England registered a 10-wicket win over West Indies in the final Test of their bilateral series at Edgabston on Sunday. The match saw several records being broken.
The visitors won the toss and chose to bat first, and openers Kraigg Brathwaite and Mikyle Louis gave them a solid start with a 76-run opening stand. After a middle-order collapse, a recovery from Jason Holder (59) and Joshua da Silva (49) helped them post 282. In reply, half-centuries from Joe Root (87), Ben Stokes (54), Jamie Smith (95) and Chris Woakes (62) ensured England took a 94-run lead, despite having been 54-5 earlier in the piece.
West Indies were then bowled out for 175, as pacer Mark Wood ripped through the lower-order to finish with 5-40. England were set 82 to win, and did it in style. Ben Stokes, opening in place of the injured Zak Crawley, and Ben Duckett, knocked off the required runs in a scarcely believable 7.2 overs.
Fastest Test fifty for England ✅
— Wisden (@WisdenCricket) July 28, 2024
Joint-third fastest fifty in Test history ✅
Ben Stokes briefly threatened breaking all-time Test record earlier today...
Check the fastest Test fifties list here: https://t.co/iEWCEJ09cs pic.twitter.com/ni6zJbmmOH
All the records broken in the England-West Indies Edgbaston Test
In the fourth innings, England matched their own record for the fastest team fifty in men's Test history, reaching the mark in 4.2 overs, just as they did in the first innings at Trent Bridge earlier this month.
Stokes and Duckett's stand of 87 in 44 balls was the fastest partnership of 50 runs or more in men's Test history, at the rate of 11.86 runs per over. The only other opening stand ever scored at 10 runs per over or more was Marcus Trescothick and Michael Vaughan's 50* (30) vs Sri Lanka in Manchester, 2002.
This score of 87 in 7.2 overs was also the fastest-scoring team innings of 50 runs or more in men's Test history.
Ben Stokes finished on 57 not out off 28 balls, having reached his half-century in 24 deliveries. This was the joint fourth-fastest effort in men's Test history, alongside Jacques Kallis. It was also the fastest Test half-century by an Englishman.
Stokes also became the fastest-scoring opener in men's Test history with at least 100 runs scored (where data is available). His strike rate at the top of the order now stands at 158.82. This was only his second time opening the batting, after an unbeaten 57-ball 78 against the same opposition in Manchester in 2020.
Gus Atkinson finished the series with 22 wickets to his name, the best haul by an Englishman in a three-match bilateral series since Ryan Sidebottom's 24 against New Zealand in 2008.
Atkinson's tally was also the best by an Englishman in a three-match home bilateral series since Ian Botham's 24 against New Zealand in 1978.
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