Manchester: Joe Root praised Stuart Broad and Ben Stokes after the duo were influential in helping England level the Test series against West Indies.
Stokes followed up his knock of 176 in the first innings with an unbeaten 78 that allowed England to set up the opportunity to push for victory on the final day, as he added quick runs on the fifth morning.
The all-rounder then picked up two wickets – including crucially ending Jermaine Blackwood’s resistance on 55 – as West Indies, chasing an unlikely 312 for victory, were bowled out for 198.
Root acknowledged match-winning contributions are becoming a common occurrence from his vice-captain, telling Sky Sports after the triumph at Old Trafford: “It doesn’t surprise me.
“You watch how Ben goes about his business in practice whether it be practice, fitness or anything, he leads the way in many respects.
“He seems to want to keep getting better and better and we’re seeing those results out on the field as well.
“It’s great for a lot of the younger guys to see that, you’ve got to put the hard yards in, he certainly does that and we’re starting to see that feed into the rest of the team, which is a great place to be.”
