England have announced an unchanged playing XI for the third and final Test of the ongoing three-match series against West Indies. The announcement came on the back of a resounding 241-run win over the tourists in the second Test at Trent Bridge in Nottingham.
The announcement suggests that skipper Ben Stokes and head coach Brendon McCullum are happy with the way their players have responded in the series so far and want to give them another opportunity to have a crack at the bruised West Indians and finish the series 3-0.
Stokes was chuffed after the win at Trent Bridge and didn't shy away from lauding his players. He heaped praise on Shoaib Bashir who claimed a five-wicket haul to help his team make light work of the visitors in the second innings.
The England captain also showered praise on the senior statesman Joe Root and the young and dynamic Harry Brook for ensuring that the team posted an insurmountable target in the second innings.
"Amazing, the comeback we showed after the opening partnership was remarkable, Ten wickets for 70 was exceptional, Bash (Shoaib Bashir) showed the world what he's about, change of pace, change of line... top class," said Stokes during the post-match presentation.
"In team sport you want a few to stand up but that partnership between Brook and Root last night, toughest batting conditions, got through that, and put pressure back on. We could have got a few more runs in first innings, but in the pressure of fourth innings, 380 was a lot of runs," he added.
Ollie Pope who was awarded the Player of the Match (POTM) for his brilliant knocks of 121 and 51 also extolled the contributions of Root and Brook in the second innings.
"We saw last night, it swung and nipped under lights, so Rooty and Brooky were class. Negotiated that and put pressure on when we can. I feel really good about where my game is at, happy with how I've played this series, long may it continue," said Pope after the game.
England's playing XI for third Test at Edgbaston in Birmingham
Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Ben Stokes (c), Jamie Smith (wk), Chris Woakes, Gus Atkinson, Mark Wood, Shoaib Bashir
