England completed a dominant series win over the West Indies with a rapid chase in the final session of the third Test. Here are the takeaways from the series.
Two of England's three wins were completed well inside three days, with the opening Lord's Test match lasting less than seven sessions. While in the final two Tests West Indies had moments of being competitive, as expected, they were unable to sustain a challenge to England.
It's England's first Test series win since their 3-0 victory over Pakistan in 2022, and it's lifted them off the bottom of the pile in the World Test Championship standings. Their next Test assignment is against Sri Lanka later in the summer, while the West Indies will play two Tests against South Africa in August.
England's focus on pace yields results
The fast bowlers England selected in their squad emphasised that they would be firmly focussing on pace over the summer. Gus Atkinson showed the potential benefits of that approach with his record-breaking 12 wickets in the opening game at Lord's. Mark Wood then carried that on, first with his blistering opening spell at Trent Bridge, and then with his record attempt on the final day at Edgbaston, where he took 21 balls from first wicket to last to claim his five-for.
With James Anderson now retired, it's clear England are taking a new direction. The likes of Matthew Potts, Sam Cook and Chris Woakes will provide the seam and swing, and the rest will bring the pace.
Bright spots for West Indies amid bleak result
The series scoreline and the quickness of the losses in the first and third Test matches paint a dark picture for the West Indies. Coming into the series, while the experienced names in their squad were few and far between, there was a small glimmer of hope for the West Indies in their pace attack. Jayden Seales delivered on that hope, taking 13 wickets in the series and looking the pick of the West Indies bowlers. However, he was one of only two West Indies bowlers to take more than four wickets in the series, with the other's (Alzarri Joseph) wickets coming at 6.12 runs per over.
It was predictably the batting that was most problematic. Dramatic collapses in all three Tests were what created such heavy margins of loss - only breaching 200 twice in six innings evidences just how far behind they were. There are well documented structural reasons for this, as well as some lethal bowling from England. However, Kavem Hodge provided some relief. His century at Trent Bridge was a welcome breather, followed by a half-century in the West Indies' final day collapse at Edgbaston. There was also Alick Athanaze's 82, albeit that was his only score of more than 22 in the series.
Debutants stake claim in post-Anderson era
Aside from Atkinson threatening to steal the show from Anderson's retirement at Lord's, England's other debutant also stood out. Having pushed out both Ben Foakes and Jonny Bairstow as a bolter behind the stumps, Jamie Smith showed he's here for the long term, delivering on long-held belief in his ability from England management. In both of his innings above fifty, he ensured England went from a point of relative strength to dominance and showed his ability to go through the gears batting with the tail. Few doubted Smith's talents before the series, there will be even fewer who can question the potential he holds now.
Brashness remains, but England show signs of refinement in approach
There will always be elements of recklessness and frustration among England's Bazballers. Harry Brook's attempted ramp off Kevin Sinclair at Trent Bridge was the most obvious of these unforced errors, Ben Stokes' holing out on the boundary twice in the same game another. There was also Smith's cross-batted swipe at Jason Holder, and a couple of loose drives from both Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett at Edgbaston. However, there was evidence of a subtle refinement in England's approach. All of England's top seven apart from Crawley averaged more than 40 in the series and, around peak periods of pressure, they consolidated rather than hit back. Hundreds from Ollie Pope, Joe Root and Brook were also boxes ticked in terms of players capitalising on runs for the taking. Never fear though, the helter-skelter chase on the final day shows new England are going nowhere.
Stokes re-emphasises all-round status
Having missed the IPL and prioritised the County Championship over England's T20 World Cup title defence in order to get his knee ready to bowl for England, Stokes' importance as an all-rounder was felt against West Indies. He took five wickets in the series and allowed England to return to their familiar balance. Seeing Stokes run into bowl seemingly pain-free was also a relief for fans who have held their breath watching his knee as he entered his delivery stride for the last few years. It's an obvious point, but worth making, that England look significantly stronger and more comfortable with Stokes in that role.
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