England captain Joe Root ‘extremely grateful’ to West Indies for making Test series possible

England won the third Test and with it the series

England's Joe Root celebrates their series victory with the Wisden Trophy (PA)

Joe Root has thanked West Indies for the sacrifice made to get cricket played again after the Test series came to a conclusion on Tuesday with England winning by 269 runs and claiming the Wisden Trophy with a 2-1 scoreline.

The series, originally due to begin at the start of June before the coronavirus pandemic brought the world to a halt, was the first international cricket played since Australia and New Zealand on 13 March. But after careful orchestration between the ECB and the WICB, along with the creation of bio-secure bubbles at Emirates Old Trafford and the Ageas Bowl, the first Test was able to begin on 8 July and the series played out to completion, with entertaining viewing throughout.

West Indies have been in England for 50 days, having arrived on June 9 into a country with one of the highest Covid-19 death rates. They have spent their time confined to on-site hotels, under strict restrictions.

Beyond the welcome return of Test cricket, their presence has allowed the ECB to honour their broadcast contracts. These three matches will go towards salvaging the £280million that could have been lost if no cricket was played this summer. Pakistan will also play their part when they begin their series on 5 August in Manchester.

“First and foremost it's been fantastic effort from West Indies to come over, in such unprecedented times to come and give the world international cricket again and for cricket lovers to watch and enjoy the sport,” said Root. “We're all extremely grateful.”

A West Indies victory in the first Test by four wickets was the perfect start, forcing England to rethink their selections. Though they were almost able to salvage the second Test, which they eventually lost by 113 runs, the hosts blew them away in the third to claim the Wisden Trophy.

West Indies captain Jason Holder admitted that things had started to prove difficult, and that was certainly reflected in how little fight his side had left.

“It has been challenging. It has been really challenging. I think mentally some of the guys are worn out.

“We have been here four weeks prior to the first Test, then we had a change of environment which we really enjoyed. But then to come back here to Manchester to see the same people, same place, same rooms – it was a bit difficult.

“It could be this way for a while so we have to find ways to make it work. Hopefully things can ease up throughout the world and hopefully guys can get out of the hotel a bit more. But it has been challenging mentally for sure.”

Indeed, Stuart Broad was similarly affected at the Ageas Bowl, where he was dropped for the first Test. He went on to take 16 wickets at an average of 10, earning himself the man of the series award. But being unable to leave the bubble when he was not selected in the XI as England went in with an attack of Anderson, Jofra Archer and Mark Wood created doubt in his mind.

“A couple of weeks ago I was in a bit of a thinking place because I couldn’t leave the cricket ground after being left out and I thought ‘where am I going?’ I’m glad I stayed strong because I feel very happy two weeks later.”

That strength allowed him to go on to become the seventh bowler to make it to 500 Test wickets. However, as the newest member of the club, he wonders if he may be one of the last.

“Someone is going to have to play a lot of cricket because there is a lot of competition out there, between different T20 leagues franchises, 100-ball,” said Broad. “I feel very lucky to have played for England in an era where we've played a lot of Test cricket in the summer and a lot in the winter. I think there's talk of thinning the amount of Tests we play in a summer down. You need a lot of Test matches to get 500 wickets. I think there'll be people who have the talent to get the numbers but whether they'll be able to play the amount of Test cricket the seam bowlers have to get that feat remains to be seen.”

Chris Woakes celebrates after taking the wicket of Rakheem Cornwall (Getty)

As for further heights, Broad has nothing particular in mind. But if he is to take cues from his new ball partner James Anderson, who at 38 is still going strong, out ahead with 589 Test dismissals,

“I’m 34 now but I feel like I am bowling as well as I ever have done. I have done some technical work and changed my run up in the last 18 months. I think I am feeling the benefits and getting the rewards for that.

“I never said I really want to get to 500 wickets or 600 wickets. I’m someone who looks pretty short term but at the moment I feel fresh, I feel fit. I’m bowling how I want to be bowling, challenging the outside edge to bring the bat into play, the slips into play, LBW and bowled into play. We bowl for one reason and one reason only and that is to take wickets that can help secure Test match wins and Test series wins. It’s great to sit here knowing that I have come into an attack that has had an influence on us winning a series.”

The England squad immediately jumped in their cars to return home at the end of the match and will rejoin the bubble at Emirates Old Trafford ahead of the first Test against Pakistan next week. The squad for the three-match series will be named in the coming days.