphatic fashion against South Africa in the Manchester test match to win the series 3-1. This was the first test series win for the newly appointed English captain Joe Root. The middle-order heavy England side turned around the series after a shock defeat at Trent Bridge. Moeen was the standout performer for the English side as he took 25 wickets in four Tests and fulfilled his role as an all-rounder scoring 250 runs for England.
Here, we take a look at five players who shone for England to mark the beginning of Joe Root’s journey as England Test captain.
#1. Moeen Ali
Moeen Ali is a loyal workhorse. He comes in, goes about his business and doesn’t expect even an iota of appreciation for the work done. His 25 wickets in the test series came at a strike rate of 15.64 and included two five-wicket hauls. Add two fifties to that impressive bowling performance and you have a complete all-rounder in Ali that gives England some elbow room at the lower order.
In the first test at Lord’s Moeen’s maiden 10 wicket haul quickly reminded everyone why he was the first and not the second preferred spinner (as some reports might have suggested after the inclusion of Liam Dawson in the playing XI).
More than anything, Ali was exceptional during decisive moments in the series. Take for example the final test match where the bearded wizard took two wickets in the first innings before coming in to bat at number eight in the second innings, when England were reeling at 136/6, to take the game away from South Africa with a blistering 75 off just 66 balls.
Ali's greatest accomplishment in this series was that he bowled alongside Stuart Broad and James Anderson, in damp seamer-friendly conditions, and still managed to outperform them. Now only if England could just trust him with more responsibility.
#2. Jonny Bairstow
England’s wicketkeeper-batsman Jonny Bairstow had a better series than most of his accomplished contemporaries scoring 330 runs in a low-scoring series at an average of 41.25. That he accumulated those runs, which included three fifties, batting at number seven shows that he can actually do a much better job if given a promotion in the middle order.
Bairstow often scored his runs at a good pace and his innings at Old Trafford showed glimpses of someone who is currently enjoying his time on the field.
At Manchester his 99 runs in the first innings came at a swift strike rate of 68, which is a tremendous effort considering he kept losing partners on the end all the while.
#3. James Anderson
Although Anderson was outperformed by Moeen Ali in seamer-friendly conditions, he still remains the best swing and seam bowler in this English squad. Anderson scalped 20 wickets in the series at 14.10 and always seemed a picture of great control every time he ran up from his mark.
Almost a third of Anderson’s wickets came in the last test match even as he neutralized Faf Du Plessis in both innings of the game. In the second innings, Anderson gave away just 16 runs in 14 overs to frustrate the opponents and played the part of a veteran swing bowler to perfection.
Even though he wasn’t firing at a hundred percent of his capacity, Anderson sure made a dent in SA’s batting plans.
#4. Joe Root
Joe Root is consistently good on tracks where everybody else struggles and that just shows how immaculately he uses his feet on difficult tracks. By his standards, this was a quiet series for Root although he scored 461 runs at 57.62 including one century (at Lord’s) and three half centuries.
All done and dusted it was a pretty good start for Root as a test captain, beginning with an impressive 3-1 win over South Africa. Although we are yet to see the full spectrum of his tricks as a captain, he would be well served to stay away from the defensive tactics of Cook that he might have picked up as a vice-captain.
#5. Ben Stokes
Ben Stokes stuck around when it mattered and had a pretty satisfactory series first up as the new vice-captain of the Test team. The Durham county lad scored 299 runs in the series at 37.37 including a century and two fifties.
He also picked up seven wickets in the four tests but his bowling still remains a matter of concern especially if he needs to fit in as the fourth seamer.
His only century of the series came at the Oval which he himself described as the hardest of his England career. Battling his attacking instincts, Stokes slugged it out in the middle to score an uncharacteristic century batting alongside the master of the trade – Cook. The highlight of his innings however were the three consecutive sixes he hit off Keshav Maharaj to bring up his much deserved century.
Ben Stokes was also instrumental in the deciding final game at Manchester stitching two of the most important partnerships for England which proved pivotal in the end. A 43-run partnership with Joe Root in the first innings for the fifth wicket gave England some stability and then another 65-run partnership with Jonny Bairstow helped the team post a respectable first innings total of 362.
Similarly, in the second innings, Stokes was involved in a 57-run stand with Joe Root that at a time when South Africa was on charge. These three partnerships came at the right time for England and helped offset some seriously good bowling from the Proteas courtesy Ben Stokes.
