Strangely, after a long COVID-19-induced break, cricket was put on the back burner on the opening morning of the first Test match between England and West Indies. Instead, Black Lives Matter took centre stage.
In an incredibly moving video, former West Indies great Michael Holding and ex-England Women’s international Ebony Rainford-Brent spoke openly about their experiences of racism. The clip has been watched nearly a million times on Twitter alone. The manner in which Sky dealt with the issue was brilliant and has earned credit from around the world.
The outstanding work done by the England and Wales Cricket Board to allow these Tests to take place cannot be overstated. At both the Ageas Bowl, Southampton and Old Trafford, Manchester separate bubbles were formed for each team and the media, with both staying in hotels situated at the ground. Special thanks has also to be extended to both West Indies and Pakistan for coming over to England so that the series could take place.
WINNERS
James Anderson
At the start of the summer, England’s veteran fast bowler was working his way back from injury and those watching on were unsure about what the future would hold for the 37-year-old. He finished the summer, aged 38, and taking his 600th Test wicket to become the first seam bowler to reach this milestone. His place in the side also looks set for the future, with skipper Joe Root telling Anderson that he wants him to play in Australia in 18 months’ time.
Jos Buttler
Buttler’s place in the side was starting to come into question after poor form in the winter. The wicketkeeper-batsman has also come under fire for some of his indifferent glovework, with some critics looking to Surrey’s Ben Foakes as a possible replacement. Despite scoring 67 in the third Test against West Indies, the first Test against Pakistan was a real last-chance saloon for Buttler. Fortunately, he delivered, scoring 38 in the first innings, before making a match-winning 75 in a partnership of 139 with Chris Woakes. Buttler then scored his second Test hundred in the third game. He claimed the man of the series award, and has his place nailed down for the considerable future.
Stuart Broad
Broad was left out of the first Test of the summer, much to his annoyance which he made public in an interview on Sky Sports. He described himself as being, “devastated”. When you make a statement like this in an interview, you’re required to back it up in the next game and Broad did exactly that. He took six wickets in the second Test and hasn’t looked back, taking 29 wickets at an average of 13.41. He also passed the 500-wicket milestone in the second Test, only the third fast bowler to do so. Broad finished by being voted player of the summer by BBC Sport readers.
The groundstaff
Six Test matches in eight weeks was always going to be tough for the players, hence England’s rotation of their fast bowlers. But spare a thought for the groundstaff, who in variable English weather have produced Test-match quality pitches every week. Matt Merchant, head groundsman at Old Trafford, had to produce wickets for three Test matches in a row. Also spare a thought, for Simon Lee at Hampshire who not only has had to produce wickets for three Tests, but also prepared the pitches for England’s three one-day games against Ireland.
LOSERS
Dom Bess
The Somerset off-spinner had performed well in South Africa, and will have seen this summer as an opportunity to become England’s resident spinner for years. He hasn’t grabbed that opportunity. He has ended the summer averaging a less than impressive 55 with the ball. In fairness to Bess the conditions haven’t always been conducive for spin bowling. He is also still very young at 22, but he will still see this summer as a chance missed.
Mark Wood
Mark Wood, or the Horse, as he’s affectionately known, has had a disappointing summer. Wood had a fantastic winter, turning in back-to-back man-of-the-match performances in England’s last two Tests in South Africa. Wood was given the nod in the first Test against West Indies and failed to back up the faith shown by stand-in skipper Ben Stokes by returning figures of 1-74 and 1-36. He was restricted to carrying drinks for the rest of the summer.
Jofra Archer
It’s now just over 12 months since Jofra Archer first pulled on an England shirt, and for good and bad reasons he is never far away from the headlines. Between the first and second Tests, it emerged that Archer had broken the rules and gone to visit his home. He was subsequently placed in self-isolation and was unable to play in the second Test. Archer is held in such high regard by England fans that any performance that is slightly below exceptional is criticised. It has not been a bad summer for Jofra, by any stretch, he has just failed to impose himself as many expected.
BEST INNINGS
Zak Crawley – 267 against Pakistan, third Test
This prize was only going to go to one man. At 22, Zak Crawley, batted with a maturity and fluency that made it look like this was his twentieth time passing 100 for his country, not his first. The young Kent batsman came to the crease early on the first morning with England sitting precariously at twelve for one, and left it with his side in the best position they’ve been in on home soil for years – 486 for five. He shared a record-breaking partnership of 359 with Buttler, but whilst Buttler looked good, Crawley looked imperious, dismissing deliveries to the boundary at will. They always say your first England hundred is special, not many score 267 though.
BOWLING
Stuart Broad – 6-41 against West Indies, third Test
Coming off the disappointment of being left out in the first Test and having a solid game in the second, it was this match where Broad stamped his mark on the series. He dismissed opener Kraigg Brathwaite for 1, but it was later in the innings when he did the most damage. Broad is known for his devastating spells of bowling and this was no different. His run-up gained extra zip, his knees started pumping and the wickets began to tumble. He got rid of captain Jason Holder, Rakeem Cornwall, Kemar Roach and Shane Dowrich in quick succession. West Indies batsmen were going backwards and forwards to the pavilion as regularly as Manchester’s trams stopped outside the ground.
All in all, it was a strange summer, not just for England, but cricket as a whole. On balance England have plenty of positives to take from the two series – as they dealt with every test thrown at them, including the COVID ones.
By Alex Brinton